~ Three ~

Last night, after dinner, was pretty normal, I guess. Race was sneaking cigars, Blink was checking his eye, Crutchie and Jack were joking around, and I was on my bed reading today's paper.

"More and more strikes happening every minute in a day. The Mayor of Manhattan, (pictured on right) was nearly trampled by the Trolley protesters at City Hall."

Jack came near to where I was sitting and invited Crutchie to come over, too. After a few moments of hushed sounding out words from the two, Crutchie laughed at the sentence that they had just read.

"Believe me, I've had worse."

"But remember, Crutchie, we're not 'important' people." I joked.

Crutchie has a limp on his left leg... Because of Jared.

I mean, none of us could do anything about it. We think Crutchie might be like that for the rest of his life.

It happened a while after Jared started drinking. He was on his last strike until he was kicked out.

Jared invited both me and Jack to see Medda with him one night. We were fourteen at the time and he offered us a drink. I hesitated, and so did Jack. But he was the first to take a sip. Of course he convinced me to. He's Jack Kelly. After one or two glasses we trailed behind my brother in the rain and back to the lodge. Jack and I went out on the fire escape. He kissed me for the first time there. Too bad he was drunk. We stayed out there talking nonsense and found a newspaper ad for Santa Fe in the trash.

He and I were both still faintly under the spell when Racetrack ran outside and yelled our names to find us. We stood up quickly and alert.

"What's going on? Calm down, Race!" I told him while he caught his breath.

"It-it's Jared," he squeaked. "He's had another ou-outburst."

When we ran inside, we found Crutchie being carried to one of the beds, broken glass on the floor, and Old-Man-Kloppman and a few other Newsies holding my older brother's wrists. Kloppman told him to pack up his stuff and leave. I tried to reason with him, but I was no match for him.

"I'm sorry, Cory. That was his last strike. He's gotta go." He confronted me and struggled his forearm out of my grasp. He left me on my knees as my tears streamed down my cheeks.

I haven't seen Jared since. And I don't care to ever again.

~*~

Pretty soon, Kloppman came in and told us to get to sleep. Pretty much every one of us were out cold. Even me. That is, until I heard something in the room.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the giant glass window open. I walked over to it, dodging beds, pillows, and dreaming newsboys. I made it over with only one stumble.

As I looked out, I heard a faint voice. I had to climb out on the fire escape to hear it. I tried to be very quiet while I stepped out of the window and into the open air.

It was Jack.

As I came closer I heard him singing our song. The song we came up with the night when Jared left.

I began to harmonize and sing the lyrics. I came up behind him and threw my arms around his neck. A tear dropped on my arm.

"Let me go.

Far away.

Somewhere they won't ever find me.

And tomorrow won't remind me of today."

I kissed him on the cheek, just as he kissed my lips after he and I sang those words. Jack turned around and looked at me with his beautiful blue eyes.

"Remember the night when Jared was kicked out, and we sat out here?"

"How could I forget?" I laughed.

"That's when we found it. Santa Fe. We made up that song."

"When the city's fin'lly sleepin', and the moon looks old and grey," I sang softly into his ear.

"And I'm on a train that's bound for Santa Fe..." He joined in with me.

I went and sat next to him and was humming the tune.

"Can't believe it's been three years... I wish time could be like that again," Jack said.

"You have no idea."

"We should be like that again," he turned towards me. "I wish we wasn't so contained."

"Jack, we were fourteen!"

"I know, I know. But I thinks it's about time we finished our song."

"I thinks it's about time we head to sleep, Cowboy. We got some more papes to sell in the mornin'," I nudged him.

"Right. Forgot."

I stood up to go back inside, but Jack didn't follow me. He just started to sing new words that I have never heard.

"And I'm gone, and I'm done. No more running, no more lying. No more fat old men denying me my pay. Just a moon so big and yellow, it turns night right into day... Dreams come true, yeah, they do..."

He made a long pause and he took a breath to sing more words, but I sang instead.

"In Santa Fe..."

"Yeah."

"Night, Cowboy."

"Cory. Wait." He stopped me by taking my hand. I knelt down and he kissed my lips gently, almost like a soft brush.

"Night, Cory."

Woah. I thought. I was in complete shock. I blushed. I didn't know what to do.

What happened to Jack? My Jack. He was suddenly all romantic and sweet.

I begin to climb in the window until I spot something glistening in the street lamp's light..

A broken bottle with liquid around it.

❤️ 📰 🎵 ❤️ 📰 🎵 ❤️ 📰 🎵 ❤️ 📰 🎵

-Dude. Dude. Dude.

-I just got a couple new followers. Hi new followers!! 👐😆

-Like if you sang along with Jack and Cory. Or, whatever. You don't have to. Haha.

-QOTD: What show are you in currently?

-I'm in an a Cappella musical called Shout! and we go into Crunch week after Spring Break. Ahh!!

-Thank you so much for reading. I love you forever.

Stay Musical, Love, Hayden Beth ☺️❤️