Time Truly Divides || Newsies Time Travel AU

Chapter 6

"Mr. Snyder," Jack said, standing in the doorway between the sitting room and the bedrooms.

"What? Can't you see I'm watching the game?"

"I got a B on my math exam."

Snyder looked away from the television for a moment, an unimpressed look on his face. "And?"

"I got a B," Jack said, defeated. "Barely anyone got a B."

"Did anyone get an A?"

Jack nodded slowly. "One person."

"Then why couldn't you get an A? Someone else did. Are you not good enough?"

"I'm sorry?" Jack offered. "I tried my best. I don't know what you want me to do."

"Get an A," Snyder stated. "That's what I want. Ask for extra credit tomorrow and if they say no, it's your own fault."

Jack nodded and hung his head. Why couldn't he do even one thing right? That's all he wanted to do. It shouldn't have been as hard as it was proving to be.

"Let me look at it," Snyder groaned, holding an expectant hand out to Jack. Jack passed over the paper and watched Snyder look through it with a grimace on his face. "You got this one wrong," Snyder pointed out, in case Jack wasn't already aware.

"Sorry, sir."

"You should be. I took you in out of the goodness of my heart and you don't even study for tests. Do you know how that makes me look?" Snyder queried. "When that social worker shows up to take you back, I'm going out for drinks to celebrate. Can't wait 'til I'm rid of you."

"I'm not staying here?"

"No. Why would I want to keep you?"

Jack shrugged. "I didn't know. When is she coming for me?"

"I don't know." Snyder rolled his eyes. "But the sooner the better."

A knock on the door of the apartment made Jack's mind come up with a thousand scenarios at once. The main theme in them all; being taken and driven somewhere far away, mostly back to 1898 to his life.

"Answer that, Kelly. I've got a game to finish watching."

"Yes, sir," Jack mumbled. He walked over to the door and placed his test on the small table beside the door.

A woman Jack had never seen before was standing outside the door, carrying a handbag on one arm and an empty, blue bag on the other.

"Hi, Jack. I'm Maria, your social worker," the woman introduced herself.

Jack nodded. He had no idea what a social worker was or why he had one.

"I'm here to take you to a more permanent home," Maria explained. "The lady you'll be staying with has two sons she adopted so you'll have people to talk to."

"Why?" Jack asked.

Maria sighed before moving the duffel bag to her other arm. "You were just staying with Mr. Snyder temporarily. We've found a family that seems like a good fit for you and given your, well, your issue we think it'll be a good fit."

"Who's we?"

"Myself and the doctors who treated you at the hospital. We're trying to find what's best for you until we can find your parents and this seems like the best fit."

Jack nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Why don't you go pack up your things in here? The sons got this duffel bag for you so you all match." She passed the bag over to Jack. "And I'll go talk with Mr. Snyder."

Jack stepped out of the doorway and let Maria through the door.

"Jack, who's this?"

"Mr. Snyder, I'm Jack's social worker. A more permanent placement has come up so I'll be taking Jack there."

Snyder stood up and moved across the room to talk to Maria. Jack looked at the duffel bag in his hand before slipping into his bedroom. Though he supposed it wasn't his bedroom. Not if he was leaving.

Granted, it was never his room to begin with. That was just a lie he used to make it feel like he belonged.

The only time he'd ever had anything close to a room of his own was his bunk back in the Newsboy's Lodging House.

But there was a chance that wasn't even real.

"Jack," Maria said. He must have been there for a while as she was standing in the doorway. "Have you got everything packed?"

Jack shook his head and placed the duffel bag down on the bed.

"No, sorry," he muttered. "I'll do it now."

"Would you like some help?"

"It's fine. I've just got some shirts and jeans. I'll only be a second."

Maria opened her mouth like she wanted to say something but closed it as Jack quickly folded his clothes and shoved them into the bag.

Within a few minutes, all his possessions were either on his back or in the bag. The only things he had that weren't his few clothes were his school books and school supplies. And the tattered cap he refused to let Snyder go near.

"Jack, are you ready?"

Jack blinked and realised that he'd spaced out for a few moments while holding the cap.

"Yeah." Jack quickly shoved the hat into the bag.

Maria held a hand out to Jack, as if on instinct. Jack stared at the hand in confusion until Maria retracted it.

"Sorry, I usually work with younger kids," Maria explained.

"Why'd you get me then?"

Maria sucked in a breath, regretting ever mentioning it to Jack.

Jack nodded. He got it. They thought there was something wrong with him and he needed to be treated like a child. He couldn't blame them, it wasn't like he was much more than a child. Jack couldn't even do good enough on a stupid maths test to make Snyder happy.

"Jack, are you ready to go?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, sorry."

"It's okay, you don't need to be sorry."

Maria smiled softly and led Jack out of the apartment. She brought him to her car and let him put his bag on the backseat for while he was sitting up front beside her.

"You'll be in the same school. So you can stay with your friends."

Jack wanted to ask if he could still walk with Race and Albert. He didn't.

A silence fell in the car. Neither would have called it comfortable. When they did finally arrive at his new home, Jack wanted to rip the hair out of his head. The car ride had been agonising.

Maria got out of the car and started to walk up to the townhouse's door, leaving Jack to awkwardly follow once he'd gotten his bags from the back of the car. She'd knocked on the door when Jack was a few steps away so the door was opened just as Jack arrived at the door.

"Jack?"

Jack looked up from the bag straps wrapped around his hands and smiled broadly.

"Race."

~~~
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