Here's a very, very quick update. I felt bad for leaving off on a cliffhanger last chapter and wanted to just keep writing and writing. I wrote a lot, actually. And I'm not so sure about it. So let me know what you think.

I don't own the newsies.

--

I stood there in a stunned silence. I'd been prepared for him to either say that he liked me back or he didn't. Not, certainly not that he already knew how I felt.

It was a minute before I was able to speak. "I – uh, how do you know?"

"I heard you. Last night," he replied pointedly.

He wasn't saying anything like 'and I'm so glad you feel that way' or even something like 'and I'm sorry but I don't feel this way'. It was kind of…mean of him, to keep me waiting like this.

Not to mention how humiliating it was. He heard me spill my guts about him to Spot?

"And…" I prompted.

"And, I agree," he said. I froze. "But I have to say, you're real superficial and arrogant. But don't worry. The life with rich people changed you a lot. I know you were better, nicer before that."

Oh my…

"And I also agree that it's best if we're just friends forever. Just friends. Even with the way you feel."

With that he turned on his heel and walked away.

I couldn't move.

Superficial…arrogant…

Rich people changed you a lot…

I agree…

Just friends forever…

All of these words rang harshly through my mind.

He agrees. He thinks I'm messy and dirty. And that I don't act like a girl.

He thinks we should just be friends.

He doesn't like me because I'm superficial, arrogant, and have changed a lot because of the rich life. Implying that I act spoiled? Or haughty? Or what?

What did it matter though? His answer is clear. He doesn't like me. He never has, he never will.

It didn't sink in. Not yet. I knew on the outside that I had just been rejected. Was this the superficiality Mush was speaking of? Was I superficial? I hate superficial people. And like to think I'm not.

How am I arrogant? I have nothing to be arrogant about. Like Spot said last night, I was one of them.

So that was it. My fantasy of Mush and I being together forever gone, departed, shattered into a million pieces.

Why is fantasy so much better than reality? I can control it.

--

I avoided Mush over the next few weeks as much as possible. I was so sad on the inside and every time I came near him I just got sadder. I couldn't even find any anger that he'd said those things to me.

And he had a girlfriend. She came over a lot.

Her name was Hannah. She was beautiful. The complete opposite of me. She had straight white blonde hair, light peach colored skin, and light blue eyes. Whereas I have dark brown hair with ringlets at the ends, darker, more golden skin, and dark green eyes. Not to mention clothes and manner. She was certainly a girl. She wore pretty but simple dresses. She was always clean and neat. And she was sickeningly nice. All the guys liked her. The girls held hostility towards her, because they knew she was where I wanted to be, but it was hard to be mean to her. Anyways, she wouldn't understand. Even I liked her.

Mush couldn't keep his eyes or hands off of her. A few times our eyes locked, and I felt the same sensation I always did before. But I knew the only reason he would look at me was because he felt a little bad for rejecting me so harshly. He was human.

I couldn't stand watching them, though. So I preoccupied myself with hanging out with and taking care of the younger newsies (Roller has been sticking to me like glue ever since he saw Mush and I talking), talking with Manny, Jack, or Spot, or any other newsie that happened to be sitting around, not involved in poker or craps.

I especially hated it when Mush and Hannah left the lodging house or went upstairs. I was able to keep myself calm when they were in the same room as me, because I could see what they were doing and all (as much as it hurt me to see it), but when they left I didn't know what they were doing. I could guess. But I didn't want to guess. I just wanted to be in Hannah's place.

The leader of Harlem, Banks, was into me. I knew it. As did everyone else. I'd met him when I was out walking with Jack one day. Ever since, Banks has been making more trips with some of his newsies to Brooklyn or Manhattan than Harlem'd ever made in the past. Jack and Spot were thankful of this. They'd been worried about Harlem taking some territory or something. They reminded me of adults trying to arrange a marriage or something, the way they were encouraging me to talk more to Banks.

It's not that Banks is a bad guy. He's great, actually. Great personality, great looking, great attitude. He doesn't look like the fierce leader he is. He's pretty tall, sure, but he looks more like Prince Charming out of the fairytale. He has these golden curly locks (well, not sure what to call them, they're short curls) and dark brown eyes. He's lightly tanned and has deep dimples. He's also very strong. Not to mention funny and down to earth. He's great. It's just…every time we're talking and I see the moves he makes, subtle and sweet, I think of You-Know-Who.

