A/N: THIS IS DEDICATED TO CORKY! Who had a really bad first day back to school, and in my attempts to cheer her up, came up with this story! MUAH! *KISSES* this ones for you!

Road Trip Memories

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Dear Ressie-mouse,

*Sighs, sniffs and tries NOT to cry* I HATE MY SCHOOL!!!!!!! Anyone who complains about their school should stop right now and come trade places with me! Yes...you guessed it...this is another sad, pathetic, and utterly depressing post from yours truly.

Ok...today was my first day of school...it started out like any other day. Woke up, got dressed, grabbed something to eat, got my disk man and went out to wake for the bus...that's when trouble started. The batteries in my disk man died right in the middle (no pun intended) of Jimmy Eat World, I get to school and get harassed by my old WG teacher for not taking my hat off as soon as I got in the building (My hands were full! I couldn't take it off till I got stuff outta my hands!).

Then I went to geometry, which is full of preps and dickheads with only two of my friends who sit on the other side I about killed myself (and my of the room now, after that I had keyboarding and thanks to ABC order got stuck between two of the biggest dick heads ever to walk the face of this earth. They always find something to pick on me about and today it was the fact that I have pictures of newsies taped to my binder, I don't have lunch with my best friend, ankle) trying to make a mad dash to the health room, when the rest of the kids that were in my homeroom last year get to go to regular homeroom I have to go to the lunch room with more preps... no friends and no one will give me a straight answer as to WHY I'm there and not with the rest of the people from my homeroom.

In theater it's the same thing...more preps...less friends! I have like no classes with any of my friends! And I hate it! Not to mention I have had a headache all day long. So... to make a very long story kinda short...I hate my school...and I hurt like hell!

So, I think I'm gonna go soak my head in warm water, grab a bottle of water, curl up in a little ball on the couch and watch "Deal of a Lifetime" till my dad sends me to the funny farm!

By the way… how was your trip to Lake Huron?

~Corky Higgins.

Dear Corks,

Dude, that sucks, But I'm not going into a hissy fit bringing all the BAD days from my school, last year (grade nine), to make you feel better, (and trust me they would!) instead, I'm going to tell you a little story (based on NEWSIES!) about something I saw on a trip up to Lake Huron with my dad and my older sister....

NOW THE STORY STARTS!!!

OK... it all started when my dad wanted to go back up to the Acorn Lodge, very close to Lake Huron and the Pinery! So, since 2 years before I had gotten THE BEST tan ever, I agreed to go! However, I (being the newsie obsessed fan that I am) couldn't put up with leaving Newsies for a day! So I took the next best thing, disk man and the CD! However, my friend borrowed my newsie good copy of the CD and I had to get my crapy first copy (which only has 5 songs repeated 2 times on it). Well I was set, I had my Newsie CD, Goof troop CD (because for those who didn't know… Aaron Lohr was the singing voice of 'Maxie'), and my Vanessa Carlton CD plus other necessary things… like food and a bathing suit. My sister on the other hand wanted to ruin my trip by making my dad play HER music in the car… (Note: my sister is a punk rocker/ opera singer… so imagine 26 songs of punk and Italian opera for 3 hours straight!) while we went up there and on our way back!

The only thing I hated was getting up at 6 so we could get there at around 9 and then spend the whole day swimming and getting a tan.

But to make things worse… I sister fell asleep (while having the whole car listen to 'HER' music) and if we tried to turn it off, she would wake up all pissed! So due to her sleeping, I 'HAD' to be the navigator for the whole thing! All 2½ hours one way… and a whole other 2½ hours back! Oh and not to mention listen to my walk man using up the very last batteries I had.

I tried to make the best of it… listening to Newsies until I started doing the dace moves in my seat. I could only do limited moves since people in the other cars stared looking at me funny… ok… ok… my dad told me to stop as I continuously tried to do the 'kony' tap dance (I tried to turn and almost choked when the headphones got tangled around my neck) while trying not to wake my sister.

