Hello, this is chapter three of my story and to be fair I didn't think I'd get this far. I would like to say hi to everyone who has read this story, and to the three people who reviewed. "Hi"

So I do not own newsies, just Mouser, enjoy!

Chapter 3

Mouser woke at sun-up, did her morning routine, and was out the door. She had no idea what time it was, but anyone could tell it was early. Be sure to get there early. Got it covered, the only problem was she did not know how early.

The walk to the center took five minuets. The World distribution center was just around the corner. Man you got' a love short cuts! She thought I just hope I'm not too early. Her fears were realized when she turned the corner and saw the center, it looked deserted.

The gates were locked, and there wasn't a soul in sight. Well this just grate. I can't really wait on the street. I need a way in. She walked around the wood fence that was too high to jump. Strangely enough she'd never had to escape thro here.

Finely Mouser found what she was looking for, a rotten piece of fence. Ripping it off and crawling thro, she pushed some crates, that looked like they've been here forever, out of the way. So that's why no one has replaced this part of the fence.

Now on the other side, she moved the crates so that unless you knew what you were look' in for you could not tell they'd been moved. Settling herself down in front of the window, she waited, for anything.

Jack's POV

"Come on Crutch, we're not even suppose to be there this early." I grumbled.

"What's the madder Jack?" Mush jumped in, before Cruchie could, "Wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"

"Nah, just the wrong side of the sun." Race butted in sleepily, "Remind me why we're here again?"

"We've never seen the center before it opens, I wanted to go, and you all wanted to come with me." Crutchie explained patiently, for like the fifth time since leaving the lodging house. Mush, Racetrack, Crutchie, and me were walking along the not so busy streets of Manhattan; the center was just around the corner.

"I didn't force you guys to come, you could have just-." He stopped suddenly as soon as we got close to the gates. "Look." We all looked. Sure enough a little dwarf of a kid was sitting under the window. "Who's that kid, and how'd he get inside?" Race asked. "Lets find out!" I said and started to climb the fence followed by Mush, and Racetrack. We approached carefully. "Well do we know him?" Crutch asked from the other side of the fence. "Her, and no." Mush answered eyeing the dark brown braid. "I've never seen her before in my life." She could not be more then 14, dressed like a boy except for the braid

"What's your name girly?" I asked. "That's nun of your business." She snapped back, jumping up. Hmmm, a little spitfire, I thought, this should be interesting. "Fine then, how'd you get in here? Shorty." I took a step closer. Trying to intimidate her. It didn't work.

"Wouldn't you like to know? And I may be short, but your ugly and I still have time to grow!"

Did I really just say that out loud? Mouser wondered. Well, judging by how the other two were laughing a few moments ago, and now they are looking at her like she'd just said, "Hands up or I'll shoot!" She must have.

This is either going to end up good, or really, really bad.

"Just so you know" the boy said, towering over her, "the front of the line is reserved for me."

Mouser folded her arms."Well that's to bad because I was here first!" Stop talking!

He gave her a shove that knocked her down, and took the place at the front of the line. She picked herself up and stood in front of him.

"I was here first," she said, with as much ice as she could. "Move."

He looked stunned for a minute, but then glared "No." he said, with almost as much ice.

Just turn around and walk away, her common sense yelled.

She summed him up; he was about a foot taller then her. Typical newsie except a cowboy hat instead of a newsboy hat. Brown hair and brown eyes.

Mouser stepped on the railing so she could look him in the eye. "Just who do you think you are!?" She yelled at him.

"Jack Kelly, leader of the Manhattan newsies. And who ever you are, you have no right to buy papes with out asking my permission." Jack said.

"Well I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong. Why don't you get in line like a good little cowboy want to be?"

Jack Kelly, leader of the Manhattan newsies, lunged for her. Maybe I went to far.

She wondered as she jumped off the rail backwards and landed neatly on the ground. Jack however was not as lucky; he landed face down with a thud. Slowly he sat up; the look on his face was priceless!

Well I started digging my grave, might as well dig a little deeper, She thought. That was strike one.

