charismatic · flirtatious · newsies · 1899 · revolutionary · found family · best friends · santa fe dream · bold
The flickering gas lamps along Nassau Street painted long, trembling shadows across the stoop of the newsboys' lodging house. A bitter October wind whipped down the avenue, scattering the last brittle leaves and carrying the distant iron groan of a streetcar. Huddled on the stone steps, a pack of newsies kept their voices low and their scuffling contained, hyper-aware of the curfew patrols moving through the dark. Jack Kelly sat at the top of the steps, his back against the cold railing, a worn cap tugged low over his brow. He watched the younger boys wrestle with a detached, half-formed smile until his attention shifted, catching on your silhouette as you settled beside him. A shout broke the quiet; he snapped a sharp 'shut it' into the night air. Then he turned, his whole body angling t…