Warning: Mentions of Abuse
Third Person POV

Race stayed up most of the night, again.

What he didn't know was Jack did as well.

He knew that Jack "woke up" a few times and told him to go to sleep, but he didn't know that Jack watched him stay up all night.

"Racer! Albert! Elmer! Henry! Specs! Get up!" Jack shouts.

Race groans. Is it seriously time to get up already?

Jack appears above him again, looking tired this time.

Race stares at him, his eyebrows furrowed. "Jack? You look tired." He states.

Jack crossed his arms. "I know, I waited for you to fall asleep." He responds.

Race sits up in his bunk. "What is it with you not sleeping unless I sleep?" He asks.

"Racer, you are light as a feather, and never sleep, that's not good." Jack scolds him, waving his finger in his face.

"Sorry, Jack." Race mutters, subconsciously rubbing his eyes.

"Besides, you look worse than I do," Jack laughs, causing Race to rolls his eyes.

"He isn't wrong." Albert tells him, as he and Mush appear on either side of Jack.

Race rolls his eyes again. "I did not sign up for you people judging me every morning."

"I did not sign up for you never sleeping, I guess we both have things we didn't want to have happen." Jack retaliates.

Race rolls his eyes, yet again.

"Sta 'zitto." Race retorts, getting up and ready for the day.

Jack rolls his eyes, knowing what Race said. He said "shut up".

The only reason Jack knew was because Race has said it a lot.

They get up, get ready, and get their papes. When everyone has their papes, Jack tells them to head out and start selling.

Race tries to sneak off, but Jack grabs him, and pulls Race with him and Crutchie.

"Jack!" Race groans, turning to face his leader, "I'm fifteen!" He exclaims.

"Yes, and you're injured." Jack responds.

Albert, JoJo, Mush, Specs, Davey, Les, Finch, Crutchie, and Blink, who had been watching the interaction, laugh.

"Davey! Tell him that I'm fine!" Race pleads with Davey, hoping Davey will talk some sense into his boyfriend.

"Sorry Racer, Jack is your leader, and even though he's my boyfriend, he doesn't always listen to me. He's older and he's probably doing the right thing." Davey responds.

Race groans.

Jack smirks.

"Oh get that smirk off of your face, Kelly." Race states, obviously annoyed.

"You can't see his face, how do you know he's smirking?" Crutchie asks, a little amused.

"I can basically hear his smirk." Race explains, rolling his eyes.

"Oh hush, Racer, it's not that bad." Jack states, rolling his eyes. "You act like selling with us is the worst thing in the world."

"For an independent 15 year old, Jack, it is the worst thing." Davey responds. "No offense to you Crutchie, but Race hates being babied." He reminds them.

Race points at him. "Correct."

"None taken." Crutchie smiles.

Davey nods.

They get to their selling spot, and Jack lets go of the back of Race's shirt, as he had held it to make sure Race didn't try to run.

It's happened before.

"Race, try to sell your pape by waving it over your head." Jack instructs Race, smirking.

Race crosses his arms, glaring at the older boy.

Crutchie and Davey stand by and watch Jack try to prove his point.

Race scowls at Jack, who was still smirking since he knew that Race couldn't.

Race couldn't lift his arms halfway up to his head without crying, which Jack only proved his point.

"Maybe this is for the better," Davey decides, changing his mind.

"Come on Davey! You were on my side!" Race groans, throwing his arm in the air.

He immediately regretted that when he was reminded of his injuries.

"First off, I was never on a "side"." Davey states. "Second, Jack is my boyfriend, and third he's doing the right thing, you're injured Race." He tells him.

Race rolls his eyes.

"Sorry Racer, but Davey and Jack are right." Crutchie tells Race.

He kisses the younger boy's head and starts selling.

Race turns to Jack who has a huge smug smirk on his face.

Race rolls his eyes, going to cross his arms but he couldn't.

"Race! You can't even cross your arms!" Jack exclaims.

Race rolls his eyes. "You didn't think I figured that out?" He asks, or more so snaps.

He was trying to play off the fact that he had hurt his arms earlier.

"Come on, let's start selling." Jack decides, pulling a paper out of his bag.

Race nods, calling out headlines.

They made it through the day, selling all of their papes, and with Race only trying to get away 3 times before giving up.

He knew Jack would keep catching him.

