#unimpressed splasher

[baura-bear]

I was not paying attention in class.

Anyway I think Les copies some of Davey’s mannerisms because (he will never admit it) but he wants to be like his big brother

[i-didnt-do-1t]

For writing prompts could I humbly please request Davey teaching some of the newsies school stuff a la my recent ask?

I feel like Elmer just takes over any maths lessons and being a small child makes it ever more incomprehensible to the others skdsjkd

Thank you for the prompt! I hope this is okay :D

(I also find math incomprehensible so I am very much Elmer in this situation, like genuinely I would’ve loved to mention more complex math but I am an English lit student and just so terrible at mental math Albert in this is me fr)

David felt like he should be shorter than he was, given how much he hated being on the receiving end of other people’s attention. And yes he would still be stood at the top of the bunk house with eyes on him regardless of whatever height he was but being tall decidedly made it worse. (And no, he didn’t feel the need to explain himself when he mentioned this to Jack a few weeks previous.)

“I thought it was only gonna be a couple of the kids.” Davey said, and Race, a bunk over, was lazy as he removed the cigar from between his teeth, as if Dave wasn’t being stared down by at least eight of his friends.

“Yeah n’ a couple others wanted to come too when they heard you was offerin’ lessons. So take it away Teach.”

“You’re the worst.”

“Nah that’s Finch. An’ you like school n’ stuff right?” David shrugged a little uncomfortably, he was hardly going to say no, so he didn’t say anything and Race kept talking. “Just look at all those bright young faces whose futures you could be changin’”

David turned to face the small yet intimidating crowd.

Elmer, Romeo, Henry, JoJo and Splasher stared back blankly, unimpressed. As well as a few of the older ones in the back too now, Specs, and Albert and Tommy-Boy.

Blink from his place on his bunk on the other side of the room made his presence known by groaning, so Davey mentally added him to the tally aswell. “You gonna get on with it or what, I need you to bore me to sleep Dave.”

He thinks he would’ve been hurt by the comment had come from anyone aside from Blink, who had never exactly been subtle in his disdain of David’s schooling. He couldn’t blame him so he couldn’t be mad, because David got it, at least he thought he did. But trying to think round his words so he wouldn’t say anything he’d have to end up explaining was difficult sometimes, and Blink looking at him like he was a sentence away from being on the receiving end of his fist when it happened wasn’t comforting either.

“Okay. I’m better at literature but you wanted to do maths today right?”

He didn’t know who he was asking but Henry answered.

“Yeah. I mean, I can count n’ add up n’ all but it takes a while to do the multiplications. They don’t stick in my head.”

David frowned in thought. “Okay, so what goes on in your head if I asked 4 X 7.”

“I gotta count through em’ all. It doesn’t just come automatic.”

“It doesn’t have to be fast. I mean, you can make it two 14’s and then add those together.”

“So’s 28.”

“Exactly.”

Henry nodded slightly, eyes a little narrower. “Huh.”

“What I don’t get.” Elmer said, because of course he did. “Is how 7 by 0 is 0. Ain’t it meant to be 7?”

David blinked. “Oh well, it’s seven 0’s, so there’s nothing.”

“Yeah but there’s seven of em’”

“Okay. Yes. but say you even just added 2 zeros together, it would still be zero.”

Elmer stared at him blankly. “But there’s two of em.”

“Two of nothing, if you add nothing plus nothing you get nothing.”

“Two nothings.”

The groan and the sound of a head hitting against a bed frame came from Albert this time round.

“Jesus Elmer, stop tryna kill the man you know exactly what he’s saying, you’re better at math than half the bunk house put together.”

“You’re only saying that cuz you can’t add up.” Elmer shot back, and with that he twisted his neck to face him again so aggressively that Davey could probably be persuaded that he’d given himself whiplash. “Do it Davey, ask him what 37 plus 56 is.”

“I’m not putting anyone on the spot.”

“I’m telling Spot you said she can’t add.”

David blanched. “That is just not what I said at all.”

“Can’t wait to tell Spot you compared her to Oscar Delancey, you heard it here first folks.”

The fact that Blink decided to contribute to the lesson at all was more surprising than the fact that this was where he decided to contribute, but the likelihood he was actually serious was significantly higher than Elmer’s jokes.

“That is even further from what I said.”

And suddenly everyone was talking all at once and David wanted to throw up a little maybe. God he hated public speaking, even if this didn’t necessarily count as public, except maybe- no. He wasn’t about to get into the semantics of it. Right now he had to work out how to get eveyone to quiet down.

“Hey knuckleheads,” Race didn’t move from his spot leaned up against the bunk but all eyes drew to him anyway, and if David was a little in awe of how he held the room he wasn’t shocked by it, Race had always had that quality right after Jack. (Briefly Davey wondered if they could give him lessons in that) “If you want Dave to actually keep teaching youse you can’t drive him out the room or get ‘im shanked by Spot.”

Elmer was the first to shrug, and slump over again, leaning his elbows on his criss-crossed knees.

“I guess.”

David had opened his mouth to speak again, taking advantage of the second of silence to try and get this back on track but Elmer beat him to it one more time.

“Long as you don’t try and give us homework like last time.”