Now Mouser's motto is, if you have a big mouth you have to be abele to back it up, and since she doesn't have any bronze she just uses brains.

She ran fifteen feet and stood in front of a brick wall facing her unlucky opponent.

For someone to fall for this trick, they need to be blind drunk, blind angry, or just plain stupid. Jack's eyes narrowed and he charged. Mouser stood her ground and grinned. Waiting tell the last possible second, she sidestepped. Jack had no time to stop, WHAM, so he ran into the wall.

Strike two. Wile Jack was standing their, she lost no time in ducking behind a wagon; now she was caught between it and a wall. All part of the plain. He was slowing down any one could tell. He walked over and stood in front of her.

The only thing between them was the wagon. On Jack's face was a triumphant smile; he thought she was trapped. We'll see about that. She moved to one side then the other while he followed her every move. Suddenly Jack tried to jump over the wagon, just what she'd been waiting for.

Mouser dove under the wagon to find his feet dangling in her face. She ran out and stopped a few yards away. Jack turned and tried to follow; but the fact she had tide his shoes laces together made it kind of hard.

Strike three, your out! He sat up slowly with a dazed look on his face. He made no move to get up or fix his shoes, so Mouser took it as a sign that she'd won. Calmly she walked up to the other two. Standing in fount of them with an icy look on her face.

"I was here first." She said forcefully.

Both of them backed away like they'd seen a ghost. All at once, Mouser was painfully a where of the large group of teen-age boys filing in thro the now open gates. At nearly the same time the window opened and she was staring at a fat, mean looking man.

"All right cowboy what do you want." He growled.

"Twenty papers please." The girl replied hesitatingly.

"Your not Cowboy, beat it girlie."

So much for politeness, she did NOT come all this way to be intimidated off by the likes of him.

"No, I'm giving you money for news papers," she explained coldly, "what difference is there?"

a face came suddenly from nowhere and two hands griped the bars. "Hey," he said, "he said get lost." He appeared so fast anyone else would have jumped, but she didn't even flinch. Mouser ignored the face and so did the man.

"The difference is girls can't be newsies."

"There's no rule about who can or can't be a newsie." she countered, "and that means you can't refuse me when I say; twenty papers please." The please was dripping with sarcasm.

Folding her arms, Mouser waited. Your move, she thought, and you'd better make it soon. She could feel everyone watching this little stand off. Mouser hated being the center of attention but she stood her ground and glared at him thro the bars.

After what seemed like forever, he finely gave in.

"Twenty papes." he called not taking his mean eyes from her.

Inside she sighed with relief, outside she tried not to show how uneasy she really was. Mouser gave him the coins and he gave her the papers.

"Now that was not so hard, now was it?" she smirked.

As calmly as possible, with papers in hand she walked toward the gates. Looking back at Jack, Mouser gave him one more glare for good messier then walked out of sight.

"Jack, who was that?" David was standing next to him with Les.

"Don't know." Jack answered shortly.

"Well who ever she is, she sure took Cowboy down a peg or two!" Mush blurted.

"Jack why'd you have to go starting fights with a little girl." Crutchie demanded.

"I'm not a morning person and she pushed me over the edge." He continued, "and besides she looked like she can take care of herself."

And that was the end of that, for now.

A very scared Mouser kept looking back over her shoulder expecting to see someone chasing her. Positive that was not the case after a while she ducked into an alleyway. Leaning ageist a wall and slowly sliding down waiting for her adrenalin to go down.

After a few deep breaths she looked at the headlines. How is anyone supposed to sell these headlines? Mouser pounded, I mean really 'mayor serves jerry duty'? Who cares? The now calm girl got up, might as well try it.

"Extra, extra mayor serves jerry duty." Just like she expected no one stopped, skimming the paper for something that people would find remotely interesting.

Wow, and this can pass as a newspaper. She tried again,

"hot off the presses, mayor serves time in court!"

That got attention; it sold five papers in three minutes. Grinning the whole walk toward the depot on the streets, with no short cuts so she could sell papers along the way.

So, what did you all think? Right now I am kinda BEGGING for more reviews.

See you next time;)