So…this is my longest chapter yet! A lot happens…so read carefully!

Thanks to starcrossed who's been reviewing a lot! Anyone else out there who can review, please do!

I don't own the newsies.

"Welcome," the man said, with this glint to his eyes. "Pippa, I presume?"

I shook off any feeling of fear and shock and looked him in the eye. "Who's askin'?"

He chuckled. "You've got your mother's spirit for sure. The name's Rinacci. Geoff Rinacci. You can call me Father."

My eyes widened. Of all the rooms we could have hidden in we just had to choose the one with my father in it. I glared at him. Mrs. K was right, his hair was my color. But she just had to forget the most important detail. His eyes were the same as mine. Exact same, from what I could see.

"I wont never call you father," I said darkly.

He laughed and smiled at me. You know, from a distance he actually looked like a nice guy. Someone you'd want to invite over for dinner or bring to a party or just talk to. I squinted and looked closer. He was that guy. On the outside. On the inside he was using that outside guy to get what he wants. Like me liking him. Which I wouldn't.

"Oh, in time I think you will, darling," he said lightly, but I could detect a darkly mean tone underneath.

"You wont never call me darling, neither," I told him.

He laughed again and walked towards me. I wanted to back away, but stubbornness and wanting to be rid of fear kept me grounded. He put his hand on my shoulder and smiled. I shrugged his hand off and gave him the coldest stare I could muster. His eyes flashed with annoyance and he replaced his hand on my shoulder, gripping tightly. Ouch. That's going to bruise.

"Soon, darling," he said, reinforcing the fact that I had no control over him. "You will find the need to call me father."

He stood up and crossed the room, lighting some more lamps as he went. It was an office, now that we could see the whole room. My stupid bad luck. He took a seat at a desk. Propping his feet up, he leaned back in his chair leisurely and surveyed me.

"Let me get one thing straight," he said. "I do not care about your past or your feelings. No, I only care about your appearance and future. You will attend Boston's finest school for young ladies: Payne's Finishing School. You will depart in a week. Now, lucky for you, I do want you to be happy. So I'm offering you a bargain. You let me turn you into a lady, without protest, and I'll send your friend here to a fine school for boys in Boston. If you don't agree, he'll stay here with me." He grinned evilly at this last part.

And it was evil. It left me no choice. I couldn't let Manny stay here with this awful man! And me…a lady…that was a sacrifice I was willing to make for Manny. "I'll…do it," I muttered.

"What was that, sorry?" The bum. He knew exactly what I said.

"I'll do it!"

"Pip, no, you don't have to," Manny's feeble and fear filled voice piped up.

I looked down at him and took his hand. "I do, Mans. For you, I will. We'se got ta stay together."

Geoff laughed from his desk. "How touching, really. And wonderful decision, my little Pippa! First off, let me call the maid." He got up and pulled this rope thingy that I hadn't noticed before. He returned to his desk. "Anyways, I'm going to send you two off to bed. First step to becoming a lady is proper sleep to rid the chance of dark circles. And even though you're dressed as a boy – by the way enjoy it because it's the last time in your life you ever will – I can see that we wont have much trouble getting you to look like a girl. You're very becoming already, which is promising for the future."

I glared at him. "You're just a –"

"Ah, ah, ah, no protesting. And that includes talking back."

I huffed. This was going to be frustrating. Suddenly the door opened behind us and Manny and I jumped out of the way. It was the maid from earlier.

"You rang, sir," she said humbly.

"Ah, yes, Gretel, this is Pippa and Manny, I assume you met before. Pippa, Gretel will be your main maid while you are here. Manny, yours is Linda, Gretel, where is Linda?"

"Right here, sir, I'm sorry sir," said a shorter maid who rushed in.

"Ah, yes, Linda, here are Pippa and Manny, yours is Manny, I presume you know. And do try your best to be on time. Promptness always makes a good impression."

"Yes sir," she bowed her head.

"Now, show Pippa and Manny to their rooms. They are adjacent, because once again, I am just that kind," he smiled. "Now, Pippa, say goodnight to your father."

I looked at him for a second and then got on my knees and looked upwards. I clasped my hands together and said, "Goodnight, Father!" Then I got up and walked out of the room, smiling. I would try to get him in every way possible.

