David tightened the belt around his schoolbooks. Usually, only younger kids needed the belts and leashes to keep their books with them but his mother had insisted that he do it as well. It was completely illogical since he was quite capable of simply carrying his schoolbooks. Still, this rule was set in stone—among other unnecessary rules in the Jacobs household—and he'd just have to live with it. He was lucky that he got to go back to school. After his father's arm healed, the factory had been relenting on giving back his job. However, once they found out that his two songs were involved in the newsboys strike and—to them, even better—that one of them was on of the leaders, they hired him back straightaway. Meaning David got to go back to school. He still wasn't sure if it was a good idea.
David rounded the corner to the World building and sat down in front of the gate, doing what he usually did after school, wait for Jack. Jack often dined with his family and it was a lot easier to wait for him rather than sit at home, wondering if he was even going to come or even use the door or just hop loudly on the fire escape and rattle the windows.
David settled onto the ground and inched a book out of the protective belt. He opened it and looked down at the pages but didn't really absorb the words. His mind kept wandering.
"Hey Davey!" a chipper voice chirped.
David glanced up to see Mush Meyers, dirt-speckled and grinning in front of him, papeless. He had obviously found a good selling spot that day to be back to early.
"Hello, Mush," he greeted him with a warm smile.
He liked Mush. He was genuine and sweet-tempered if a bit naïve.
"What are you reading?" he sat down next to him and peered over his shoulder.
"Ben-Hur," David replied although he mentally added that reading was the operative word.
Mush's lips moved as he read some of the words until pausing. "What word is that?"
He pointed at the yellowed page.
"Blood," David answered.
"That's how you spell 'blood'?" Mush asked, baffled. "That's hell of weird. Why does it have two o's?"
"Well…" David paused. Mush made a good point. Why couldn't they just spell words phonetically? And, come to think of it, who were they really? Was 'they' just a farce, a fraud created by the government to keep blood from being spelled with a 'u'?
"David?" Mush asked.
He shook his head, deciding to keep his thoughts private. "I don't know why, Mush. I guess that's just how it is."
Mush nodded. "So what are you doing here? I thought you had school now."
"I do. I'm waiting for Jack," he answered.
"Oh…" he seemed let down, his plump lower lip sliding out into a pout. "I see."
David knit his brow. "What's wrong?"
Mush shrugged. "I guess I kinda saw it coming."
"Saw what coming?"
"You…Jack."
"I don't follow."
He bit his still pouting lip and brought the tips of his index fingers together before moving them from side to side like a swing. David nearly choked on his own oxygen. He thought that he and Jack were…together?
"We aren't," he said, feeling disbelieving laughter creeping into his words. "We're just friends."
"Oh!" he brightened. "I just thought that…you know. You guys are so close and…"
David put the book down. "What?"
Then, Mush leaned in and placed a small, delicate kiss right on his lips. He pulled back a little, leaving David blinking repeatedly, wondering what had just happened.
"Hey," he giggled, looking right at him. "I never noticed that your eyes were blue."