Anyway… (On with the story…) being the navigator (while my sister 'happily' snored in the back seat…) I got us lost somewhere in the area! We got stuck in this little town and stopped at a Tim Horton's plaza to look for directions! As I got out of the car and looked at my surroundings, I looked across the street and saw the cutest deli… but no ordinary deli! It was called 'Corky's Deli and Doughnuts!' (NO KIDDING, NO LYING, PURE TRUTH!) I had to write it down with the other 'newsie' things I have seen in the past 2½ hours so I ran back into the car and wrote right under my previous entry (2 Racetracks from Toronto to Thedford Ontario) After I reread what I just wrote (Deli spotted ~ Corky's Deli and Doughnuts *Tell corky and other newsie fans!*) I reread my whole list over…

Look-a-like spotting ~ Boots (that weird kid in the car beside me for about 15 min, playing Nintendo, back seat), Dutchy (that hot looking French guy in front of me in the line for breakfast at Wendy's), and Sarah (this stuck up ugly bitch girl who looked at me funny just because I had my whole head braided and was flirting with that Dutchy look-a-like) 2 racetracks/gambling centers from Toronto to Thedford Ontario, and now Deli spotted ~ Corky's Deli and Doughnuts *Tell corky and other newsie fans!* Feeling quite content on my findings, I sat in the car and when he came back, told me we had to take a right at Corky's Deli (laughing mentally to myself and buckling up my seat belt got ready for the beach and other hot guys).

The rest of my vacation was ok… I got a tan and had several guys notice me playing football with my dad in the water… (Oh there were more Newsie spottings!) there were 3 who really caught my eye! There was a guy who looked like Blink (with out the patch), and Spot (I almost jumped him! Don't gimmie that look! You would too if you saw a Spot look-a-like in nothing but a bathing suit!) and when I went to the local grocery store I saw this 3-year-old kid who looked like Les. I thought I saw a Racetrack, but only from behind (Ew uni-brow).

~Iris

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The next day…

            Iris woke up at 8:00 silently scolding herself for waking up this early during the summer while quietly trying to get dressed and to make it to the computer without waking her sister. She logged on and opened her mailbox while logging on to Fan fiction and MSN. Opening a message that Corky replied to!

Dear Iris,

            WOW! I should go and see this…Thedford, since it's crawling with Newsies! I wish I could meet the newsies! I know how much you want to meet Spot … and myself Race! Just to meet them, have some midnight rendezvous and never come back… but us girls can only wish right?

            "Right!" She agreed, then all of a sudden she fell off her chair and…"OW!" she screamed as she landed on her back with a thud on a cobblestone street, as she looked to the side to see her surroundings, she winced in pain and held onto her back. "Ok… there are wooden boxes and ewwwwww! A dead rat!" She screamed getting up off the floor and backing away into a nearby wall. She then noticed at the other side of the alley was a very busy street and being the nosey girl she is, started to walk towards it.

"AHHH, FUCK!" screamed an object the landed right on top of Iris' legs, "Ow! That hurt!"

"You're telling me!" Iris spat at the person who was crushing her legs. "Can you please get off me?"

"Yeah, sorry!"

"By the way… I'm Corky!"

"Corky?" Iris asked shocked after recognizing her name. "It's me… Iris!"

"Ohmygoodness! All this time playing e-mail tag! And now… we finally meet!" Corky threw her arms around the younger girl and the two embraced in a friendly hug! "Sorry about your legs! I didn't mean to!"

"It's ok! Really!" Iris exclaimed after they parted, "So do you have any idea where we are?"

"Naw! I thought you knew!"

"Not a clue! I woke up, got changed, and went to read your message! Then when I was in the middle of it, I fell of my chair and I was in this alley trying to get away from that dead rat!" She said pointing to the rat at the end of the alley.

"Ewwwwww!" Corky screamed and ran out of the alley and out into the mass of people.

"CORKY! WAIT UP!" Iris screamed after the running girl and stopped beside Corky in the middle of the street, "Whoa!" She gasped amazed. "Is that…?"

"Yeah, it is!" The two stood staring at the Horace Greeley statue in aw. "Ok…" Corky getting out of her daze, "So now we know were in Lower Manhattan!"

"Um… Corks?" Iris said using her online name for her, "I'm-" But was interrupted by her stomach growling, "…hungry!" Iris stated the obvious.

"Me too Ressie-mouse! Lets go find Tibby's!" Then the two girls walked around Lower Manhattan until they found the small diner fifteen minutes later. Continuously ignoring the strange looks people were giving them for the such *cough* revealing hooker clothes (Iris, in her torn red sparked shirt and form fitting dark blue jeans and Corky, in her black spaghetti strapped 'playboy bunny' top and blue jean skirt. Both wearing their black hooker boots and platforms.) "Ohhh! FOOD!" Corky screamed as she ran into the diner with Iris right behind her.

"Hey wait up!"

"Ohhhh!" The two stood and stared at the lovely sight before them.

"Me like a lot!"

