Mush reached the newsie lodging house and walked inside. Jack, Crutchy, and Boots, and Kid Blink were wating for him.

"So how'd the rest of yah date go Mush? Ya get any?" Jack asked. The other boys cracked up.

"Shut up Jack. Yah know Laura's not like dat."

"Well I just though wit Spot eyeing yah goil yah might step it up a bit." Jack added with a satisfied smirk.

"What? Spot was eyeing Laura? How do you know? Whadda he say?" Mush practically screamed. This was NOT going to happen to him again. Not again.

"Chill out lovah boy, I was just saying he seemed to tink she was good looking dats all. And ya know Spot. He'll probably move on to someone else in like half a day. And besides, she seems taken wit you." Jack added a little swoon for affect.

"Ya well if you see Spot before I do, you tell him to stay away from my goil." Mush huffed.

"Will do." The newsie boys replied in unsion. And seeing that the conversation was over, they all laid down to get some much needed sleep.

Laura woke up to the soft tapping at her door. "God, if it is that Spot Conlon again, I will seriously hurt him." But she ran to get the door anyway, surprising herself. "Its just cause I want it to be Mush; that's all." She reassured herself. Even though when Spot had spoken in her ear last night it had sent chills all the way down her spine. Even though she couldn't get him out of her head. "I'm just confused, that's all. I want it to be Mush. I want it to be Mush." She said this over and over to herself, untill finally, she sort of believed it. And that was good enough for her. She threw open the door and plastered a big smile on her face. And there was Mush with a huge bouquet of flowers in his hands. Sweet, reliable, Mush. How could she have even thought about Spot at all when she had Mush? She pushed this thought to the front of her brain, and all thoughts of Spot to the back. "Mush!" she cried, and threw herself into his arms. "I'm so happy to see you! But why did you bring me these?"

"To let you know that you're my goil and I do nice stuff fah you cause I love yah." He said with his eyes to the ground.

"Oh, Mush, that's so sweet!" Laura instantly felt guilty about Spot, but tried really hard not to think about him at all.

He smiled. "Yeah, well, you're a sweet goil." He leaned in and kissed her affectionly. "So how about we take a walk in the park today? Just cause its so nice."

"Mush, you are so nice. A walk in the park sounds perfect. Just let me get my shoes." She closed the door behind him, and ran upstairs into her room. As she was searching for her shoes, her thoughts strayed to her last boyfriend, Tom. They had had such a wonderful relationship, just like her and Mush. But then she met Race. She and Race started to go out secretly behind Tom's back, because she just couldn't bring herself to hurt Tom's feelings. She wasn't a lying bitch, she just thought she loved Tom, but once she met Race, she knew Tom wasn't for her. Tom was so safe and gentle, and she loved that about him. But she had wanted action. And Race's middle name was action. Finally, unable to take anymore of the lying, she confessed to Tom and they broke up. But then Race left her for another girl, some girl named………oh yeah, some girl named Cassandra. But those boys were in her past now. Even though Tom sort of reminded her of Mush, and Race sort of reminded her of……………..oh hell. He reminded her of Spot.

Mush and Laura began their walk around the park near Laura's house. Laura continued to fight the internal battle inside her head if she should tell Mush about Tom and Race or not, as Mush went on about some new person he had met selling papers that day. "And the guys says to me….

"Mush?"

"Uh, yeah Laura?"

"Can I tell you something about me, and do you promise not to hold it against me, cause I swear that isn't me anymore?"

"I mean, I guess."

So Laura told Mush her story, and when she got to the part of Race leaving her for another girl, she heard a sharp intake of breath beside her. "What is it, Mush?" she asked.

"Let me guess. The girl he left you for was named Cassandra."

"How the hell did you know that?"

"Jesus." Was all Mush said.

"Mush? How did you know her name?" Laura asked again with some urgency now.

"Cause she was my girl, and Race stole her from me."

"Jesus." Laura replied. "Mush, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, but if that had never happened, I never would've found you. And I'm pretty sure you won't do to me what you did to Tom."

"Never, Mush. Never. I've changed. I know what I want now." An image of Spot's face floated through her mind, but she quickly pushed it away.

"Me too, Laura. Me too. I love you."

"I love you too, Mush." Laura answered, but she couldn't bring herself to look Mush in the eye, cause she wasn't sure if she actually meant it.