Manny bolted out behind me laughing. "Good one! Geez, that guy is really somethin' awful. At least we won't be near him all year."

"I hate him! Imagine, Manny, me, a lady."

"You was a lady once, remember? On your boithday? A year ago?"

"Ya, I remember that," I said, rolling my eyes. "And the Kentworthy's dressed me up. I hate them too. That whole time, Mans, they was trickin' us. And all the while we thought we was smartah."

Manny shook his head. "I can't believe all dis has happened. In one day that all happened."

I nodded in agreement as the maids came out of the office, shutting the door behind them. They lead us down the hall and we walked in silence for a few moments. Then Linda turned and looked behind us before she turned to Gretel and said, "God, I hate him!"

"Oh, I know dear, he's so harsh."

"No, no, I'm not just mad because he got mad at me for being late. Last night, you know how there was lots of noise coming from his room?"

"Yes," Gretel said, her brow furrowed in intrigue. I was intrigued too.

"That wasn't his wife! It was…it was…me!"

Gretel gasped. "What? How could he?"

"It was awful, Gretel! Just as you said! And we can't do anything about it," she said mournfully.

"You were havin' a party with him," Manny asked from behind.

Linda turned around and gave a small side smile at Gretel. "Yes dear, only he was the only one having fun."

"And he's only supposed to have parties with his wife?"

"That's right. But he has parties with many different people."

"He's no good."

"He's no good," Linda repeated.

--

Our rooms were nice. We each had a separate bathroom. They were nicer than the Kentworthy's, and I had never thought that possible.

And our maids were nice. It was nice to know that they also were against Geoff. We learned that Geoff kept their families in a nice home a little while away, and if the maids spoke out against him he would evict them. The maids were forced to support their families and make this sacrifice. He was so manipulative.

Over the course of the next week, I rarely saw / avoided Geoff. Gretel, Linda, Manny, and I often went into a town to get clothes and supplies. If I was going to have to be a lady, I was going to have to dress like one. The clothes were pretty but I longed for my loose fitting boys clothes. Manny was embarrassed about having to wear these rich boy knickers and boots. He also had to comb his hair. We really looked ridiculous.

I thought about home all the time. What were the newsies doing? What was the headline? Did they wonder where we were? How was Jack? And Spot? And Race? And everyone? And Mush? I hoped they were happy.

After a week we said goodbye. It was late winter still. We would be spending the rest of this year and the summer studying and catching up. Manny and I rode the train together. The first time in our lives. It was pretty exciting. We were sitting in a box which was traveling on wheels down a track. What could be cooler? Flying in the air? Now that was something that I wish I could experience even more than being on this train. Too bad no one's thought of how to do that yet.

Manny and I actually talked about that. The future. Our future and the future of the world. We thought that someday people would have cars that could drive in the air and on the ground. And there would be giant carriages in the air. And all people had to do to get from one place to another was press a button. They could change the way they looked too.

Our future? We decided we'd find each other as often as possible. Other than that we really had no idea what to expect.

As soon as we stepped off of the train with our luggage, the feeling of being in a city hit us again. People were bustling around and vendors were selling things. Tall buildings rose up and all sorts of people walked along the streets. I'd never been to Boston, but it reminded me so much of New York. I think New York was a bit more bustling, though. Two nicely dressed men walked up to us and said, "Are you Pippa and Manny Rinacci?"

Manny was supposed to pose as my brother. We nodded.

They were drivers. One was for Manny and the other for me. Manny and I turned to each other. Tears pricked my eyes. This was it. I would be able to see Manny sometimes, but this would be the first time I was on my own. Without anyone I knew. And poor Manny! Alone as well.

We hugged for what seemed like an eternity. I kissed him on the head and he kissed me on the cheek.

"I love you, Mans," I whispered.

"I love you too, Pip," he whispered back, his voice wobbling.

We hugged one last time before the drivers pulled us away to our respective carriages, our trunks already loaded on. I took a seat in the carriage and looked out the window to watch as Manny's carriage pulled away.

This was it. I was alone.

--

In the carriage, I allowed some tears to slip out. I chastised myself and vowed that this was the last time I'd show any weakness.

