I am so sorry it has taken me so long to write this chapter!! I will be posting more regularly. (Hopefully😊) Hope you enjoy this new chapter!
Elizabeth Topaz

I watched Jack stand up and rub the kid's head.

David looked put out as he said, "I don't want your papes. Here take them back."

He shoved the papes at Jack. Jack just stared at David as he tried to have them back. Jack's face said, "I want you and your little brother here to be my selling partners along with Pen here."

"No. Absolutely not. We don't need your charity."

"It ain't charity if you have to pay me back. We'll split the money 70, 30 and you get to watch me work."

David scoffed, and Jack mimicked the scoff menacingly.

"That is not a deal or fair." David said still trying to hand Jack back his papes.

"Course it is!" Crutchie said hobbling twords us. "You get to watch the Jack Kelly at work. That is priceless. Most Newsies would give their shoes to have one day selling papes with Jack Kelly."

"If they would give their shoes, he must not be very good at what he does." David rebuffed.

"Actually," said Mush coming up to stand next to me, "He has got to be amazing for a Newsie to give up his shoes. The streets are harsh and shoes are hard to come by when you have got no money."

"Alright," David said defeatedly, "But it still isn't even. 50,50."

"60,40 and i forget the whole thing." Jack said with a smirk.

"Fine."

Jack smiled, spit in his hand, and offered to David to shake. David looked at it with disgust.

"What'sa matta?" Jack said, "Having second thoughts?"

"No." David said then he gestured to Jack's outstretched hand the spit slowly running down his plam, "But that is disgusting."

The Newsies burst out laughing. David looked dumbfounded as he watched us all laugh at him.

"What?!" he said exasperatedly, "It really is disgusting."

Skittery clapped David on the back and said through tears of laughter, "We know. We do it to see how serious you are about the deal. If you are serious about it, you will spit in your hand shake hands. It is also a show of power. If you hesitate or act squeamish, you are automatically placed as a softie. So congrats, Teddy Bear."

Jack chuckled next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He lead me out into the street outside of the distribution center.

"Alright! Listen up!" Jack turned to face the mob of Newsies behind us, "We are Newsies! And wit out us nobody knows nothing! We are what makes New York keep runnin! Carrying The Banna!"

"Carryin the Banna!" The Newsies echo loudly causing everyone on the street to turn and stare. When they saw we were Newsies they all started heading towards us to buy papers.

All the Newsies started selling their papes and heading off in separate directions. Jack led Les, David, and I down the street to a boxing ring in the middle of the street surrounded by drunk men and people smoking cigarettes and cigars. He led us into the thick of the crowd and the smoke immediately made me start coughing.

"Are you okay?" Asked David looking at me with a concerned expression on his face.

I nodded as I continued to hack up a lung.

"Are you sure? Because you don't look very okay."

"I'm fine, thanks." I croaked.

"You're welcome. My name is David. What's your name?"

"I'm Pen. Nice to meet you."

"What?" asked David, "No spit shake?"

"That's disgusting and immature. I honestly don't understand why they have to be such show offs. I really think they are unable to do anything without showing off."

"Truer words have never been spoken. Well, look here, here comes the king of the showoffs."

Jack was shoving his way back through the crowds towards us. When he reached us he said, "What in heaven's name are you two doin'? You two haven't sold a single pape and me and Les are already almost out."

"We were talking." said David.

"Well quit it. We gotta sell these papes so get goin' you two can talk later."

Jack stalked off, sold his last papes and sat down to watch the match.

"Is he always like that?" David asked.

"I don't know. I haven't known him very long." I answered.

"Oh. How long have you known him?"

"Since this morning. Not much longer than you have."

"Huh." David shook his head.

We wandered through the crowds and yelled the headlines trying to sell our papes.

Thirty minutes passed and we hadn't sold one.

"Good grief!"

I whipped around to see Jack standing there looking at me and David with a mixture of disgust and pity.

"You two," said Jack gesturing to me and David, "Couldn't sell a glass of water to a thirsty man. Selling papes is like trying to sell gasoline to old grouches who don't know they are thirsty. Your job is to make them think they are thirsty and that the gasoline is actually good for 'em. And you two ain't doing' that right now. Right now you are making people realize they ain't all that thirsty and that the gasoline ain't that good for 'em. You two need to be taught how to make people feel thirsty and to make them think they need the gasoline to live."

Jack leaned over and took a pape from my hands. His hands brushed softly against mine and they were rough and smooth all at the same time.

He then walked over to the closest man and said, "Hey mista! Ya want a pape?"

The man barely turned his face away from the match, not wanting to miss any of it. He said, "What's the news?"

"Blazing Inferno on Ellis island, Thousands flee in terror."

"I'll take a pape."

"That'll be two cents."

The man dug around and drew out his wallet and tossed Jack a nickel. And Jack handed the man the pape.

