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Sweat dripped down David’s back as he stood side by side with the other newsboys. He heard a few of them yapping at each other. Despite this being his first day joining the newsboys in this strike, he could feel the tension in the air. He could overhear talk of a ‘new scab’. From what he’d heard from his Dad about the trolley strike, scabs are those who turn on their brothers, instead choosing to help those who they are striking against and getting money. He couldn’t say he blamed them, money is hard to come by nowadays.
The gates opened, and instead of being peaceful (which David assumed they would be) the boys instantly swarmed the gates. He watched in complete horror as they started assaulting the scabs coming out, blood splattering as noses and skin broke. David was frozen in terror and shock as he watched the fight increase. As he heard the yelling get louder. As he watched the police approach.
Suddenly, he found himself running away from the violence, kids getting beaten left right and centre. He wasn’t prepared for this, he just wanted to help a cause that seemed right. These kids were orphans, he just thought he might be able to give them a helping hand! They’ve probably never done a strike before and aren’t well educated, but he goes to school! He knows things! What he wasn’t expecting was the bloodshed, the concept makes him sick. His thoughts came to a halt quickly when he ran directly into someone, falling flat on his ass as a result.
Looking before him, he saw another guy sitting there. He was around David’s height and age and wearing a well fitted suit. His brown hair fell messily in front of his eyes, which were now scrunched up in frustration seemingly, with a hat and newspapers having fallen onto the floor around him. He raised an eyebrow, recalling the boys talking about a new scab. This must be him. Disgust bubbled in his chest, before he realised he had just ran from the very same strike this man did. The other man stood up slowly, wiping some dust off of his pants and looking down at David and scowling. Damn, maybe his sympathy was misplaced.
David suddenly shot up, hearing police yelling running in his direction. Of course it was. Before he knew it, the other man had grabbed him and pulled him into a nearby alley, looking out of it as the police ran past.
The alley was cramped, very cramped. In fact, if the walls were slightly closer together David would have sworn he was going to be crushed by them. But they weren’t. It was a comfortable fit, but it meant him and this mystery man were now stuck inches apart. Honestly, the man was gorgeous, the way the light reflected off his eyes? Breathtaking. On the other hand, he seemed to be an obnoxious asshole who seemed fine to let his friends get beat up and scowl at innocent people for innocent mistakes. Maybe he should have been looking where he was going if he didn’t want Davey to run into him! .. Okay yeah, he was hearing himself now.
“Get off of me!” Davey hissed, pushing at him, but the other man was much stronger.
David got scoffed at in response, the other mans grip tightening, which David will admit made some blood rush to his face, “Not a chance, I’m not going to just watch a scrawny kid get beat up.”
Davey glared at him, luckily not too flustered that he couldn’t find his words, “I’m no charity case, I can look after myself.”
The other man looked him up and down, clearly not believing him. Davey cursed his brain as he felt his face grow warmer.
There was something weirdly intimate about this. Being close, in between the close alley walls, basically pressed together. In the silence, all he could hear was both of their breathing. Not that it’d matter if he could hear it or not considering he could feel the hot air on his face. He looked back up at the other man's eyes, not even realising that his had wandered down to his lips. Jack's eyes flicked back up to his, seemingly he had gotten distracted too.
He swallowed before murmuring, “So your name is..?” Davey tentatively asked. A part of him was screaming at himself, why was he so infatuated with this guy who had betrayed his cause?
“Jack Kelly,” Jack replied, and anger boiled up even faster in Davey. This was the Jack Kelly? The man who started this strike? And now he was out here selling the papers again while the men he rallied were out there fighting his battle?
He pushed him slightly, Jack having been caught off guard. “You- oh my god. You betrayed everyone. How do you sleep at night?”
“It’s not that simple,” Jack murmured, clearly hurt.
David felt a pang of pain in his heart, seeing this beautiful man distressed, but a part of him was too enraged to hurt. He took a deep breath, about to talk more before he felt himself get yanked out of the alley by the arm. Suddenly there was more pain, thanks to the bulls. Next thing he knew, he was in the back of a carriage being taken away. He looked back at Jack, who was standing and staring at him, despaired. A glimmer of hope remained in David though, when he saw Jack tear up a newspaper in front of him.
You go cowboy.