"Ella?" a voice behind her said when her voice died out because her tears. Ella turned around and saw Hoops standing behind her looking very worried.

"What's wrong?" he asked reaching out and wiping the tears off her cheeks with his thumb. Surprised at this gesture, Ella stepped back.

"N-Nothing wrong. I'm just a little homesick."

"If you say so," he said eyeing her suspiciously as he sat down next to her. "I heard you singing. You have an amazing voice."

"Thanks Hoops. My mum was a vaudeville singer who turned seamstress whenever she fell in love with my father, who had just come over to the U.S. from Ireland, and married him. When my brother and I were little she would sing us to sleep every night."

"Like mother, like daughter. Well, come on, let's dry those tears and go back downstairs. It's almost suppertime and Tink's made something special for you," Hoops said handing her a handkerchief and standing up. Ella dried her tears and stood up as well. The 2 made their way downstairs to the dining room. 

All the boys and Princess were sitting around the front hall outside the closed dining room doors. Just as Ella and Hoops descended the stairs, Tinker Bell opened the dining room door and announced that dinner was served. A hand tapped Ella's shoulder. She turned around and saw Hoops and Champion behind her.

"We were wondering if you would allow us to escort you into dinner and sit by you?" Champ said with a charming smile. Ella glanced at Hoops and saw that he was talking to Princess and obviously enjoying her blatant flirting. She felt a sharp, acute stab of jealousy.

Why am I jealous of those 2? I just met them, she thought. She quickly shook it off.

"I would love to," she said, flashing them an equally charming smile and slipping her arms through their outstretched ones. Through out the meal of fish and chips, Ella flirted and talked with the boys next to her. Hoops spent the meal staring at his plate listening to Princess's incessant babbling, wishing he was the one sitting next to the pretty American newsgirl instead of his best friends.

****

"Good morning!" the petite brunette lodging house manager called into the girls' room cheerfully. "Time to get up!"

The groggy newsgirls pulled themselves out of their beds and blinked in the early light.

"Where's Ella?" Volley asked glancing at the bunk next to her and seeing it made.

"She's probably in the bathroom. Princess is probably there too, her bed's empty," Spaz said.

****

Ella turned around at the sound of someone else in the bathroom.

"You're new here," Princess started as she entered the bathroom. " So I'm gonna give you some friendly advice. Stay away from Hoops; he's mine. I know right now he is charmed by your seemingly sweet smile and vulgar Yankee accent, but he is all mine," she said with a malicious smile.

"Ok, 1, why would I care if Hoops is 'yours' or not? I just got out of a really messy break up, so I'm not exactly looking for another relationship. 2, you don't own Hoops. He's not property or an animal, he's a person with a free will," Ella said with a look of pure venom in her eyes.

"Just stay out of my way and away from Hoops," Princess said tossing her mouse brown hair in Ella's face and walking out of the room. She smiled sweetly at the other girls, who had been standing in the doorway watching the scene, as she started towards the stairs.

"You can't let her get to you," Volley said coming in to the room.

"Yea she's just jealous cause Hoops has paid more attention to you in 1 day than he's paid her in the 3 months she's been here," Spaz chimed in comfortingly. Ella nodded sadly and exited the room.

****

"Ella!"

Ella turned and saw Hoops coming out of the boys room and jogging to catch up with her.

"Morning," he said pleasantly, falling into step with her as she walked quickly down the hall. Ella just nodded at kept walking.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong?" Hoops said, gently grabbing her arm and stopping her. " And don't give me any Irish blarney about how nothing's wrong, Miss Kelly."

"Just a little ticked off, that's all," She said tersely, trying to free her arm. Hoops held on firmly.

"You don't seem to me the kind of girl to get 'a little ticked off.' Come on, tell me what's wrong. As leader of this group of newsies its my job to make sure everyone's happy and getting along and right now you don't fit into either of those categories," Hoops said firmly.

"I just need to go talk with Tink and I'll be fine!" Ella lied, annoyance obvious in her voice.

"Ok. Meet me out front when you're done and I'll show you around," he said, hurt flashing in his blue eyes as he turned to go back to the guys' room. Shaking her head, Ella quietly descended the stairs and went and sat outside the front door. She slowly drifted into her thoughts. By the time Hoops came out she as too lost in her daydream to notice his sitting down next to her. Chuckling softly, he gently shook her back to reality.

"Did you talk to Tink?" he asked smiling as she slowly remembered where she was.

"What? Oh, yea. Ready to show me how to be a London newsy?"