Jack sauntered back to us. "The trick, Students, is to spin the lousy headline into something interesting. You two have been selling the lousy headline. Would either of you buy the pape you're selling?"

David and I shook our heads.

"No, you wouldn't because the headlines are full of crap. Those poor reporters think they are comping up with something clever, but in reality, they are just making are jobs as Newsies way harder than they need to be. You have to sell the story, not the lousy headline."

David had been rifling through a pape and he said, "The closest thing I can find to your 'better' headline is something about a small fire on Ellis island that scared a couple seagulls. You lied to that man and probably everyone else you sold a pape to." He looked at Jack for an answer.

"First of all, Davy, my headline is way better than anything those crack pot reporters could come up with. Second of all, I'm not lying. I'm just improving the truth a little. Nothing the Editor doesn't already do. And third of all, I have sold three papers to that man."

"How?" I asked curiously.

"Most men here don't pay attention to anything other than the match. That makes them easy targets because they won't even look at you or acknowledge you in any way. So they won't remember if you already sold them a pape or not. All you have to do is come up with a different headline each time you pitch to 'em. Easy."

David and I looked at each other. David then shrugged and turned back to Jack.

"So basically," David said, "You want us to lie and deceive our fellow human for our own personal gain?"

"Yes, but you make it sound like a bad thing." Jack crossed his arms.

"IT IS A BAD THING!" David took off his cap and ran his fingers through his dark hair, "YOU CAN'T JUST TRICK PEOPLE INTO SPENDING THEIR MONEY! THINK ABOUT IT LIKE THIS, THAT MAN MIGHT HAVE BEEN SUPPOSED TO SPEND THAT MONEY ON FOOD FOR HIS FAMILY, WHAT HAPPENS IF THAT WAS THEIR FOOD MONEY FOR THE WEEK? DO THEY STARVE?"

"YES! THEY DO!" Jack spat, "I AM MY FAMILY! DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK THAT MAN OR ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER GIVES A CRAP FOR WHAT HAPPENS TO US NEWSIES? NO YOU DON'T! CAUSE YOU AREN'T ONE OF US DAVID! YOU JUST NEED TO GO BACK HOME! GO BACK TO YOUR CUSH APARTMENT AND FAMILY!  YOU CLEARLY AREN'T CUT OUT TO BE ONE OF US-"

"I CAN'T GO HOME!"

"WELL WHY NOT?! CUSH LIFE TOO BORING FOR YOU?"

"MY FATHER GOT HURT, OKAY!" David's voice cracked and he looked down, "I'm the one who has to provide now."

"Davy, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to get you to see that in this world, it is the survival of the fittest. What did they do to your dad when he got hurt?"

"They fired him."

"Exactly. When your father was no longer fit for the task they fired him because they have no need for someone who is broken. Life ain't fair. Since life isn't fair, you can't really be fair either. Your job in life is to survive and support your family as best as you can. Nothing else matters."

"Thanks, Jack, for letting me and les work with you. We wouldn't have sold any papes if you hadn't helped us."

"Davy, I hate to break it to you, but YOU didn't sell any papes."

"I know that. You taught Les how to sell papes and he sold a bunch of them. Thanks for that, otherwise we wouldn't have sold any."

Les ran up to me and pulled on my shirt. He accidentally pulled on my binds under my shirt. I felt white hot pain on my side from him grabbing and pulling the corse fabric against my side. I gasped.

Jack, David, and Les turned to me.

"You okay, Pen?" Jack asked.

I gripped my side and grunted, "Yep."

David and Les looked like they believed my lie while Jack looked unconvinced.

"Hey, Jack!" Les said, "That man over there is starting at you, do you know him?"

Les pointed to a man on the other side of the pen. He was stout and had the kind of face that looks perpetually angry. He looked right back at us.

Jack cursed under his breath. "We need to go. Now."

David grabbed Les' hand and dragged him behind Jack who lead us through the crowd slowly trying not to look suspicious. I followed last.

The man rose from his seat and headed in the same direction we were. He did it in a way that looked like he also wasn't trying to be suspicious.

Jack saw him coming and sped up. He walked faster and the man doubled his pace to keep up with us. Jack then turned and lead us up the rickety bleachers filled with people because the man was going to make it to the exit before us. We pushed past them and made it to the top. Jack leapt off the top and hit the ground David jumped and him and Jack caught Les. It was my turn. I looked down and saw Jack yelling to "just jump". There was one little problem, I'm afraid of heights.

"Come on, Pen! We've gotta go!" Jack yelled.

"Jack, I can't." I said crouching down.

"Can't what, Pen?"

"I can't jump. I'm afraid." I said in a small voice.

"Jump, Pen! I promise I will catch you."

I looked at Jack and he looked back. He was sincere.

I closed my eyes and leapt.