:::Lysaka walks slowly out on stage::: h-hey guys! :::weakly waves::: I know, I haven't updated in a long….long…time. I'm sorry, I have a life, get over it!

Anyway, to get right to the chapter, thank you to all who reviewed. Cake and ice cream for all.

Disclaimer: The san fran newsies are mine muhahaha. If they talk with New York accents, they don't belong to me…got it? Good!

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If the situation weren't so serious, Prankster would've thought it very funny. Spot was pissed, again. Royally, majorly pissed. Prankster was thankful there were no bridges around for Spot to throw Smarts off of.

Apparently it had leaked that Prescott was Spot. Which caused Sherlock, Sherlock's 14-year-old cousin Spaniel, Left and Right to go into entertaining stories Spot did as a kid. Everyone wanted to listen about what the Brooklyn leader did when he was young. The New York newsies huddled around the storytellers like they were in kindergarten and it was story time. (A.N. Remember story time? I loved story time…maybe that's why I write fanfiction and spend most of the waking hours on this site.)

The day had been hectic already. Doc said that Prank would be fine and could start selling papes by the time they reached New York. Prankster thought that it was because Prankster was being doubly annoying today. Prank was able to eat more today then she had in the past week. Just when things were going fine the fight exploded.

"Shut up," Spot cried, he was held back by Jack, Specs, Killjoy, and Art, they were the only things keeping Smarts alive at the moment.

"I'se gonna kill ya." He screamed to Smarts, as the newsies holding him back grew tired. "They can't hold me back foreva." Jack tried to calm down the Brooklyn leader.

The other New York newsies were too petrified of the small leader to go anywhere near him. While the others stayed out of the path of Smarts and Spot. After five more minutes of pushing Spot got tired and sat down on his bunk. After being escorted of course.

"When are'se we goin' again?" Spot huffed.

"Day after tomorrow," Killjoy informed him and the rest of the newsies.

"Doesn't matter," Marbles smiled at Spot, "Smarts is coming back with us."

"Oh no," Blink gasped, "dat means eight days in a train car."

"Wid Smarts and Spot tryin' ta kill each other." Mush finished the thought.

"We're all going to die." Ramble cried, causing everyone within a five-foot radius to wince and clutch their ears.

"That, or be deaf." Left still healed his ear.

"And on that note," Dragon picked up Koan, who had fallen asleep during the fight against Smarts and Spot, "we should shut up and let the younger ones go to bed."

Chinchilla, Mock, Twitch, Heights, Sparky and Small Talk let out a groan. It was an unwritten rule that you were an 'old' newsie at the age of 14. All newsies younger then that went to bed as told, no exceptions. The younger ones knew it was impossible to argue and they slowly made their way to their bunks and prepared for bed.

Prank laid in her bed, completely bored. She could listen to the conversation that was taking place in the other room. But until tomorrow she was ordered to stay in bed. While Prankster wasn't one to obey orders, she didn't want to deal with the others at the moment. She hated their sympathetic glances they gave her, treating her like she was made of glass. Anytime someone came into the room she would insist that she was tired and nearly pushed them out of the room. By 5 o'clock the newsies stopped trying to visit her all together. So it made Prankster jump when there was a soft knock and a figure entered the room.

The room was dark but the silhouette seemed to know his way around. The figure struck a match and lit the candle next to Prank; the soft glow of the light filled the room. His voice broke the silence.

"How ya feeling Prank?"

"I'm always doing great when you're around Mute." Prankster forced a smile.

(A.N. yaye! Mute's finally gonna talk for more then two minutes!)

Mute smiled sheepishly and sat down on the bunk next to Prank.

"What can I do for you?" Prankster asked. Mute swallowed before talking.

"Well, it's just that, we're leaving in a couple days…"Mute paused, not sure if he should continue or not. Prankster gave him a reassuring glance and he continued.

"and I'm here to tell you that I won't be coming back with you, I'm staying here."

"Why?" Prankster asked. Mute looked surprised, not sure what to say.

"I just don't belong in New York and I like San Francisco better." He said eventually.

"You met a girl." Prankster said it more of a statement then a question.

"The best." He admitted immediately.

Prankster couldn't help but chuckle at the situation, "it's ok," she reassured her friend, "more room in the train car."

Mute smiled, "but you lose another person to hold Spot back."

Prankster sighed shook her head. "I swear, we either gotta bring more rope for Spot, or gags for Smarts….maybe both."

Mute nodded his head in agreement. The two friends were silent once more, and it was Prankster who eventually broke the silence.

"I'm starting to think I live here." Prank stared at the top bunk.

"You'll be up soon." Mute smiled, "and you'll be as wild and up to your old ways as ever."

Prankster smiled at Mute's kind words, she then turned her head to look at her friend. "I'm going to miss you." She spoke sincerely to him; "I'm going to miss all of them." She blinked back her tears. It nearly killed her to leave her friends behind the first time, and now she would be forced to do it a second time.

"They're going to miss you too." Mute smiled sadly.

"That's why this is so hard." Prank admitted.

"You'll be fine, you always are." He smiled at his friend, and Prankster couldn't help but smile too.

"When did you get so smart?" she joked.

"Baby, I've always been smart," he admitted, "I just chose to not let people know that."

"I'll say," she cracked and Mute's face lit up in alarm.

"Hey!" he objected. Prankster began to laugh a little too hard and she immediately stopped when her left side objected.

"Ow," she winced.

"Sorry," Mute apologized, "are you alright?"

"Don't worry 'bout it." Prankster said when the pain began to go away. "Prankster's just not allowed to laugh really hard." She referred to herself in third person.

Mute stood up, "I should go, you need some sleep."

Prankster nodded her head and began to lay back down. Mute blew out the candle and he slowly made his way to the door. The other newsies had already gone to sleep and a peaceful silence fell upon the lodging house. Prankster didn't know if she would ever fall asleep. She had been sleeping all day and she was ready to go, ready to sell papes, ready to be in New York again. She was asleep within minutes.

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Ok that's that, I do have the story written down it's just when I get the time to type it all up. Well I'll see you all later, oh and please review!