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.

Queens

Upon hearing Quipster speak, Spindle's eyes flashed and she turned to face her. "Yes, Quipster? What do you gotta tell me?"

"Uh-well..." she stammered, stalling for time. On the one hand, Quipster wanted to be the loyal follower and tell her leader all she knew, yet on the other hand, she did promise Grace that she wouldn't tell anyone about Jess going to Manhattan. "Damn me! What a time to develop a conscience!" she muttered as she ducked Spindle's glare.

"Ummm- what Quipster is trying to say is that - uh..." Tunes tried to come up with a believable story and slumped her shoulders when she came up with nothing.

"Well, what is it?" Spindle cried impatiently, tapping her foot.

Dice jumped in. "We know where Rip went."

Iris looked puzzled. "We do? I mean, yeah we do!" she amended her statement when she saw the looks that Quipster, Tunes, Moneybags, Corner and Dice were shooting her.

"If you girls don't tell me where Rip went and now, I'm gonna do something I'm gonna regret." Spindle's threat hung in the air ominously as she reached in her shirt pocket and pulled out her pocketknife.

The presence of the pocketknife wasn't lost on any of the newsies surrounding Spindle. After exchanging a quick look between each other, Corner opened her mouth. "Rip went to go buy you a present" she blurted out.

The lie might have worked to fool Spindle if it wasn't for one thing: At the same time that Corner's tale spilled from her lips, Moneybags came up with one of her own. "Rip went to visit some of his friends in Harlem."

Spindle stopped for a second, confused at the two conflicting stories she heard. As Dice, Iris, Tunes and Quipster all groaned inwardly, Spindle looked bewildered. "Say that again."

Stepping forward, a brilliant idea in her mind, Quipster shot a winning smile at Spindle. "What Moneybags and Corner meant to say is that Rip went back to Harlem to visit his friends to get advice on what to buy you for a present."

Spindle smiled as she accepted Quipster's version of what happened to Rip. It just goes to show how insecure Spindle was: As long as someone reassured her that she was Rip's one and only, she was satisfied. To tell the truth, if Quipster would have told her that Rip was visiting the mayor for an outstanding citizen award, she would have bought the story just because she could hang to an idea that he wasn't cheating on her. Mighty pathetic, huh?

Spindle pocketed her knife and made to go to the room she had destroyed. "Thanks girls. I knew I could count on you. Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna practice my surprised face for when Rip gives me my present." and with that she pretty much bounced into the guest room, sidestepping the torn and trashed rubbish that was strewn on the floor from her earlier temper tantrum.

As soon as they heard the door click shut, all of the girls let out a sigh of relief. Tunes ran forward to the door and pressed her ear to the door. When she was certain that Spindle would not be returning to the bunkroom, she turned to confront Quipster. "What were you playing at? You're lucky that she believed you at all."

"I know. We was supposed to tell no one about Jess. You almost blew everything," Corner exploded, shaking her head.

"Well, at least I was able to combine the two stories you and Moneybags gave," Quipster pointed out as she watched both Corner and Moneybags turn bright red.

"Girls, calm down. The good thing is that Spindle is happy now. We just got to keep her happy until Rip comes back," Dice intervened, noticing both Corner's and Moneybags' embarrassed state.

Iris shot a fearful look at the closed door. "If he comes back. We don't actually know where he went."

Quipster started to head to her bunk to turn on for the night. "Don't worry. He'll be back. It ain't like he found out about Jess and went out to Manhattan, right?" she said over her shoulder, ignoring the preoccupied faces of the other girls.

"Right," responded Iris, not sounding nearly as confident as Quipster. "Right..."