Title: Cuts Like A Knife
Author: Stress
First written: May 12, 2002
Edited and replaced: January 21, 2005
Summary: Part I of the Soul Mates Series; She thought that life couldn't get any better. She had friends and a family that loved her – she was taken care of and had no complaints. But that was before he came into her life. And, no matter how hard she tries to escape his grasp, he'll never let her go.
At the O'Connor's
Jess shielded her eyes as the sunlight poured in through her bedroom window. "Once again, another glorious morning," she groaned as she slowly stretched and got out of bed. "Oww..." she moaned to herself as she looked herself over for any new bruises that Rip may have inflicted on her during their "quality time". After putting on her white blouse and Rip's favorite skirt, Jess slowly walked into the kitchen, her legs so sore she had to stop after every other step to try and dull the pain.
"If only I could just stay home today," she whimpered to herself, like she did every day. But she knew that, like every day since she had met Rip, she had to go out and sell and meet Rip in "their" alley, otherwise Rip would get mad. She did anything she could to keep him from getting mad.
"Good morning, Mrs. O'Connor," she said as she straightened up and tried to ignore the pain. She couldn't let her know that anything was wrong.
Mrs. O'Connor, noticing Jess's wince as she entered the kitchen, just gave her a sad smile. "How are you this morning, Jess?"
"I'm good, thank you. I'm kind of late, though. If I'm not home before you go to sleep tonight, I will see you tomorrow morning," she said as she grabbed a roll out of the bread basket and headed out the door.
"But-", the elderly woman started and sighed as she watched Jess leave the kitchen. "I should have just told her she had to stay home. I am her guardian, after all. Where does that child go after work, anyways?" she wondered out loud. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.
Jess sighed as she began to walk towards to the distribution center. She was relieved that Mrs. O'Connor hadn't pressed the subject again like she had other days. She couldn't tell her what was going on no matter what. Rip would kill her if she did.
As she continued making her way to the iron gates she knew so well, she looked down at the half-eaten roll in her hand and tossed it towards a bunch of pigeons on the street. Just the mere thought of Rip was enough to churn her stomach and make her lose any appetite she had.
She walked the rest of the way trying her damndest to think of anything other than Rip. She had a good 10 hours or so before she would have to meet up with him and she didn't want to feel nauseated for the entire day. Her entire body involuntary shuddered as she thought about what she would have to do with Rip later that day. "If only, just once, I could spend the entire day with out worrying when he was going to find me," Jess pleaded with a higher power as she turned the corner and approached the distribution center. She laughed bitterly to herself when she saw that neither Spindle nor Rip were hanging around the center yet. "Naw, I couldn't be that lucky," she said harshly as she got on the line to buy her papes, trying to avoid making eye contact with any of the other newsies that had already arrived at the distribution center.
Jess was too afraid to talk to anyone for fear that Rip would get mad. Rip had established early on in their relationship that she was to be his and his alone. That meant that the only person she could talk to was him. It had been weeks since she had talked to any of her friends and she felt guilty. Jess could only hope that, if Rip ever grew tired of her and left her alone, her friends would still be around. But, as the way things were at that moment, all she could do was wait quietly on the line, using her long curls to hide her face from the other girls.
Thinking that she would make it through the day without having to ignore any of her friends, her shoulders sagged when she heard a feminine voice, for the first time in weeks, call out her name.
"Jess!" Grace called out as she walked over to Jess's place in the line, Dice and Iris following close behind her.
Pasting a phony smile on her face, Jess looked up. "Hiya girls, long time, no see," she tried to joke.
Iris gasped as she stood face to face with Jess. Even with a plastic smile positioned firmly on her face, Iris could see a massive change in Jess's physical characteristics. Her eyes had lost their warmth and her cheeks had sunken into her face. Her face had lost it's shine and Iris could see faint bruises spattered all over neck and arms. The other girls could hardly believe the difference a few weeks had made in their friend.
Though taken aback at first by her appearance, Grace remembered what she was there to say. "So, Jess, how've you been?" she asked, trying to start up a friendly conversation.
"I'm good, Grace." she whispered in reply.
"Is there something you want to tell us?" Dice asked gently, looking straight into Jess's sorrow-filled eyes.
"Now, where did you girls get that idea. I'm fine!" Jess answered a bit too quickly, her voice getting unnaturally high towards the end of the sentence.
Grace grew alarmed at the way that Jess was acting. Deciding to cut to the chase she told Jess about her plans. "Jess, I just wanted to let you know that I've decided to come live with you at the O'Connor's for a little bit."
Jess looked up in surprise. "Naw, Grace. I don't think that would a good idea," she said as she began to panic. What would Grace think when she came home at night, all battered and bruised and sore. Surely, she would know that something was up when Jess would go to bed sobbing at night.
But Grace stood firm. "Well, I'll tell you now. I visited Mrs. O'Connor this morning before me and Iris and Dice came down to the distribution center and she told me that she would love to have me stay over for awhile."
Jess started to reply but stopped suddenly when she saw something over Grace's shoulder that made the words die on her lips. Dice and Iris exchanged a look as a frightened expression spasmed across Jess's face. "What's over there?" their look seemed to ask, but neither girl wanted to actually look and see who it was.