I woke up the next day to the sound of Mr Kloppman shouting at Boots and Skittery, wow a whole night without a single nightmare, that was rare, maybe it was the soup. I jump down from the bed nudging Jack to get up, he just groans still half asleep so I slap him across the face, which wakes him up. I put on my black jeans, there were rips on the knees but not as a fashion statement, I pulled on one of Jack's old white t-shirts and secure my dagger in my belt, I'd never used it and I hoped I would never need to but jack made me take it for protection, it was my mothers so I guarded it with my life. I grabbed my red bandana, that matches Jack's, and tie it round my wrist, I clip on my black suspenders and put on my newsie hat over my plaited hair. I debate on wether to take my slingshot and then decide to take it so I can get one of the Delancey brothers, preferably Oscar, he annoyed me more. I put a few shooters in my pocket then head out, seeing racetrack just in front I run and jump on his back and he carries me over to the gates, which were already open, I guess I was too late to get Oscar. Weirdly though no one is buying papes and when we walk over Blink says to jack
"They jacked up the price! You hear that Jack? Ten cents a hundred! You know, it's bad enough that we gotta eat what we don't sell, now they jack up the price! Can you believe that?" I can see Oscar mocking him from behind and I pull out my slingshot and get him in the eye, I guess I got to get him anyway. I'm shocked about the price and I jump off Race's back
"this'll bust me I'm barely making a living right now" Skittery says
"I'll be back sleeping on the streets" Boots adds sitting on the steps.
"It don't make no sense, with all the money Pulitzers makin, why would he gouge us?" Mush asks
"coz he's a tight wad, that's why"
"Pipe down, it's just a gag" Jack says walking up to weasel "why the jack up weasel?" He asks rudely
"why not?" He says, he licks his finger then sticks it in the air "it's a nice day. Why don't you ask Mr Pulitzer" he shouts. Jack walks back down and sits in front of me on the steps.
"They can't do this to me Jack" Blink says
"they can do whatever they want it their stinkin paper!" Race says looking defeated " it's a rig deck, they got all the marbles" he finishes, of course making this about betting
" yeah jack we ain't got a choice, let's get our papers while we can, huh" mush says heading up to weasel but Jack stops him
"No, no ones going anywhere" he says. Then Les pushes through
"give him some room, give him some room, let him think" he says and everyone shuts up, blink hands Jack a cigar to help him concentrate, Jack takes in the smoke then hands it to me and I do the same
"hey jack ya done thinking yet" race asks after a few seconds
"world employees only on this side of the gates" weasel yells banging on the bars, we all just shout back and turn back to jack
"one things for sure, if we don't sell papes, no one sells papes, no one comes in or out those gates till they put the price back where it was!" Jack says
"what like a strike?" David asks
"yeah like a strike" I say backing up jack, not just because he's my brother but because I really can't afford the raise in price.
"We can't go on strike we don't have a union" David points out,
"but if we go on strike then we are a union right?" I say
"no we're just a bunch of angry kids with no money, maybe if we got every newsie in New York" David suggests,
"yeah then we'll be organised, Crutchy you take up a collection" Jack orders
YOU ARE READING
you can't outrun it
Fanfictiontrying to escape her past, Cameron kelly becomes a newsie with her brother jack, life's finally great and she's in love, but eventually her past will come back to haunt her, and no matter how hard she tries to run, she will never outrun the pain. (...
