Rewrite the Stars - A Spot Conlon Fan fiction

Chapter 4 -- The Strike

Chapter 4

The Strike

Kid Blink looked up at Weasel and the Delanceys, then over at 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?"

"This'll bust me," Skittery said throwing his cigarette down angrily, "I'm barely making a living right now."

Boots shrugged his shoulders. "I'll be back sleeping on the streets."

Mush looked defeated, sitting down on the steps in front of the newspaper wagon, "It don't make no sense. I mean, all the money Pulitzer's making, why would he gouge us?"

"Because he's a tight wad, that's why!" Race was furious at the price change. He threw his fist up in the air in frustration.

Jack was trying to calm us all down, "Pipe down, it's just a gag." He got up and walked over to the distribution window, looking Weasel straight in the eye, "So, why the jack up Weasel?"

"Why not?" Weasel put his finger in his mouth and checked the wind, "It's a nice day." When we all turned away in frustration to stand in front of the paper wagon he spoke smugly again, "Why don'tcha ask Mr. Pulitzer?"

"They can't to this to me Jack," Kid said incredulously as we all stood around thinking about this new revelation. Jack sat down on the steps in front of the wagon where Mush was.

"They can do whatever they want. It's their stinkin' paper," said Race angrily throwing up his hands.

"It ain't fair," piped up Boots, "We got no rights at all."

"Come on," Race said to Jack, "it's a rigged deck. They got all the marbles."

"Jack, we got no choice, so why don't we get our lousy papes while they still got some, huh?" Mush sounded defeated.

"No!" Jack exclaimed. "Nobody's going anywhere. They can't get away with this!"

Les got in front of everyone and started pushing them back, "Give him some room, give him some room. Let him think."

Jack sat in deep thought for a moment, us Newsies waiting for his verdict.

"Jack, you done thinkin' yet?" Race said impatiently.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! World employees only on this side of the gate!" Weasel scolded us.

"Piss off," I yelled at him, though it was drowned out by the others yelling their own replied to Weasel.

"Well, listen. One thing for sure, if we don't sell papes, then nobody sells papes. Nobody comes through those gates until they put the price back to where it was,"

"You mean like a strike?" Davey put in:

"Yeah, like a strike!" Jack said almost immediately.

Everyone's voices spoke up at once.

"Are you out of your mind?" Race said incredulously.

"It's a good idea!" Jack shot back at him.

"Jack, I was only joking," Davey said in protest, "We can't go on strike, we don't have a union."

Jack looked at bit lost in thought, "But, if we go on strike, then we are a union, right?" He looked up at Davey since he was the expert.

"No, we're just a bunch of angry kids with no money," Davey replied to him, a little put off by the whole thing, "Maybe if we got every newsie in New York, but..."

Jack stood up from his place. "Yeah, well we organize. Crutchy," he pointed to Crutchy who was leaning on his crutch, "you take up for collection."