in the days that followed since that night at medda's, david oscillated between elation of having discovered something to be excited about and frustration trying to remember how cynthia's song went. he had taken the song home with him in his head from irving hall, but when he woke up those next mornings, he could only vaguely remember...parts.it was unfortunate, wanting to hear a favorite song without having the means to hear it again.

david searched every corner of his mind for a line, a riff, anything. he so badly wanted to retrieve the song from memory.

"david!" his mother's voice pulled him back to reality." hurry up, or you'll be late!"

david shook his head clear and pulled on his cap. he sure felt different.as he walked to the loading dock where the newsies assembled every morning to get their papes, he whistled to himself. different's good, he realized. up until now, he hadn't known he had been going around like a machine, performing the same routine day in and day out.different was definitely good.

racetrack saw david walking up to them, sporting his glazed look. he poked at kid blink, who was standing next to him in line, and said, "'ey,'ey, lookit dis! betcha david ain't gonna see dis comin'!" racetrack whistled sharply,"davy!" he called out, "t'ink fast!" as he hurled a big red tomato straight towards david's face.

david was spaced out, but strangely, was able to catch the flying tomato squarely in his fist with a loud "thwack!"

kid blink slapped racetrack upside the head, cackling. "didja see dat?!" he hooted. "dat was great!"

david sauntered towards them."hey fellahs," he said, holding up the tomato." any of you lose this?"

kid blink was holding onto his stomach and was practically dying from laughter. he pointed to racetrack, because he couldn't get the words out of his mouth.

"that's what i thought!" david said, returning racetrack's failed prank. he stepped up to the line.yup, he definitely felt different.

he felt alive.







clutching a piece of paper in his hand a couple of days later, david made his way excitedly to newsies square. he had actually seen a flyer for cynthia blue cloud earlier, announcing her performance at irving hall that night. he couldn't wait to show pagan.

from the side of the greeley monument, he spotted her boots peeking out form the base, and so he ran up, yelling, "hey pagan!"

he stopped short when he saw that pagan wasn't alone. she was quite preoccupied, in fact, and david's appearance, er, intrusion had caused pagan and jack to break apart from their kiss.

"oh!" was all david could say.

"heya, dave," said jack, quite sheepishly. his arm was around pagan. pagan smiled up at david, and an embarrassed laugh escaped from her. she covered her mouth and jack bopped her on the head.

"um..." david said, forgetting everything he was about to say. " am i the first person to know about this?"

"secret's out," pagan said." so, what's up?"

"oh, that," david said, crouching. he handed her the flyer. "read this!"

while pagan read, jack was pulling her hair back from her face.

david looked at them both.wow, he thought. so they're definitely together now. he was happy for them of course, but he also found it to be a bit irritating, because it reminded him that he didn't have anyone to be...well, besotted with.

"you really like her, huh?" pagan asked david, waving the flyer around.

"her music!" david corrected. "i love her music! so, you wanna go?"

pagan gave daid an apollogetic smile."aw, davy," she said. "i'd love to go, but..." she trailed off, leaving the obvious reason dangling in the air.

"i understand," david said, though not without feeling some kind of dissappointment.

"but, hey!" pagan said. "yah should go!"

"what, by myself?" the thought hadn't occured to him yet. he had never been to medda's alone. now he was actually taking it into consideration. yeah, why not?it wasn't something he'd normally do, but then again, these have been strange, baffling days for him. he stole one last glance at jack and pagan before leaving.really strange days.



the air surrounded david was filled with sparks that night. he felt it in his every pore- this mystifying hypercharged feeling. by then, he'd completely forgotten how his song sounded, but it was all right with him, for he was certain he would hear it again tonight.

he never had much of a reason to go out in the evenings, but now that he had one, he was growing even more excited by the minute.

it was true that his parents were quite strict when it came to curfew, but they weren't unreasonable people. all david had to do was be upfront and honest wity them to get his way. sometimes, the restrictions david had were all really imposed by himself.

smiling inwardly, he knew all that was about to change.




david rapped on the backstage entrance confidently.the tiny window slid open, revealing a bald mustached man peering sternly at him.david blinked."wheah's yah band?" the man asked gruffly, his eyes darting around from side to side.

"excuse me?" david said, confused.

"youse da ventriloquist?" the man asked impatiently.

"no, i'm a friend of medda's-" david began.

"sure yah are!" the man said, cutting him off." entrance is at da front. ten cents."

"you don't understand!" david said, standing his ground.

"ten cents at da front or get lost, kid!" the man yelled, shutting the window violently, before david could say anything more.

i don't believe this, david thought, fuming. the others did this all the time and they got in for free!

determined to talk his way in, he rapped on the door again.

"whatddaya want?" the man on the other side of the door growled." dis awtist entrance only!" he was about to close the window when david blocked it with his hand.

"that's right," david said, thinking of a good excuse. "i'm the...juggler." hurry up and let me in, ya big lug! he thought.

"don't make me laugh," the man said, forcibly extricating david's hand from the window.david held on as tight as he could. they had quite a struggle for some time, but the man was far too strong for david."wiseguy!" he yelled, before once again shutting the window in david' s face.

"dammit!" david swore, kicking a can nearby. he paced around. he had to find a way to get in. there was no way in hell he was leaving this place without seeing cythia perform.

he'd been thinking so hard, he didn't see who was coming up to him, an amused smile on his face.

"well if it ain't david jacobs, a.k.a., the walkin' mout'," the voice said.

david whirled around and saw spot conlon, standing in front of him with that famous " so yah tink yah tough, eh?" smirk. spot spat into his palm in greeting. david quickly did the same and they exchanged spit-sealed shakes.

"well, well,well," spot drawled."'magine seein' yah mug heah!" he gave david the once-over."youse up late. ain't it a school night?"

"just came to see a show," david said.

spot snorted."yeah? well, from the looks of it yah ain't sein' much of one! whatsa matta? franco ain't lettin' yah in?" spot didn't wait for david's reply. he simply strode up to the door and rapped his cane on it.

the window opened, and once again,franco the bouncer's face peered out. " now see heah, yah punk!" he growled at david. "eitha yah get lost or i'll-"

spot's face emerged in front of david's."or you'll what, frankie boy?"

franco's whole expression changed. "brooklyn!" he boomed warmly."'ey,dat crep batharin' yah?" he asked, shooting david a nasty glare.

"cool it, frankie," spot said easily."so happens he's wid me."

"is dat right?" franco said, not convinced." he don't look like one'a yah boys tah me!"

"he ain't one'a 'my boys', ya big ape!" spot said. "and if yah knows what's good fah youse, yah'd bettah be respectin' my friend ovah heah," said spot, throwing an arm over david's shoulder."cause youse lookin' at one'a da leadahs a' the great newsies strike!so yah gonna stand deah gawkin' or yah gonna let us in?" the way spot said it though, wasn't a question.

franco mumbled something to himself, closed the window, and unlatched the door.spot threw david an "i told yah so" smirk and jabbed him jokingly in the stomach before they both sauntered inside.

david may have been the mouth, but spot had always had a way with words.