I tried to think of something good that could come out of this. Gretel told me I was going to get to learn to play the piano! That was cool! I have always wanted to learn how! And I bet there would be some nice girls there. I could make some friends who were girls, finally!

The carriage pulled to a stop 20 minutes later and I became a nervous wreck. The driver unloaded my trunks and I stepped out of the carriage. More like tripped out, actually. But fortunately the driver was there to stop me from falling.

I looked at this school. It had a very tall gate around it. It looked like a nice building, but what was going on inside I was sure was not nice. We rang at the gate and soon a man came to greet us. He took my trunks and I thanked my driver who in turn left. I followed the man into the building. He asked my name and then proceeded up a flight of stairs. The stairs were long and winding, but I was in good shape. We got off the stairs and the 7th floor, I think. He led me down a hall and stopped at a door.

"You have this room all to yourself," he told me as he pushed open the door. I looked around. It was simple and quaint. There was a bed with a white comforter. There was a mirror and a dresser and a nightstand. My favorite part was the window. It looked down to the street which I had just come up from. I turned to thank the man, but he was gone. I closed the door and lay down on my bed. It was a while before I was able to get to sleep.

--

I awoke the next morning to someone pounding on the door. "Get up! Breakfast in half an hour!"

Wow. Usually I got up really early. I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes. I put on the simplest dress I had – white top with a brown skirt – followed by a brown dress coat, stockings, and brown shoes. I ran a comb through my hair and brushed my teeth. I tied my hair up with a white ribbon. I took a look at myself in the mirror and sighed. I looked somewhat ladylike.

I opened the door and saw a bunch of girls bustling along the corridors. It was odd. I closed my eyes and remembered all the newsies running around getting ready. I really missed them.

Suddenly one girl said, "Who are you?" I opened my eyes and looked for the source of the speaker. All of the girls had stopped what they were doing and were looking at me expectantly.

"I-I'm Pippa," I said to the wall.

One girl snorted and said, "Oh, and I guess you expect that just because of what you look like we'll like you."

I saw the speaker. She looked a little bit older than me. She had straight blonde hair, milky skin, and blue eyes. Her eyes were narrowed and one hand was on her hip.

"I never said anything about that," I said, confused. Why would anyone like me just because of my appearance, anyways?

The girl snorted again. "It's obvious that you were thinking it."

Boy she was snotty. "Oh, and I presume that because of your clairvoyant powers, snorting, and words, you expect me to be intimidated by you?"

She looked aghast at me. I smirked at her and walked away. I hoped the direction was walking in was towards the stairs. She called after me, "Ooh! Miss Pippa, you have just made enemies with every girl in this school! No one talks to Penelope like that! I'll tell my sister and she'll get all the older girls against you, too!"

I shrugged as I walked and didn't respond. My smile widened as I heard her huff loudly in annoyance.

I really wasn't meant to be friends with girls.

--

So began my journey as a student at Payne's Finishing School. Here I am now, three years later, as I said before, on the roof. Of this school.

Penelope had been right. She had told her sister, Ophelia, and all the girls young and old hated me. Some would try to be my friend, but Penelope would threaten her with something like, "You won't be invited to my ball this winter" or "Then I'll just have to tell Matthew what you're really like" referring to any boy the girl had a crush on. We often met up for socials with boys schools – especially Manny's which was very lucky. Manny and I would sit together, go out and walk together, or go out on the roof together. Sometimes I would be interested in boys, and would dance with them. A lot were interested in me, to Penelope's dismay. It's not like I was being conceited about it though. Her boyfriend – Charles – is not a great guy. Manny says he's dumb. And if they're dancing he'll look at me with this look in his eye boys sometimes get and he'll wink at me. I feel bad for Penelope because of this, but I know if I told her she'd get mad at me.

I had a boyfriend. His name was Lawrence. He was sixteen. Mush's and Spot's age. Two years older than me. He was very cute. He had dark hair that hung into his eyes and vibrant green eyes. He was very sweet. I heard all the girls talking about him in the common room, hoping that he'd ask them to dance. But he came to me. And not even to ask me to dance. Just to talk. He wasn't really aggressive like some of the other guys were. I had my first kiss since Mush with him. And I actually really liked him.

