I tapped my pencil and glared around the room, looking for something to distract me. Writer's block was so… damn… stupid.

I looked at the boy sitting in the seat in front and across of me with some interest. He rode my bus, and I would never get it out of my mind that he looked exactly like Mush from the movie Newsies. A movie for which hardly a week went by without me watching it. I inadvertently tapped my pencil harder. He wasn't giving me any inspiration. How annoying.

Suddenly he whirled around in his seat. "Why are you staring at me?"

"Oh, you just have an incredible likeness to someone I know I know," I said absently.

He looked at me strangely and turned around again.

Wait a minute… I know I know him? I know I know I know him, so why mightn't I know I know him, or just know him? Is he M...

"Oy!" I yelled.

He swiveled around in his seat again and looked at me quizzically.

"Ya like romance… Joe?"

"…no."

"Good. Romance is the crappiest thing in the world. Just making sure," I said happily. It was true. I hated romance. But...

"Have a nickname of any kind? Does it start with M? Do you come from a hundred years ago originally? Whoops, I mean… do you have an ancestor from that time who lived in New York and sold newspapers and read romance novels in his spare time and…"

"Did you come from a hundred years ago? Or just the funny farm?"

"I don't know."

"So… who do I look like?"

"My cousin." I lied. Actually, he did look kind of like my cousin, too. And that wasn't the first time that I had realized the likeness there. But mainly, it was Mush.

"What, ya marry him or something?" He joked.

"God no. But he's my favorite cousin and he lives in New York. I miss him." … New York… wait a minute! Maybe my cousin was Mush! Maybe I was Mush's cousin! Maybe I sold newspapers too! Maybe I knew Jack Kelly! Maybe I knew Joseph Pulitzer! Well, the first was impossible… there was no Jack Kelly. Well, ya never knew… I WAS MUSH'S COUSIN!!!!!!!! WHAT WAS MY NEWSIE NAME?!

Even though I hadn't said any of this, my invincible excitement must've shown on my face, for M… oops, I mean, The Boy Who Says He Isn't Mush Called Joe said "Wait a minute. You're that crazy writer girl with the notebook."

"Yep. That's me."

"So… I think I understand now."

I brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah. You're crazy. Can't believe I just thought of that…"

"I AM NOT that crazy!" I protested.

"Oh WAIT a minute. Now I REALLY understand." He said, smirking from ear to ear.

No, I really don't think you do.

"You like me."

No, you really don't!

I cringed. Me... liking... Mush... no. Just no. "You know what? I give up. Have you ever heard of the movie Newsies?"

"My sister loves it."

"Well… nevermind then. Just… go on with your math lesson then." ...What an idiot! If his sister watched it, and he practically knew who I was talking about, how come he was being so stupid?

"Yeah, I think I will…" Still smirking, he began to turn around. He paused. "Wait a minute. Do you know how to do this problem?"

I nodded, sighing. "Yeah. Multiply the first one by 3 and the second one by two, add them together, then divide."

"Thanks."

"When did you say you were born again? 'Cause if you were around in 1899 I think you're my guy."

AN- Okay... I would say that this is a true story, because there really is a guy in my class who looks A LOT like Mush, and I am crazy obsessed with Newsies, but the whole conversation never really happened. I got inspired after reading something for Mush Week. This was what I visualized... ask my imagination, not me. BTW, all the other factual info is true... I remembered that he looked like my cousin and my cousin lived in New York... and the story took a while different tangent from there. :D