The Experiment || Newsies AU

Chapter 69

Crutchie and Jack spent the rest of the evening together.

They stayed awake for most of the night reminiscing on some of their best times together and some of their less great times.

They spent more time on the better parts that the bad parts.

Eventually Crutchie had had to go back to his own room and Davey had to come back into his.

Everything was okay for that night, everyone slept peacefully and all the worries of the few days prior were no more.

It wasn't until the next morning when everything started to fall apart.

They had planned to hold a rally the following Friday so they had time to contract press and important figures.

They also planned it then so they could convince the newspapers that Jack did have confidence in the strike and that he hadn't abandoned it.

They were sitting in their first class of the day, in which Ms. Medda was very glad to see him, when he was called to the principals office.

He assumed it had something to do with the protest.

He hoped it was that Pulitzer had come to his senses and had agreed to their terms.

He knew his hope was ridiculous and there was no way he'd agree but he had to at least hope a small amount.

He feared that he was going to be expelled or something because of him running away from school the other day.

He most of all feared that Pulitzer had some form of connections to the law system, which, let's face it, he most probably does.

He had had experiences with jail before and once things started picking up for him and Crutchie he vowed he'd never go back.

He would even make sure not to act out in class so he couldn't get detention with Snyder.

Snyder had been the Warden at the Refuge, the jail for underage children he had been sent to, and had nightmares about the man.

When he arrived at Pulitzer's office Pulitzer was sitting behind his desk with the evil grin that often adorned his face.

"Mr. Kelly, please come in," he did, gesturing to the seat on the opposite side of his desk.

Jack nodded and sat in the seat, for once in his life he didn't want to bother to be rebellious, he knew it would only end in disaster.

"I understand that you left school without any form of permission and that is completely unacceptable," he started.

Jack very difficultly refrained from rolling his eyes.

"I think it should be only fair that you receive a form of punishment for this. I think an evening to reflect in solitude would suffice," Jack was almost ready to leap across the desk and soak him.

He was too busy imagining all of the ways he could get revenge on Pulitzer that he didn't notice the Delancy brothers walk into the office.

"I heard that you intend to hold a rally so here's what I propose. You speak against this hopeless protest and I see your criminal record expunged," Pulitzer sneered at Jack. "And your pockets filled with enough cash to buy a new apartment for you and that boy you insist on calling your 'brother'."

Jack tried to answer, his attempts at staying calm been thrown out the window, but when he went to stand up he felt a pair of hands grab his arms.

He tried to fight them off when he started to be dragged backwards.

"I'm sure Mr. Snyder will be able to knock some sense into you and if you don't go ahead with this speech and try to defy me I will see all your little friends put into his care for as long as he sees fit."

Jack felt like everything he'd ever worked to forget was all coming apart as he was dragged through the hallways with the Delancys making sure that all his friends saw him.

~~~
662 words