Race had tried every way he could think of, inching further and further every minute, but Jack caught him a few minutes in.

He tried making a run for it, but Jack and Davey caught him this time, as Davey and Les sold pretty close to Jack and Crutchie.

The last on try, he tried convincing Jack to let him go a little further away, which he let him, then tried to make a run for it again.

Guess what?

It didn't work.

Jack got him, again, as Jack was faster than he was.

Not by a lot, Race was definitely one of the fastest Manhattan Newsies, but he was.

When they got back to the Lodging House, Race started a game of Poker with Albert, JoJo, Finch, and Blink.

Other Newsies were scattered around the room, doing their own things.

Jack and Davey were talking. Les and Lucky were playing together. Crutchie doing writing lessons, where he taught Specs, who usually taught him to read. Mush sat next to Blink, watching his boyfriend play Poker.

Buttons was sewing. Henry was eating a sandwich, watching Buttons sew. Elmer was hanging with Boots, watching Les and Lucky play together.

Sniper, Romeo, and Tommy were talking with Smalls, a Newsie from the Bronx who came to visit her Manhattan friends every so often. Mike and Ike were just in Newsie Square goofing off.

Everyone was happy and content.

Then, there was a knock on the door.

Most people stopped what they were doing, and watched as Jack answered it, except Race, Albert, JoJo, Blink, and Finch, who were focused on their game.

Jack opened the door to reveal Haste, the Queen's Messenger.

His eyes widen in shock as he stares at the boy.

Haste had a note in his hand, that he held up, between to fingers while he smirked.

Jack scowls at him. "What do you need, Haste?" He asks, forcing his voice to stay calm.

Race, JoJo, Albert, Blink, and Finch had looked up by now, everyone had.

"I don't actually need you right now, Kelly." He tells Jack, who looks at him confused.

"Then, who do you need?" Jack questions, his eyebrow raised skeptically.

There was a slight glare in Jack's gaze as he stared at the Queens Fifth.

"Note for Racetrack Higgins," Haste explains, looking at the note.

There was a certain sadness in his eyes, but Jack brushed it off, thinking that his mind was playing tricks on him.

Jack and Race's eyes widen, along with everyone else's.

Every one of the Newsies were confused. What do they need with Race?

Race gets up when Haste mentions his name, standing beside Jack.

Haste hands him the note, tips his hat, and walks off.

With the door still open, Race opens the note.

It read;

Dear Anthony/Racetrack Higgins,

How's your boyfriend, Spot? I hope he's doing well, not that you can ask him.
You see, Spot is currently with us, and we want our little brother home.
If you want Spot back, come ALONE to the Queens Lodging House tomorrow at Midnight.
Well, technically that's on Monday at Midnight, but you get the point.

-Caleb/Bullet and Carson/Blade.

(P.S. Alone)

Race reads the letter, and his eyes widen. My brothers are alive?! My brothers are the leaders of Queens?! They kidnapped Spot?!

Race looks up at Jack out of the corner of his eye.

Jack couldn't see the note, but his arms were crossed and he was staring at Race, a bit concerned and confused.

Race made a split second decision in his mind. I need to get out.

Race sprints out of the Lodging House.

The Newsies' eye widen.

"Race!" Jack and Davey shout in unison.

Jack runs after him.

We named him well, Jack thinks to himself. He is annoyingly fast.

"Mike! Ike! Get Race!" Jack shouts to the two boys, pointing at the boy ahead of him.

Mike and Ike turn, confused when they saw Race and Jack running.

The twins tried to grab Race, jumping in front of him.

Race slides out of the way, going to the right of them.

Race felt hot tears slip down his face. My brothers are alive, and they have Spot...

Race wanted this to be a trick, for Spot to be safely in Brooklyn, but he knew it wasn't.

Race accidentally drops the letter as he ran out of the square.

He didn't know where he was going, but he knew if he wanted to save Spot, he had to get away from Jack.

Jack stops, panting hard as his helpless eyes watch Race leave the square, disappearing from sight.

Race was too far ahead for him to reach.

Jack mentally curses. What are you doing, Race?

Jack's eyes caught the note.

He walks over to it, bending down and picking up the note.

Jack opens the note.

His eyes widen as he reads it.

Jack looks up in the direction that Race had run off in. "Oh no." He mutters.

We need to get to him, now.

1638 Words