Firecracker nervously entered the darkened Irving Hall. She felt around the wall for the switch and turned on the lights. "Good, it's empty heah." She breathed a sigh of relief as she ran up onto the stage and began to sing. Suddenly, she saw someone else enter the room and she stopped mid-note "W-who's dere?" she asked as the figure turned around to face her. "Tigah! whadda ya doin heah?"

Tiger looked down at her feet, trying to conceal her ballet shoes. "Uh, nuttin. Why you heah, Fire?" asked Tiger, not noticing anything odd about her.

"I'se jus singin. Are dey ballet shoes dat you'se wearin?" asked Fire, pointing down at Tiger's feet.

"Yeah, dey are. But don't ya tell nobody, ya hear?"

"Yeah, I'se hear ya. An don' worry 'bout a t'ing. I a'int gonna breathe a woid ta nobody."

Suddenly, they heard the door close behind them. Both girls spun around to see Racetrack wearing a frilly pink tutu and tights.

"T'ings keep gettin strangah an strangah. Well well, looky heah. If it a'int da one an only Racetrack Higgins." commented Fire, trying to hold back her laughter.

Race turned around, shocked and his face red with embarassment. He grew even redder when he saw Tiger.

"Oh, heya goils. Whadda you'se doin heah? I t'ought dat da Hall was s'posed ta be empty." he asked, trying unsuccessfully to conceal his tutu.

"Yea we both t'ought dat too, but as long as we'se heah le's make da best of it an have some fun." replied Tiger. Then, they heard the door close a third time as Mush walked in wearing a sparkly tiara on his head.

"Looks like we a'int da only ones wit secrets at da lodgin' 'ouse." commented Race, pointing out Mush to tiger and Fire. Fire screamed and ran to the other side of the stage where she saw Denton cutting up more of Medda's curtains and dresses to make shiny, new newsboy attracting bowties. She shrugged it off and looked the other way since every newsie in the lodging house was used to his bowtie making antics.

"Heya Mush. Do ya gotta secret fer us too?" asked Tiger, trying to holdback his laughter.

"No, actually. I'se don' gotta secret. Race fergot 'is tiara dat's all." answered Mush, taking the tiara off of his head and handing it to Race, lit up up a cigar after placing the tiara on his head. "Wha's wrong wit Fire?"

"She saw ya in me tiara an got freaked out. Den she ran backstage." Race replied.

"Ok, t'anks." said Mush as he went backstage to explain everything to Fire. "Fire, lemme e'splain. I'se was jus bringin Race 'is tiara since 'e fergot it on 'is bunk at da lodgin' 'ouse. I figgered dat puttin it on me head would mae t'ings easier. Now, will ya go back an sit on da stage wit me?"

"Shoa t'ing." answered Fire "I wouldn' miss bein wit ya fer da woild." she said as she took his hand and walked back onto the stage. After they sat back down on the stage, two more figures entered the hall, laughing and flirting all the way.

"Heya Smirks, heya Dutchy. How was da dice game?" asked Race, who was just re-entering the stage after changing into his clothes.

"Awww, why'd ya change outta da tutu?" asked Tiger, sounding disappointed.

"I felt naked wit out me clothes on." answered Race as Tiger laughed uncontrollably.

"Da game was great, Race. Hold up heah a second. Did I jus hear Tigah say dat you'se was wearin a tutu?" asked Dutchy as he sat down next to Smirks in one of the plush velvet chairs.

"Yeah, Tigah did say dat. An yes, I was wearin a tutu, but I'se wearin it fer a good reason." replied Race.

"An dat would be?" asked Smirks, who was chuckling at the thought if seeing Race in a tutu after the whole strip poker incident.

"Dat's fer me an a special few ta know an you not ta." answered Race sharply. His sharp remark silenced Smirks and she returned her attention to Dutchy.

Mush came off of the stage and sat in a chair. As he sat, the newsies heard a big crate being pushed onto the stage. Then they saw that Fire was the one pushing it as she stopped in the middle of the stage.

