| I Am a Rock |
| By Amanda |
| Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or the characters. I also do not own the Simon and Garfunkle song I am a Rock. I am not making any profit off of this story so please don't sue me. |
| It was two in the morning and everyone in the Lodging house was asleep. Everyone but Jack Kelly. Jack had been tossing and turning all night. "Awww, who'm I kiddin'? I can't sleep," he said and got up. He pulled on a pair of pants over his long underwear. He walked over to the window, opened it, and stepped out onto the fire escape. He went to the roof from there. He started thinking about that day. He had taken on two new selling partners, David Jacobs and his little brother Les. Les was a typical ten year old younger brother. David was stubborn, but he was nice enough. They had a family. How unusual, for a newsie to have a family The Jacobs had been awfully nice, especially the sister. Sarah. Jack smiled as he thought of Sarah. "She was pretty," he thought. Jack's smile turned into a frown. "But what would she think if she knew about my family?" Jack thought about his father, Gereld Sullivan. Gereld hadn't been a good man. He was in jail now. Jack could hardly remember his mother, but sometimes he would remember. Kathleen Sullivan had been a sweet lady. Why she had ever married Gereld, Jack couldn't figure out. " I can't let them find out my real name. Dave and Les came close enough to it today," Jack thought, "No thanks to Snyder. They know I was in jail too, 'cause of him." Jack thought back: |
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| "Who is heand why was he chasing you, and what is this refuge? David shouted. Jack glanced around. "The Refuge is a jail for kids," he began, "the guy chasin' me is Snyder. He's the warden." "You were in jail?" Les asked in awe. "Yeah," jack answered. "Why?" les asked. "well I was starvin' so I stole some food," he told Les. "Oh right, food," DAvid said sarcastically. "Yeah food," Jack replied edgily. "he called you Sullivan," David said. "Yeah well my name's Kelly. Jack Kelly do ya think I'm lyin'?" Jack said a little too hastily. "Well you have a way of improving the truth," David accused. "Yeah?" Jack said darkly. "So why was he chasin' ya?" David asked. "' Cause I escaped," Jack replied. "Oh boy! How?" Les asked. Relived Jack replied, " Well this big shot gave me a rid eout on his carriage-" "I'll bet it was the mayor. Right?" David had said. Jack became annoyed. "No Teddy Roosevelt. Ya evah hoid of him?" he asked angrily. |
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| Medda had come in then and stopped the conversation. Good ol' Medda. Even if most of socioty looked down on her, she was a decent person. "She was the most decent person my faddah knew," Jack thought. "At least I didn't lie da whole time.When I did tell the trut' it sounded like I was lyin'. I can't let 'em find out about my family! Dey can't know what I'm t'inkin'. i gotta be like a rock. I can't let 'em touch me." Jack looked down into the lonely streets of Manhattan. At three in the morning, the city streets were almost empty. "Whoevah said this was the city dat nevah sleeps didn't live heya," Jack thought. Feeling tired, Jack climbed down the fire escape and back into the Lodging House. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was asleep. The End |