"Me too Ressie-mouse… me too!" Corky and Iris continued to stare at the crowded diner until a tall brunette boy came and pushed past them. "Was that…?"

"Jack!" Iris whispered as both of them tilted their heads to stare at the 'Jakey-boy' goodness from behind.

"Hey! Corks, Iris, what are you staring at? And what are you wearing?" Jack asked as he took a seat beside Kid Blink.

"Huh? What? Oh…" The girls shook their heads and stared at each other for some kind of explanation.

"Ah… gotta go!" Iris stammered as she grabbed Corky's arm and dragged her into a nearby alley. "What the hell was that? They KNOW us, but how?" Corky still staring at the direction of the diner remained silent. "Corky! RACETRACK'S RUNNING ACROSS THE STREET NAKED!"

"Huh? What? Where?" Corky asked looking around to find 'her' newsie.

"Now why would you say that, Iris?" Asked a voice from the street, both the girls turned and…

"Ohmygoodness!"

"Jesus Fuck!" Screamed Iris in shock watching Racetrack walk towards them.

"Never say the Lords name in vain Iris! Hey Corks!" He said as he slipped his arm around Corky's waist, then turned to her and said, "Can you believe that I had to remind Iris not to say that? She's usually the one to remind us!" Corky who was speechless just stared at Race, just like Iris. "Hey guys? Hello? Alright…  I'm going over to Tibby's to get something to eat, you guys want to join?" he asked with hope in his eyes as he started to push the two girls out of the alley and on to the street. "And what are you guys wearing? You guys are not properly covered!" He blushed.

"Ah... a…hm… a…" Corky rambled on, looking at a very confused (and hot) Racetrack. But finally Iris managed to answer.

"About the lunch thing, sure why not! And our clothes? Um… we were experimenting! Uh… Racetrack um… WHERE'S SPOT?" Iris blurted out the last part and slapped her hand over her mouth after she realized what she screamed.

"Right here!" He said as Spot walked up behind her placing a hand on her shoulder causing both Iris and Corky to jump and turn to look at the Brookynite.

"AH!" Iris screamed and took off running leaving three confused 'newsies'.

"I better go after her!" Spot said and taking off in the direction Iris ran off, leaving the couple to themselves.

"Iris! Iris?" Spot called out looking for her after he saw her run off onto the docks. Iris? Where are you?" 

"Ew! Not again!" Iris screamed as she ran away from the couple of rats roaming around her hiding spot.

"Iris!"

"Ah!" Iris was surprised to see him out of nowhere causing her to fall into the water. When she finally submerged, (thankful that her glasses hadn't fallen off when she fell into the water) she saw a very amused Spot laughing hysterically on the dock. "That wasn't funny!" She spat out trying to get over to the rope ladder.

"It wasn't supposed to be! I was trying to find you! Not scare you!" He managed to choke out between laughs. "Here!" He said as he held out a hand to pull her up, however, Iris seeing this as her chance to get him back, pulled him in with her. "Why do you do that? Are you purposely trying to kill me?" He asked as he surfaced.

"I try!" Iris laughed as he tried to get his hair out of his face. "Come on! I'm hungry!"

"Alright! It's on me!"

"Whatever you say! Oh Spot? Can we get some 'dry' clothes? I'm cold!"

"Yeah! Let's go back to the L.H!" Then the two continued to walk towards the lodging house.

Meanwhile…

"So… you want something to eat?" Racetrack asked as he gave Corky his vest so she was covered.

"Yeah sure!" The two walked over to Tibby's, entered, and sat down in a booth so they can be 'alone'.

"So Corks… where do you want to go this Saturday?" Race asked as he finished ordering for the both of them.

"Um… what's this Saturday?"

"How could you forget? Our one year anniversary!"

"Oh that! I never forgot! I was… uh… testing you! Um…Race? How long have Spot and Iris gone out?"

"They haven't started yet! Everyone thinks he'll ask her, but he thinks that she only likes him as a friend and vice versa! It's really complicated! We've been trying to get them together for the longest time… but… ya know! Oh hey Spot, Iris! Come on sit with us!" Race called as they walked in the door. " Now don't say anything!" Race whispered as the two got closer.

End of part 1!

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Well I hope everyone likes it so far! This better make you smile Corks! Everything will be explained later!

This story might be neglected due to me starting a new school and all. Also I'm auditioning for the school musical (Les Meiserables) as Cosette. I also have a really easy semester, so I might be able to update!

REVIEWS are helpful! And HIGHLY APPRECIATED!

-Iris @-]--