Sitting behind his desk, David couldn't help but feel like he was in a cage. A summer full of freedom made it even harder to go back school.

A sigh escaped Davey's lips. The girl sitting next to him glared at him. He hadn't stopped sighing since class started ten minutes earlier, and had started annoying his neighbors about five minutes after that.

"Sorry," Davey whispered, giving her a placating gesture with one hand.

With a roll of her eyes, she returned to reading her book. That's what Davey should have been doing, but he just couldn't get interested in his story. It was an interesting development, considering English had been his best subject, and the one he paid the most attention in, just last year.

After looking at his book for another minute, David felt his eyes drift towards the window. Another minute passed before he gave his head a harsh shake and turned his head to the clock.

A total of fifteen minutes had passed since class began.

Another frustrated sigh escaped his lips. He felt the boy who sat behind him kick his desk.

"Sorry," he whispered, his voice taking on an annoyed edge. Really, it wasn't his fault. If the kid should be kicking anything it was the clock.

Turning back to the book in his hands, Davey tried to immerse himself in the book.

David could still remember his conversation he had with his father about going back to school. He had tried to convince him that school was pointless at this point, that there were people just as smart as him who possessed even less schooling then he had. His father either hadn't listened or hadn't heard. He had promptly blamed it all on Jack, who had been on his families bad side ever since he had broken up with Sarah.

Well, his parents bad side. Les still admired him just the same, and David knew the truth. He knew that it hadn't been Jack who had broken up with Sarah; that she had done it because she had found someone else. She had promptly begged all of them to lie to their parents. They had agreed, despite their better judgement.

David had been surprised by Jack's reaction to the break up. Davey had expected anger, shouting, maybe even a few tears. But, he hadn't gotten any of that. He had gotten laughter, and jokes.

It had been a month since the breakup, and David still hadn't seen a breakdown. None of the other newsies had seen or heard one, either; not even Spot or Racetrack, the newsies Jack was closest to, next to Davey himself.

Sneaking another look at the clock, Davey groaned at the time that met him. Twenty minutes since class had started, and forty until school finished.

"Jacobs!" Robert hissed. Robert had been his best friend, or as close as David got to a friend, before David met Jack. "Shut it!"

"Sorry!" Davey hissed back.

He had forgotten how much he hated being called by his last name. With the newsies, he was either David, Davey, or the Walking Mouth. At first he hadn't been able to stand the names, but they had grown on him incredibly quickly. He was now at the point where he looked forward to being called by his nicknames.

David was out of his seat as soon as the bell rang, and the first one out the door of the classroom. Jogging to his locker, he quickly put the combo into the padlock. As soon as the door was open, it was slammed closed again. Looking at the man responsible, he couldn't help but glare at Robert.

"Jacob's, you've been acting strange lately," he said without beating around the bushes. "Have you got a girl?"

"No!" David answered, giving an annoyed shout. "Would you knock it off Duvall?"

"Look, you're the one hanging out with the scum or society," Robert said, raising his hands like he was being arrested. "That's not my fault."

"They aren't the scum," David responded through clenched teeth. He saw hundreds of faces pass in front of his minds eye; Racetrack, Spot, Mush, Kid Blink, Crutchie, and the various other newsies he met just this summer. But, in the front of all of them, is Jack with his smiling face.

"So, why have you been hanging out with all of the sewer rats, Jacobs?" Malone asks, jogging up to stand next to Robert.

Elwin Malone has always been a pain. He was most definitely Robert's right hand man; sure, David had been friends with Duvall, but not with Malone. Now that he had met Jack, he knew why.

David and Malone were the same.

Malone had always been the one behind Duvall's big words. And Malone was willing to do anything for Robert.

Just like how David would do anything for Jack.

Forgetting about his bag and his books, David gave his head a quick shake. He made a move to open his locker, then turned and ran straight for the front doors of the school.

There Jack was, standing by the gates of the school, smiling up at the fall sun.

David smiled as he jogged over to his friend. It was hard to believe, but he and Malone were just alike, just like Duvall was exactly like Jack.

The difference was that Jack batted for the week, while Duvall batted for himself.