"Heya everyone! Watch dis!" she shouted as she did a perfect flip off of the crate.

"Whooo! Dat's me goil! I taught 'er dat! Wow Fire, you'se startin ta get even bettah den me!" Mush exclaimed excitedly as he jumped onto the stage and hugged Fire.

"Yer too kind ta me Mush, yer too kind." replied Fire as she hugged him back.

"Geez, wha's he so woiked up about? It was jus a flip." Race commented to Tiger from below the stage.

"I dunno," she replied. "But it must be real important ta him."

Mush leaned over to Fire and whispered."You'se t'inkin what I'se t'inkin?"

Fire whispered back "A corse I'se t'ink what you'se t'inkin, but I dunno where dere's a closet heah." Just then, Ace entered Irving Hall.

"Heya guys! What did I miss?" asked Ace,waving to everyone in the room.

"Nuttin much. Jus sittin around heah doin nuttin." replied Race as he put his arm around Tiger.

"Say, ah Ace, you'se wouldn' happen ta know where da nearest closet is, would ya?" asked Fire as she winked at Mush.

"Yeah, it's right dere." answered Ace, pointing to a door in a nearby wall.

"Ok t'anks!" exclaimed Fire as she took Mush's hand and ran into the closet.

"Uh oh, heah we go again." commented Race as he saw Fire and Mush enter the closet.

Mush laughed as he flashed a "yeah-baby!" smile before closing the door behind them.

"Race, leave dem two alone." commented Tiger as she put her arm on his shoulder.

"Why did dey go in da closet?" asked Ace who wasn't aware of what goes on in the closet.

Smirks and Dutchy looked up. "Ya don't wanna know." commented Smirks. Then, they returned to what they were doing.

"She's right, Ace. Dat's somethin dat we don' need ta know 'bout." commented Race.

Fire smiled and leaned back, but she leaned back too fast and hit her head on the wall. "Owww! Dat hoit!" she shouted as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Are ya okay?" asked Mush as he looked at Fire happily.

"Yeah, I'se fine. I guess dat we'se jus hafta spend some more time in dis closet so da walls'll soften or somethin." she replied, still rubbing the back of her head.

Meanwhile, Ace, Smirks, Tiger, Race, and Dutchy sat outside the closet, listening for noises from the inside.

"Geez, why dey so quiet in dere?" asked Race, who was growing impatient.

"I dunno, maybe Mush jus a'int woikin hard enough." joked Ace as Smirks exploded in laughter.

"Wait, I jus hoid Fire scream, so we knows dat dey a'int dead." commented Tiger

"Well dat mus mean dat Mush fixed his limp noodle problem." Ace chimed in.

Race laughed. "It a'int normal fer a guy his age ta be havin a noodle problem, especially wit all you goils around." he joked.

"Well, I gotta go an help Kloppman write somethin." commented Dutchy as he got up and walked out. As Dutchy walked out, April and Skittery walked in and sat down on the floor in the corner close to everyone else.

After Dutchy left, evil smiles took over the faces of Ace and Smirks as they lunged for Race and grabbed his legs.

"Ahh! I'se bein attacked by goils! Help me Tigah!" shouted Race as he tried to shake them off of his legs.

Tiger chuckled. "So sorry race, but I t'ink dat ya can take care a dis yerself." she replied as she collapsed to the floor with laughter.

"Aww come on, what kinda goil are ya den? I need help!!!" shouted Race as he fell to the floor screaming.

"Okay, okay. I'll save ya." Tiger reluctantly replied as she threw him in the closet. Fire screamed as she tried to hide.

"Oh no! Tigah lemme outta heah!" screamed Race as he banged on the closet door.

"Wha's dat? I can't hear ya! Oh bye Ace. See ya latah Smirks." replied Tiger as she said goodbye to Ace and Smirks.

"Get 'im outta heah!" shouted Fire, still trying to hide.

"Yeah, really Tigah! We don' desoive dis tor'cha!" exclaimed Mush as he was covering himself with his shirt. Tiger opened the closet door and pulled Race out. "T'anks! It's bout time!" yelled Mush as he closed the door ans dropped his shirt.