Until I found him with Claire. She's fifteen. And one of Penelope's cohorts. I was sad, but not very much. I had been thinking about breaking things off with him anyways. Because good things never last. And I wanted to end the relationship before I could get hurt. I had been too late.

I remember walking into the side room to meet Manny. Manny – by the way – is growing into quite the catch. He's eleven now. And starting to like girls. He's naturally golden skinned and his always unkempt brown hair is adorable. Anyways, I walked in and say Lawrence sitting on a chair. Claire was straddling him on his lap and kissing him. Her hands were in his hair and his hands were on her chest. I almost laughed and the sight. Both looked pretty uncomfortable.

At that moment I thought back to my first kiss with Mush. On the roof in Manhattan. I wish I could go back to that day.

And then my first kiss with Lawrence. We were taking a walk outside. It was a nice night out. We were standing by a dock, looking out over the water. The stars and the moonlight shone in the water. This made me think of Mush – the Prince of the Seas, and me, the Princess of the Stars. It made me smile.

"You're beautiful when you smile," Lawrence said softly, drawing me out of my thoughts. He brushed some hairs out of my face and let his hand linger there, cupping my face.

I didn't know what to do. I knew he was going to kiss me. But what was I supposed to do with my hands? I couldn't just stand there with my arms limp at my side. So I curled my hand around his neck and up into his hair. He smiled and leaned in closer. And we kissed. His other hand was at my waist, drawing me in closer. I thought about where to put my other arm. I decided on wrapping it around his shoulder. It was pretty comfortable that way so I tried to focus on the kiss. I kissed him back lightly and his grip tightened around me. Geez, he pressed me up close to him. But I liked the kiss. It was nice.

Suddenly I felt something else press up against my lips. It was his tongue. His tongue! Gross! I quickly broke the kiss and looked up at him.

He smiled and opened his eyes halfway. "Sorry," he said.

I nodded and gave him a small smile. He closed his eyes again and leaned back in. The kiss wasn't anything mind blowing, but it was nice. I did like it. So I let him.

He kissed me on the lips lightly and leaned back a bit. He did it again and then kissed my nose forehead. Then he just pulled me in and rested his head on mine. I leaned into his chest and closed my eyes.

And thought of Mush. I felt so guilty thinking of him! Well, he had been the only guy I kissed before, so wasn't it natural to think of him?

I drew myself in closer to Lawrence. Here was a guy who liked me. I wanted to think of him. He tightened his grip on me even more and rubbed my back.

Kissing became a normal thing for us. We always managed to sneak one in. And it was nice.

So as I stood here watching him kiss Claire, I thought of how I was guilty, too. For thinking of Mush. I slowly turned and left the room. I heard him yell, "Pippa!" But I just walked out, bumping into Manny.

"Mans, let's go for a walk," I said.

On the walk I told him about what happened.

"Well, Pip, I have to tell you," Manny's speech has also improved. "Every night he'd been with you he'd come back and all the older guys would sit around him while he told them everything you guys did."

Oh God. My cheeks flushed bright red.

"You've got a lot of attention from boys, Pip. I don't like it. They all talk about wanting you while Lawrence just sits there smiling because he has you."

"Well, my attention's not on boys, Mans," I reassured him. "It's on getting into that other school."

Oh yea. The other school. This year a select few students from my and Manny's school's were to be selected to attend another school that was better than the ones we currently attended. I didn't know where the school was. But Manny and I both worked to be at the top of our class in order to get out of here. And the headmaster, Madame Plufont, told me I pretty much had it. She really likes me. Just another thing for the girls at my school to hate me for.

"Me too," Manny said. "Oh, and Pip. I forgot to tell you. I…I…"

"Spit it out," I said.

"I…have a girlfriend!"

"You…what? You're only eleven!"

Manny smiled.

"What's her name?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Manny laughed and took off. "You'll never be able to catch me in those shoes!"

I glared at him and took my shoes off. Who cares about my stockings? I lifted my dress and sprinted after him.

We must have looked a sight, me, a girl in a fancy dress sprinting after a smartly dressed boy. But who cares? We lived for these few moments of fun and carefree play. Our laughter echoed into the night as the stars watched over us.