"So then I seen Racetrack hop a trolley–"
"Saw," David corrected absently.
"What?"
"You saw Racetrack hop a trolley. 'Seen' is the past participle tense, so you would only use that after 'had' or 'have.'"
Jack rolled his eyes, all too familiar with David's spontaneous – and uninvited – lessons in grammar. Having a friend who actually was able to attend school could be helpful at times, but other times it was just grating. "Okay, so I saw Racetrack hop a trolley, saying he was going out to the tracks for the day." Jack amended curtly. "So there was these people all standing around–"
"Were. There were people standing around. You see, 'people' is plural and 'was' is only used when the object is singular. Were is plural so…" David trailed off when he caught sight of Jack's seething glare. "What's the matter?"
"Why do you always do that?"
"Do what?"
"You always gotta correct every word I say!"
David frowned. "I don't correct every word…"
"And it ain't just me! I hear you doing the same things to Mush and to Blink and to all the other guys. We can't say nothing without you telling us we're saying it wrong."
David was about to correct Jack's use of a double negative, but he quickly repressed the urge. Instead, he shrugged sheepishly. "I don't mean anything by it. I'm just trying to help."
"No, you just want to show me and the other guys how 'educated' you are," Jack proclaimed snidely, "cause they all 'ooh' and 'aah' over it and it makes you feel important. In fact, I bet that's the only reason you even slum around with us; cause then you can be the smartest guy there. I bet you think we're just a bunch of stupid street rats who won't never be anything better than what we are." At David's silence, Jack stopped short, looking to the younger boy who had grown increasingly uncomfortable. "You do think that, don't you?"
David fidgeted uncomfortably. "It's not that I think you're stupid; it's just that…well…you guys haven't had as much schooling as some of the other guys who sell newspapers…"
"You mean we haven't got as much schooling as you do."
"I just thought that if I taught you the things I'd learned in school, maybe you could become something."
"Oh, so I ain't already something? Being a newsboy just ain't up to your standards, huh?"
"Jack, stop putting words in my mouth!" David snarled. He was getting tired of having to explain himself to someone who was supposed to be his friend. "Are you going to pretend like you'd be happy just being a newsie for the rest of your life? You're the one who's always saying that once a guy hits twenty he needs to find a better profession."
"So then I'll clean out the sewers or shovel out stables or whatever I need to do so I can eat and sleep. Either way, I guess I won't never be good enough for you."
"This isn't about me; it's about you! Maybe you'll never be a bigwig or have your own private carriage to take you wherever you want, but you can always better your life."
David leaned back against the outer wall of a building, having to catch his breath after his ranting. "You're not stupid, Jack. You've got more street smarts than anyone I know, and that definitely counts for something. You've got this crazy charm that makes people want to listen to you and you can smooth talk your way out of almost anything. If you could just stop being so stubborn and let other people help you…Jack, you could do almost anything."
"I don't need help from nobody," Jack said curtly. "I got where I am on my own and I'm gonna keep it that way."
"Everyone needs help sometimes," David insisted. "Refusing someone's help doesn't make you look strong; it just makes you look stupid."
"Stop calling me stupid!"
"I never called you stupid! I just said that your refusing to accept any help is stupid!"
"Well stop helping! I don't need your help and I don't want your help!" Jack shouted, his face blazing red.
David reciprocated, his face just as red as Jack's. "Fine! Be like that! Do it all yourself! I just hope you're happy with how your life turns out because you'll only have yourself to blame for it!"
David pushed himself away from the wall and stormed down the street. Jack stayed in his spot for a few seconds before he too pushed himself away and reluctantly followed behind his friend. "Davy."
The other boy wouldn't even look at him. "Go away. I'd hate to accidentally help you with something."
"Davy, I lost my head back there."
"You lost more than that."
Jack sighed and grabbed the boy's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. "Look, we both said things. Now can we just forget about it?"
David eyed Jack skeptically. "You mean until the next time you get on my case for some stupid thing?"
"Are we going to forget about it or not?" Jack asked. He held out his hand as a sign of truce and David reluctantly took it, offering a wry smile as they shook.
Jack slung his arm around David's shoulders and the two continued their way down the sidewalk. "So, uh, what was that you were saying about the plural tense…?"
AN: Just a little something I cooked up for this month's challenge in the Write the Wrong 2 competition. This month the challenge was to write believable and interesting dialogue, and I hope I hope I succeeded