By the time we stood in front of the Lodging House I knew we would be in big trouble if we woke someone. Way to look suspicious.

"Make one noise and we're dead." I muttered to Davey, opening the door as quietly as I could.

The door creaked and I cringed before opening it wider and stepping inside, Davey following.

"Upstairs." I mouthed, pointing to the stairs.

We crept across the floorboards when one creaked and a light flicked on, practically blinding the two of us.

"Ah ha!"

I blinked hard as my eyes adjusted to see Race and Romeo standing in the small makeshift kitchen area.

"Caught ya!"

"Idiots." I muttered.

"What the hell were you two doin' out so late? We was about to come lookin!" Race said.

"Would you keep your voice down? Do you want to wake up the whole street?!" I said fiercely.

Romeo looked from Davey then back to me and then again. A grin widened across his face.

"What were you two doin' out so late?" Romeo asked with a smirk.

I walked up to him, "You wanna still be able to sleep with both eyes closed then I suggest you don't go any further Romeo."

Romeo laughed, "She's cute when she's angry isn't she Davey?"

Davey stood in the doorway awkwardly.

"Fine fine." Race muttered going to the stairs, "We was just kiddin."

"Get your butts in bed." Romeo said following him.

"Separate beds!" Race called down the stairs.

I would have gone after him if Davey hadn't grabbed my arm and yanked me back halfway in my sprint to the stairs.

"What's all the commotion?"

We both turned to see Jack coming downstairs, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, his hair a mess.

"We just got home late. That's all." Davey said.

Jack nodded, "So how was that kiss?"

"It wa- wait we never said we kissed."

"You just implied it."

"You just implied you want me to come kick your ass if you keep going with this."

"Told you she's feisty." Jack said to Davey.

Davey just smiled and patted my shoulder.

"Anyways," Jack said, "Les is asleep upstairs so I say you two go get some sleep too.  Another long day of selling tomorrow."

I made a salute motion as Jack trudged back upstairs.

"C'mon." I grabbed Davey's hand and led him upstairs after Jack.

"You can take my bed." I said, pulling back my tattered blanket and patting the small pillow.

"Where will you sleep?" Davey asked quickly.

"Well there's a couch downstairs sooooo. . ."

Davey quickly put a hand up, "I'll sleep next to Les. He's tiny enough that we'll both fit. I don't wanna take your bed."

"If you're sure." I shrugged.

Davey smiled, "Positive. Goodnight Kylie."

"Goodnight Davey."

He began walking away but I quickly turned him around and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Thanks. . . For tonight."

"Don't mention it." Davey grinned, going back over to where Les was in the spare bed.

I laid down on my bed and threw the blanket over me, curling up to my pillow.

What a night.

"Wake up. Wake up. Wake up."

I felt someone poking my cheek.

"Race I swear if that's you I will shove a newspaper so far up your ass you'll need surgery to remove it." I muttered.

"She cussed!"

I took my arm off where it was resting on my eyes to see Les sitting there.

"Well good morning to you too."

"Davey doesn't let me cuss." Les said.

"Well you're ten and-"

"Almost."

"Yes almost ten. I'm eight-teen. Pretty sure I have some authority over whether I cuss or not. But if it's between the two of us."

I leaned over and whispered, "You can cuss around me. Just don't tell Davey."

"I have permission?" Les widened his eyes.

I put a finger to my lips, "Secret."

Les made a zip-lip motion before we locked pinkies, giggling.

"What's so funny?"

We both looked up to see Davey standing there, one eyebrow raised.

"Nothing!" We yelled in unison, just causing us to burst out into more laughter.

Davey shook his head, "The both of you I swear."

I looked around, realizing the three of us were the only three in the room.

"Where is everyone else?"

"Already down getting their papers. You and Les were both asleep still so they decided it was best to let you two sleep in."

"Wait we slept in?!" I grabbed both their hands and tugged them along down the hallway, "We gotta get going come on!"

Davey rolled his eyes, laughing, "Hey you two looked peaceful."

"Tell that to the Delancey's when they nearly beat my ass for being late!"

"Nah, we won't let that happen. Les can fight 'em."

"I'm stronger than I look!" Les shouted.

"Alright pipsqueak whatever you say."

The three of us walked into Newsies Square to find the rest of the Newsies standing around, gaping at where the headline showed.

"What's up guys?" I asked, pushing through them so I could see.

"Ask me again once they tell us dis is a joke!" Race said.

"What?"

New Newsie price: 60¢ per hundred

My eyes widened and I looked over to see Jack walking up. I sprinted over to him, "Have you seen this?!"

"Seen what?"

I grabbed Jack's hand and yanked him back to where the Newsies were standing, "Look."

Jack raised an eyebrow at the sign, "Okay guys. Calm yo'selves down. It's probably a joke, okay?"

Chaos was still heard murmured throughout the group.

"I could eat two days on a dime!"

"I'll be sleepin' on the streets!"

"You already sleep on the streets!"

"In a worse neighborhood!"

"Doesn't Pulitzer make enough already?!"

Everyone was freaking out in one way for another.

