50 PAPES , jack kelly

- 010

↳ [ ✨women✨ ] ੈ‧₊˚ ┊͙

warning: little bit of sexism

"SO LETS HAVE SOME IDEAS" jack leant against the table.

"Well we gotta show people where we stand" Davey spoke up. "Yeah, so we gotta stay in the papes." Jack replied.

"My papers the only one printing any strike need so far." Denton noted.

"So we should do somethin' that's so big, the other papers are gonna feel stupid if they try and ignore us." Jack looked around at everyone.

"Like a rally" Eleanor spoke up finally, everyone turning to her. "A newsie rally with all the kids from all over New York. We'll make it the biggest, loudest, noisiest blowout this towns ever seen" she explained.

She got some cheers for that idea, Jack smiling at her. "We'll send a message to the big boys." Davey nodded. "There's a lot of us, and we ain't goin' away"

Everyone took a drink off of the plate but Eleanor. "Hey, what the hell?" She threw her arms up, "fellas, where's my drink?"

"I payed for one for you" Denton shrugged. "Sorry lady, can't give you one" the waiter shrugged.

"What?! Why not?" She walked over, everyone watching now.

The guy shrugged, starting to walk away when Eleanor grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "You go get his ass and bring him to me."

"What's goin' on?" Mush asked, everyone waiting for an answer. "I didn't get served a drink" Eleanor looked around, not knowing what to say with everyone looking at her.

"Excuse me, got a problem?" A large man with a moustache walked out from behind the counter. "Yeah, we's got a problem. I ain't got no drink that was payed for" Eleanor crossed her arms.

"Women pay separately, sorry" he shrugged.

Ellie scoffed, shaking her head at his comment. "I'm sixteen years old, let a man pay for me just this once." She looked at him.

"You're underage too, you can't have an alcoholic drink" he added on.

"Some of the fellas are 12, youse still gonna serve them alcoholic drinks?" she looked at him.

"They're men"

"You listen to me mister, I'm gonna be the first female writer in New York before I'm 20, youse not gonna not be able to serve me drinks" Eleanor states.

"Women" the man mumbled under his breath in a chuckle as he turned away.

"Women?" her jaw dropped, "women- theys got minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And theys got ambition, and theys got talent, as well as just beauty. I'm so sick of men treatin' women like they're nothin', like they're made for love and nothin' else." At this point Eleanor had started yelling at him, taking all of her anger out on him.

Jack walked over before she could start hitting him and pulled her back a little, "she ain't wrong, you know it"

Everyone took the spotlight off of Eleanor while jack sat her down in the corner of the room. "Here" he took the drink that finally came and handed it to her.

She took it, chugging the whole thing. "That, that was somethin' ellie. You could change world with that attitude" he smiled.

"Fuck off, jack." She looked around, not making eye contact. Jack grabbed her chin, making her look at him. "Fuck off? You want me to fuck off?" He asked, looking deep into her eyes to intimidate her.

"Yeah, I do." She attempted to get up but was sat back down. "Youse a woman, a real one. You gotta get that into your head. You ain't like the ones who pretend everything's okay."

"You start your own pape, you write about the actual important things like women's rights and the child labour then youse gonna get yourself a fat pay check young lady" jack nodded, standing up straight and letting Eleanor stand up.

"Kelly" Eleanor spoke up finally as he began to walk away. Jack turned back to look at her, "hm?"

"Thanks for the hat" she placed his black cowboy hat on her neck so the strings held it around her.

The two walked back to the group again, "well fight until damn doomsday if it means we get a fair shake."

"Hey you guys, to our man Denton." Davey raised his glass as did everyone else including Eleanor.

By the end of the night, everyone had gone home and a lot of the fellas were drunk.

"Ill see ya tomorrow Race" ellie waved at the black haired boy as he left.

A groan filled the empty restaurant, "what time is it?" Jack mumbled with his head on the table and his arms around his head.

"Almost midnight, my mother needs me home soon and you need a place to recover" she walked over patting his back as he sat up.

"I can't walk" he pouted, not wanting to move. "Come on Kelly, ma's gonna kill me if I ain't home by midnight" Eleanor sighed, sitting in front of him and resting her head on her hand.

"You is ... y- youse brave Eleanor, that's what I like about ya" jack slurred his words, obviously drunk out of his mind.

"Yeah, right. Come on" she looked at him, pushing some loose hairs out of his face.

"Let's get on the train, let's go to Santa Fe Ellie. Come with me will ya, pretty please?"

It took a while, but ellie managed to get jack out of the restaurant and too Irving Hall.

"Ma, I'm home" Eleanor walked through the door, "with a really drunk jack." She laughed as he bumped into the edge of the couch and fell onto it.

"Where you been all night dear?" The red haired woman walked through her bedroom door into the living room / kitchen.

"We we're at Jacobi's restaurant celebrating the fact we got in the papes." She smiled, taking a breath from carrying jack most of the way.

"Oh, I heard! My daughter, a future female writer, what a title." Medda smiled excitedly.

"Denton is gonna teach me everything I need to know." Ellie sent a smile back with the same excitement.

"I'se gonna back, keep an eye on him I'm goin' to get ready for bed." Eleanor decided, walking off to her room.

THE NEWSIES J.KELLY
OCTOBER 3RD 2021