The Experiment || Newsies AU

Chapter 76

Jack walked into the common room and was met with many sets of eyes giving him the fisheye.

He went to turn around and leave when he crashed into the wall of muscle more commonly known as Spot.

Spot gave him a look and he turned back around trying his best to avoid the glares.

After trying to figure out where the best place to look would be he opted for his shoes.

Spot elbowed him in the side and have Jack a look to start his explanation before he's killed by the Newsies' glares.

Jack looked up and saw Spot sit beside Race and wrap his arm around his boyfriend's waist.

"Um, I'm sorry about what happened at the rally. Pulitzer made me and threatened all of you guys if I didn't do what he said and yeah," he trailed off and went back to looking at his shoes.

He'd never noticed it before but there's still a stain on it from one time he and Crutchie went out for ice-cream during the summer and his dropped onto his shoe when he was trying to put his money away.

He smiled slightly at the memory before being dragged out of his thoughts by Finch's voice.

"Why should we believe you? You ran away after the protest then you betrayed us at the rally," he pointed out.

"I know and those were both pretty bad things to do but I promise that I didn't want to betray you all. He threatened to send you all to Snyder and I couldn't ever let that happen," he glanced up from his shoes a few times.

He was met with faces of confusion for the most part as he expected.

He noticed Race trying to bury himself fully into Spot's side and Crutchie with a sad look in his eyes.

"I don't understand why sending us all to detention would be the worst thing ever," Ike pointed out.

Jack looked back down at his feet not knowing how to explain everything to them.

"He also owns a jail called the Refuge, it's a jail for underage kids. He gets money to look after them all but keeps it for himself and treated the kids really badly and I didn't want any of you to go through that."

Some of the Newsies had wide eyes others looks of pity but most were just too stunned to form a reaction.

"Have you-" Ike started, not knowing how to finish the sentence.

Jack just nodded and looked over at Crutchie who was looking at Jack with the same expression he always had when Jack talked about the Refuge.

He didn't know what it exactly was. It always looked like it was a mixture between pity and sadness with a little bit of anger sprinkled in there.

Jack gave Crutchie a look telling him to stop doing the pity face.

Crutchie tried to stop doing the look but it didn't quite work, it wasn't as obvious though.

Jack turned away from Crutchie to Davey who was looking at Jack with a similar look to Crutchie's.

Jack wanted to find whoever invented that look and make sure they never made it again.

After a while of more explanations, planning and just generally chit chatting, they all started to head off to their rooms.

As they were leaving Jack tapped Race on the shoulder and asked him to talk.

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573 words