You know who, by the way, isn't happy when he Banks and I are together. He gets in a bad mood, I can tell. I guess he's just upset that someone will have to endure my superficiality and arrogance. He doesn't think I deserve to date anyone. But then again…who am I to say that he's in a bad mood because I'm sitting with another guy who's into me? Is that arrogance?

That night, we were headed to Spinners. I was walking with all the Manhattan newsies and Banks, Spot, and Flyer were going to meet us there.

I'd tucked Roller in that night. He hadn't wanted me to go. He knew that Banks would be there. I just smiled and told him that he was my best guy. He'd been content with that. I feel so honored to have the love of guys like little Roller.

We made our way to Spinners, picking up David, Sarah, Hannah, Silver, and Willow (our name for Emma). I visibly sagged when Hannah came out and Mush kissed her like he hadn't seen her in a year.

I walked with Blink and Race, knowing that Race could always cheer me up.

By the time we made it to Spinner's, I was tired and just wanted to say hi to the girls and then go home. But Banks looked so excited to see me that I just had to stay.

We all sat around in the living room. Looking around, I saw that everyone was a couple. There was Jack and Sarah, David and Midnight, Blink and Spinner, Race and Silver, Skittery and Willow, Spot and Mia, Mush and Hannah, and Flyer and Snapshot. And then there was Banks and I. Seeing everyone, laughing and talking together, was heartwarming. Seeing everyone sitting with the one they were meant to be with was heartbreaking. Because the one I always thought I was meant to be with was sitting across the room with another girl.

My thoughts were interrupted as Banks' stretch beside me ended in his arm across my shoulders. I glanced sideways at him, and he was kind of blushing and looking away. This was adorable. And so sweet. So I leaned my head back in the crook of his arm. I felt him smile and tighten the arm. It made me smile. At least I was making one person happy.

A few hours went by, everyone enjoying themselves. We talked about this and that and nothing and everything. Made up weird little games to play. Playing those games, which were usually some sort of team word game, made me think of the snowball fight war we had going on. We hadn't done that in a while. And Mush had been my partner before…

Suddenly, Manny and Ropes burst through the door. Ropes had taken a great liking to Manny and loved following him around. It made Manny proud.

But they didn't look happy. Manny's eyes searched the room until they found mine. I'd sat up immediately when they came in. Something was wrong.

"It's Roller," Manny said gravely. I stood up and was at the door quick as lightning. "He's gone. He went downstairs and never came back up. Kloppman was in his office and didn't see him come down. But he did hear the door open and then slam shut. He came out and no one was there. We looked and looked…I's sorry, Pip."

He looked distraught. The younger kids loved him, so a lot of the time he felt responsible for them.

I pushed some hair out of his eyes so that he'd look at me. "You did everything you could, Mans. Let's just go back and look now."

I had my jacket and mittens on before anyone else had gotten up from the couch. I was about to leave through the door when I remembered Banks. I turned to say bye to him, but to my surprise he was right behind me, putting his things on. And behind him were Mush and Hannah. And Jack, of course, was there – Roller being one of his newsies. I smiled at them all. The others, I knew, would follow after saying goodbye to each other.

Banks took my hand and we stepped outside. It meant a lot that he was coming.

"Let's go," I said, and we took off into the night.

--

We searched into the early morning, I think. No sign of him. I was becoming more and more frantic, but fortunately Banks was there to help me stay calm.

On a sudden hunch, I went up to the roof, leaving everyone else downstairs, trying to think of a plan.

He wasn't there, but something terrible was. Something that made reality crash and tumble onto me, suffocating me. It was a note. Tucked into the corner that I always stood in. That Mush and I had our first – er, only – kiss. Here's what it read.

Pippa –

You know who this is. You're a smart girl. I've found you and it's time to bring you back. If you want this precious young boy to be returned safely and unharmed to the lodging house, you will come without protest and without telling anyone you received this note. There will be a carriage waiting a week following tomorrow at ten in the morning outside of the store called 'Rocky's Hardware'. And remember, tell no one. If you do, the boy will never see the light of day again. And you know I'll know if you do. There's nothing you'll do between now and then that I won't know about.

I know you'll do the right thing.

-G.

--

Ahh sorry! Not much better than the last one!!

Anyways, thanks to my reviewers, you know who you are – but I've got to get some sleep!