Newsies OC one-shots

Santa Fe?

Ink thought that probably Jack was not the only one with dreams of going somewhere else in life. It's not like New York was the cleanest place or the nicest. And being a newsie was never great pay. It wasn't before the strike, and it wasn't after. And although Jack and Davey had made her sit out for most of it (Entirely sexist; they let her best friend Elmer fight) she had heard enough from the other newsies to know that New York was not where she wanted to spend her life. She thought, maybe, way up north where there was lots of snow but also people who knew how to handle snow. She'd never been one for farmwork- she admired it plenty, but no matter how hard she tried, her arms could never quite hold up just as much as everyone else. She wrote instead. So she couldn't be a farmer, but that's why she'd bring Elmer and Albert and Race and Specs and Tommy Boy and Smalls and Finch and Buttons and all the other boys. They'd all do their own thing on the farm, and she'd take care of the animals and write book reviews when Davey finished teaching her how to read of course. So there, every newsie has a dream.

But no one knew about anyone else's dream, except Jack's, so she took every waking opportunity to mess with him about it.

*****

"Hiya, Jack."

"'lo Inky."

"How many papes ya sell today?"

"Big haul. 270." Jack was distracted. Probably running lines. He was going to the Jacobs's house for dinner that night.

"Wow! That's enough to make ya a paper boat to sail to Santa Fe."

Pause.

"First o' all, why would I need a boat-?

*****

"Wow, nice day out today."

"Yeah."

"Wonder if the weather is this nice in Santa Fe."

"Not more-"

*****

"Aya, Jack-in-the-box! Watcha drawin'"

"Well, I'm tryin' out for the skyline-"

"I'sat Santa Fe?"

Pause. 

"Don't you gotta be workin'-?"

*****

"Yo! JJ! Where too?"

"Off to the circula-"

"Santa Fe? I think you'll be needin' a train at least to get there, but Imma 'mirin you're dudsication."

"Would ya' just shut up!"

Wow. Even Davey got a kick out of that one.

*****

"So, Kelly, been kissin' anyone new lately."

"Oh, don't be silly, Romeo. We all knows his only true love is Santa Fe!"

She had to sleep on the floor that night for that one, and she probably deserved it.

*****
Maybe it was just Ink's way of acknowledging that dream of Jacks, reminding him that he had had the strength to see through that mist. Perhaps it was her own jealousy shining through because he had actually gotten the opportunity to maybe make his dream a reality. She hoped she wasn't hurting him, but she didn't think she was. 

She still found drawings of farm animals under her pillow once a week. Maybe she should start making requests.