This short story is for Fran. You're a great friend happy birthday.

I stood in a crowded street I didn't know the name. I looked around. Manhattan seemed like a panic. I was the small fish and my competitors were the great white sharks ready to rip me into peices... Small bloody peices... I was just a girl from suburban Pensilvania. How would I know anything about a city?

I had to go to 34th street. That was where my hotel was. But where was I? I took a deep breath. Oh this was great.

"Hey!" I shouted without thinking.

A boy turned around and stared with me. He had had dark curls, a light tan and he wore a ragged older clothes. I stared at him for a moment and turned my head to a side to study him at a different angle. I'd noticed the categories of "insanely rich" and "tragically poor". I fell somewhere in between.

"Do you know where 34th street is?" I asked.

"I'm busy, can't now." He mumbled.

I could here his thick acsent.

I glared at him. He was busy? I took a deep breath. Calm down Rose don't get upset.

"Please," I put on an act. "I'm desperate. I really need this."

He turned around and looked at me.

"Look I'm pretty busy right now... You're first time in the city?" He asked.

I thought of saying no. But I don't know what he'd say...

"Not exactly... It's just been a long time." I lied.

I'd always been a good liar. Maybe I hadn't lied as much about needing this. I'd only trained in ballet all of my life. Now here was my chance standing write in front of me. Sometimes life doesn't just throw you a second chance.

"I'se got papes to sell few blocks away I'd walk you..." He he hesitated. "As long as you don't stand to close."

He held a large stack of newspapers in his hands. He must have been a newsboy, I thought. I nodded and quickly walked over to him. He motioned me closer. I stayed a good foot away from him as we walked. I didn't want to break our little agreement.

"So," I began attempting to make conversation. "you have a name?"

"I got a name. Real question is what is it."

I was kind of surprised he'd responded. He didn't seem to enjoy my company, or well any company that is.

"Well you're right about that. What is your name?"

He looked at me.

"I got a question better, why you so interested?" He shot me a look.

I decided to be honest.

"Trying to avoid awkward."

"How incredibly interesting." He muttered under his breath.

I felt a rush of anger come over me.

"Hell if you didn't want me here this damn bad you could have just not answered!"

He nodded his head and smiled.

"Nah, that wouldn't be very polite now would it?"

Oh yes, I thought we have a very odd one today.

"By the way the name be Mush." He continued. "And yours?"

"Rose."

What kind of name is Mush? Well I decided questioning something like that would be the wrong idea. I just smiled and nodded.

"What brings you here?" He asked.

"Dance-"

"Oh I've got a prima ballerina on my hands huh?" He laughed.

"That is not funny." I said sternly.

"If I hadn't laughed it wouldn't have been funny. You see the thing is, I did laugh. It's funny."

"Not really." I muttered

He took a long breath.

"You're the one who wanted to start talking." He said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." I mumbled.

My parents would tell me I was mouthing off again. I looked at the cobble stone ground to distract me.

"Here we are, 34th street." Mush announced.

"Thanks." I said.

"Maybe in some way our paths will cross again."

I nodded.

"Maybe."

Hopefully not. I searched for the hotel. I found the hotel in a minute or two. I opened the door and walked inside. It wasn't anything "fancy". It was still what we could afford. An older woman behind a desk looked up once she heard the creek of the large wooden door. She had dark hair and wrinkled skin. I suppose she was in her fifties.

"Name?" She said mechanically.

"Rose Elizabeth Miller." I said as I started to walk to the desk.

She nodded and scribbled my name in the book. Once she saw me looming over her she slammed it shut.

"Room 102. Third floor." She glowered.

She slid a key across the desk. I took the key. I decided not to use the elevator. I hate elevators. I walked upstairs. I was out of breath by the time I got to the third floor.

"Room 102... Room 102..." I muttered under my breath.

I opened the door to a decent sized room. It had what anyone would expect from a room, a bed, a table and a night stand. I sat my suitcases down by the door. I was tired... Not like it was late, just extremely tired from travel. I laid down and slept.

When I woke up my hair was a disgraceful mess (as always). I managed to get a brush through it. My hands were shaking. Today was going to be big. I grabbed one of my suitcases. I walked downstairs. I decided to go to get a newspaper. I'd gotten used to my parent getting things for me, but not now.

I hurried out the door, without taking a look at the woman at the desk. I walked down the street when,

"Extra! Extra!"

I turned to see Mush standing with his stack of newspapers. Lovely... I took held up my money.

"I'll take one..." I said.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He laughed.

"Just give me a newspaper." I hissed.

"Money first."

I gave him the cash, he gave me the newspaper. Fair trade.

"Now I have one more question." I said.

"What would that be?"

"Where's the New York Ballet?"

He rambled off a few directions. I nodded and started walking off.

I reached it soon I could here my heart pounding in my chest. This was the audition. My one chance. My hands were shaking. I opened the door, this was it. Several others dancers were dressed in pointe shoes and leotards. Were we supposed to come dressed?

"We get dressed in the room, just down the hall." Someone told me.

I hurried down the hall and walked into the room. I quickly dressed. I sighed my name in an audition book. I waited in the lobby until it was my turn.

"Rose Elizabeth Miller." Someone called.

Here goes...

Two hours later, I'd done my best. I'd danced my hardest.I was walking out of The New York Ballet.

"Hello." I heard.

The acsent unmistakable.

"What do you want Mush?" I snarled.

"How did it go?" He asked.

"Fine."

"Just fine?"

"Better than fine." I said proudly.

"Oh yeah? That's nice."

He seemed to hate me less today.

"I've got to get back to my hotel."

"Hey," He started. "maybe we can talk sometime."

"Alright."

I walked away.

I think things are now set up. Please review, thank you.