"Papers for the Newsies!" Weasel yelled.

Jack walked up confidently and slammed a coin on the counter.

"Good joke Weasel. Yous really got the guys goin'. I'll take 50 and be on my way."

Weasel looked from the money and back up at Jack, "Well it's gonna cost ya 60 cents."

"I ain't payin' no 60 cents."

"Then move along for someone who will."

Jack snatched the coins off of the money box and began walking.

"Then we'll take our business to the Journal!"

Specs came running up the street then, "Don't sweat it.  Their prices are jacked up too."

"Then the Sun!"

"The prices are raised everywhere kid." Weasel said, "A new day and a new price.  Music to my ears."

"Well why they doin' that?!"

"Ask someone higher on the food chain.  Now are you payin' or not?"

Jack stood there for a second, bouncing his foot in thought before coming back to all of us, "Come here, fellas, come here."

He sat down on one of the stacks of papers by the wagon and put his chin in his hand.

"They can't just do that, can they?" Albert asked.

"Why not? It's their paper." Race said.

"It's their world." Crutchie added.

"We ain't got no rights!" Finch muttered.

"We got the right to starve! Let's just get our papes and hit the street while we still can!"

"At them prices?"

"We got no choice!"

"Hold on!" Jack interrupted, "No one is payin' no new price!"

"You got an idea?"

"Just keep your shirt on, we can think this through."

"Well what's your angle?" Buttons said gesturing around wildly.

Suddenly we were all being shoved out of the way followed by a small voice.

"Stop crowding him! Let the man work it out!" Les yelled, pushing us all away from where Jack sat.

Everyone fell silent.  I looked back at the board with the headline.  This can't be happening, can it?

"Hey Jack," Les said quietly, "ya still thinkin?"

"Sure he is.  Can't ya smell the smoke?" Race laughed.

Jack made a motion shushing everyone, "Alright here's the deal."

We all gathered around him, listening close.

"If we don't sell papes, no one sells papes.  No one gets them out there until they put the price back where it belongs."

"You mean like a strike?" Davey asked.

"Hey, you heard Davey, we're on strike!" Jack yelled.

"Wait- no I didn't-"

"We shut down this place, just like the trolleys were shut down because of the workers!"

"Yeah and then the cops will bust out heads!" I yelled, "Half of those strikers came out with broken bones!"

"The cops ain't gonna care about a bunch of kids! Right, Davey?"

"Leave me out of this! I'm just trying to feed my family." Davey grabbed Les's hand and tugged him away.

"What, and the rest of us is on play time? Just because we only make pennies doesn't give them the right to rub our noses in it!"

"I know," Davey said quietly, "But it doesn't matter.  You can't strike.  You're not a union."

"What if I say we is?" Jack challenged.

"There's a lot of stuff you gotta have in order to be a union.  Like membership."

Jack pointed back to us.

"What do you call these guys?"

We all waved.

Davey sighed, "And- And officers."

"I nominate Jack president!" Crutchie yelled.

"Gee, Crutch I'm honored." Jack grinned sarcastically raising an eyebrow in Davey's direction.

"What about a statement of purpose?" Davey said, frustrated.

"I must'a left that in my other pants." Jack rolled his eyes.

I raised my hand, "Uh, what's a statement of purpose?"

"A reason for forming the union." Davey replied.

"What reason did the trolley workers have?" Jack said.

"I dunno. . . Wages, work hours, safety on the job?"

"Who don't need that! Hey, I bet if your father had a union, you wouldn't need to be out here sellin' papes right now." Jack said.

Davey thought for a minute, looking at his shoes, "Yeah. . ."

"So our union is hereby formed to watch each other's backs.  Union we stand. . . hey that's not bad, someone write that down."

"I got a pencil!" Les yelled jumping up on a smaller stack of papers and holding a pencil up.

"Well, meet our secretary of state!"

"If you want to strike, the membership's gotta vote." Davey said, crossing his arms.

He still thought this was a bad idea.

"So we'll vote.  What do you say, fellas? The choice is yours.  Do we roll over and let Pulitzer pick our pockets, or do we strike?"

Everyone looked at eachother grinning.

"STRIKE!"

"You heard the boys of the membership.  The newsies of lower Manhattan are officially on strike!"

"Wouldn't a strike be more effective if someone in charge knew about it?" Crutchie asked raising his hand shyly.

"Well it would be a pleasure to tell Weasel myself!" Race yelled.

"Yeah and who tells Pulitzer, huh? Davey. . ." Jack looked over at him.

"I don't know. . ." Davey said nervously before sighing and walking over, "I guess you do."

"Yeah that's right, we do.  But what do we tell him?" Jack asked.

"Well the newspaper owners need to respect our rights as employees." Davey started, "They can't just change the rules whenever they feel like it."

"That's right.  We do the work, so we get a say!" Jack said.

"They need to understand that we're not enslaved to them-- we are free agents!" Davey said.

"We're a union now! The newsies union, and we mean business!"

Hi sorry this one was more of like just the scripted stuff and not too much outside of it but oh well😂 Hope you all still enjoyed and I'll keep working on the next chapters! :)