Stray on Strike

Explain or I'll punch you!

Running out of the that place. Of course I walk calmly by the girl's desk so I don't look like a total nit-wit. When I pass by I notice that two official looming men were standing there with her whispering as I went by. The three of them looked at me for a second and then they went back to whispering. About me most likely.

I open up the doors and walks out until the door closes behind me. That way those goons in penguin suits don't see me take off running like an track star.

Because if I'm going to be honest with you. I am shaken up. All this new information I have just revive is blowing my mind. I do not know how to take this. How would you feel if the person you though was one of your best friends was actual not on your side?!? Not good? Well, that's how I feel right about now. What is the word I'm looking for. Queasy...that's it queasy! I am very queasy right now.

Katherine is Joseph Pulitzer's daughter. Plumber is really Pulitzer. She's my best friend how could she not tell me. I wouldn't be thinking so badly of her if she hadn't just told me the truth right out of the bat. I bet the guys would think the same. Oh no! The guys! How are they going to react? They are going to blow their lids. Oh god... I know I haven't talked to you in a while, but Imma need your help down here.

Who am I supposed to go to now? Jack ran off from the Rally without so much as saying anything to me or Davey. And Crutchie is locked away in the Refuge. Katherine.. Well what am I supposed to say to her? 'Oh hey just found out the news! Congrats!' Yeah there is nothing to say. Maybe Medda, she always knows how to make me feel okay and loved.

"Why?!? Stray.. Sweetie!" I hear a cocky voice call out. God, why can't he just leave me alone. That's all I ask. One moment free of Oscar Delancey.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" I turn around and shout at him. He walks up to me and has a crocked smile on his stupid face. Geez I want to slap that smile off his face so bad right now.

"Sorry I didn't get to make it to the Rally. I heard it was quite a show." Oscar says fixing his hat on the beat of his breath. I notice that Morris isn't with him. I wonder why is that, but then I realize that maybe the older brother is going to do things that the little brother couldn't properly do.

I'm struck with a thought that I could maybe get answers out of Oscar. "...Were you there? When Pulitzer met with Jack?" I ask him.

Oscar scoffs and loudly and annoyingly laughs at me. "Sure. Sure I was there. Me and a dozen other people."

I grab onto his spenders and pull him close to me. My face I'm sure looks like I'm threatening him. "Tell me every single little thing that happened!"

He pushes me off of him. That stupid smile gets bigger. I really hate him. "Slow down Sweet Cakes. What's in it for me?"

I roll my eyes at that stupid pet name. Peachy now I have to make a deal with the devil. But I must find out what happened. I couldn't exactly ask Pulitzer.

"Oscar I'm not in the mood!" I groan at him. I rub the back of my neck and look down at the ground. I look back up at him. He raises his eyebrows at me and crosses his arms waiting for me to say anything. "I just need to find out what exactly happened in that room."

"I'll tell you what happened. Your leader is a scab. Like yours truly." He says. At least he knows about the monster that he is.

"Jack is no scab!" I shout in his face defending my brother. Oscar puts his hands up faking and joking a surrender. He laughs and looks at me dead in the eyes. "Wake up an smell the money bags Stray!"

I sigh and look over to and down the street so I don't have to look at his stupid slum face. "You don't have to worry about that silly strike anymore. I see you dressed ta the nines tonight. Say we could go out for..uh....dinner." Disgusting utterly disgusting Delancey.

Oscar's face make way for that stupid pretentious smile on his face. I can't with this anymore. There is no point to this conversation. I lift my right hand up and ponder it for a second. It wasn't long until my hand went flying across his face. That's right I slapped that slum smile right off his stupid face.

"Now you listen to me!" I shout at him. If people outside didn't turn around when they heard the slap then they did when I shouted. "I can't believe I even thought of having a civil conversation with you. You are nothing more than a low life punching people for a couple of coins. You're utterly disappointing Oscar.  This strike won't fail, because I won't ever let something like that to happen. My friends have worked too damn hard to let this go down. Now you may stand there and try to get me to play like putty into your hands. But I won't ever because your nothing and I love Crutchie. He is more of a man then you'll ever be."

I push past Oscar and we bump our shoulders. I keep walking but he turns around and looks at me shocked. "Stray!" He yells at me. My guess is that he wanted me to stop walking. So I pause for a moment and stop walking. I slowly turn around and raise my eyebrows at him.

I know just how to get under his skin.
"You know Oscar? I always thought that Morris was the hottest brother."

I turn back around. I don't see him, but I can hear him go crazy. A grunt is heard followed by feet stomping away. I just won. Ha ha ha.

Now I know there is only one person that I can get answers from and that's Katherine.

Even if I don't want to talk to her, I have too for the sake of the strike. We have gotten too far to back down now. And who I am to stop it all right here. I'm going to fix things.