"Oh I'se sorry. I fergot dat dey was in dat closet." apologized Tiger as they went and sat down.

"It was terrible in dere! I nevah care ta see dat evah again. But still, t'anks fer savin me from Ace and Smirks. Where did dey go anyway?" asked Race.

"Now where was we?" asked Fire, smiling as she gently leaned her head back. As she leaned back, she bumped into something behind her back.

"Wha's dis?" she asked as she pulled down Toby's candy tray. "Oooohhh candy! I'se starvin!" she exclaimed as she took a bite if a licorice whip. Soon she realized that Toby's "candy" wasn't really candy, but tools for Medda's real business. "Hey Mush look at dis." she said as she turned the licorice whips into leather whips and the gumdrops into something else of the cherry-flavored sort.

"Whoa is dat what I t'ink dat is?" he asked, looking at the "gumdrop" his eyes widening in disbelief.

Fire laughed with a devilish grin on her face. "Yep, it shoa is."

"We should show da othas yer discovery." Mush commented.

"Yeah, but ya know dat dey're gonna say somethin bout us bein heah in da closet fer so long an den magically comin out ta show dem dis stuff." Fire replied.

"Well if dey do I'll soak 'em." answered Mush as he took Fire's hand and walked out of the closet.

Race heard the closet door. "Well look who decided ta join da rest a us. What are ya doin wit Toby's candy tray Fire?" he asked.

"Dis a'int candy at all." replied Fire as she demonstrated what she found.

Race's mouth opened wide and the cigar fell out of his mouth. "No way! Lemme see dat!" he took the whip from Fire. "Whoa dis is some really fun stuff!" he exclaimed.

Tiger laughed. "So THIS is what Medda really does. Looks like poor Les got hisself inta some trouble." she joked as everyone burst out in laughter.

April and Skittery looked up from their place on the floor in the corner "Wha's so funny?" asked Arpil, oblivious to what just happened.

Fire tossed a licorice whip to April, "Take a find an find out." she replied.

April tried to take a bite of it, but she quickly spit it out. "Puh! Dis a'int licorice! Dis is leatha!" she exclaimed.

"Exaclty." commented race. "Heya fire how'd ya know dat dis candy a'int candy anyway?" he added "Have ya been practicin on Mush all dat time in dere?"
Mush's face turned beet red. "No she jus found dis stuff when she hit her back against da tray." he replied as he sat down next to Fire.

"Shoa she did Mush, shoa she did." joked Race as he sat down.

April looked at Skittery and smiled. "I'se hungry. How's about we go ta Tibby's an get somethin ta eat?"

Skittery stood up and took April's hand. "Yeah, come ta t'ink of it, I'se a little hungry too. Uh guys, we'se goin ta Tibby's see ya latah."

"Ok bye April. See ya Skit." said Mush as the other three waved while April and Skittery walked out.

Fire started to giggle as she got up and started doing cartwheels up and down the aisles. Tiger leaned into Race and asked "So why was ya really wearin dat tutu?"

Race smiled. "I wanted ta get more flexible." he replied.

Tiger laughed. "Oh silly, I coulda helped ya wit dat. Oh ya gotta see dis!" she exclaimed as she ran on the stage and did a perfect ballet number.

Race cheered and Fire jumped onto the stage and threw "gumdrops" into the air. Tiger leaned into fire and whispered "I bettah save some a dese. I'se gonna be needin some latah."

Fire's eyes widened. "Ya mean.....wit Race?"

Tiger smiled. "Yeah a corse! He's jus so da guy fer me."

"Yeah, dat he is." Fire agreed.

Race took out his pocket watch. "Awww no! Look at da time! If Medda catches us she'll kill us!" he exclaimed as he took Tiger's hand and ran out of Irving Hall.

Fire gasped. "Geez! He's right! We bettah get outta heah!" Mush smiled and held Fire's hand as they walked back to the lodging house with Race and Tiger.