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.
Bottle Alley Lodging House
Walking slowly and unsurely, Stress followed Jack into the quaint lodging house. She smiled faintly when an elderly woman in a grey blouse and maroon skirt left her post behind her desk and walked to the door to greet the newcomers.
"Hi there, child. Looking for a place to stay? Come on in." she said, a faint polish accent evident in her kindly voice. "My name is Mrs. Marcewicz, but you can call me Mrs. Cook, all the girls here do. And, is that a young Cowboy here who is visiting? Just the other day Gypsy was saying how she was tired of only seeing the faces of your two friends. She'll be glad you've come to visit, eh?" she added, raising her eyebrows slightly with a knowing smile.
Jack let out a small chuckle and turned to address Stress's puzzled look. "Race and Blink have taken to visiting dese two new girls every day. Ya see, this is the place where all the girls come to stay and it's the best spot for the boys to find themselves a girl."
Despite her nervousness, Stress found herself giggling along with Jack. "No wonder Mrs. Cook knows who you are. You find yourself a girl yet, Jack?"
Jack blushed furiously as he changed the subject. "Mrs. Cook, this here is Stress. She's new to Manhattan and needs a place to stay. Got any open bunks?"
Mrs. Cook looked Stress up and down and smiled approvingly; at this Stress felt secure, not uncomfortable like she had when others had done it to her, like Rip. "Sure, in fact we've got plenty. We only have about four permanent residents for this lodging house right now. I think they are all upstairs at the moment. Care to meet them?"
Stress looked over at Jack and nodded when Jack squeezed her left arm. "You're gonna come with me, Jack? I mean, since you know these girls and all," she shot him a smile and laughed when he turned beet red again.
"I don't know any of these girls..." he muttered as he led Stress to the lodging house stairs. She just shook her head as she followed him up the stairs and into the bunkroom.
Once she entered the bunkroom she was met with four girls, all around the same age- Stress's age, that were lounging around on a bunch of bunks: a girl with chin length blonde hair that was laying on her back joking around with a girl, her long dark brown braid covered with a red bandana while there was a pair of girls, one with real short brown hair and the other with waist-length blonde hair, sharing a bunk and talking quietly.
Upon seeing Stress and Jack enter the bunkroom, all chitchatting halted as they four girls jumped from their positions and ran to greet them. Or better yet, Jack.
"Cowboy!" cried the girl with the bandana as she flung her arms around a very surprised Jack.
Jack stumbled backwards and propped himself up against the wall by the door. "Gip, it's good to see you too," he stammered out as he pulled himself away from her vice-like grip.
Ignoring Stress's amused smirk, Jack proceeded to introduce the four girls. "Stress, this girl right here is Gip, also known as Gypsy," he said as he pointed to the girl who had glued herself to his left side.
"Hi, there!" she acknowledged, her voice full of a rich Kentucky accent.
"Are you from the South?" Stress asked, interested. She had never heard some one with such a nice Southern accent before.
Gip's dark eyes flashed momentarily before she smiled and answered Stress. "Well, actually I came from Kentucky, but I haven't been there in awhile. Ya usually won't hear my accent much, though."
Stress nodded and turned to see the girl with short blonde hair looking at her oddly. "Um- hi. Me name is Stress, what's yours?" she asked politely, a little uncomfortable under the girl's intense gaze.
The girl's firm face broke into a smile as she spit into her hand and offered it to Stress. "Hiya, the name is Stripes. Just arrived at this here lodging house meself. Glad to meet ya, Stress."
Growing up with the Queens' newsies Stress was accustomed to the tradition of spit shaking. She spit in her own hand and graciously shook hands with Stripes.
"Hey Cowboy, where's Blink?" The girl with waist-length blonde hair approached Jack, her blue eyes twinkling.
"Sorry Martini, haven't seen him. Race neither, Bookie." he added upon seeing the girl with short brown hair open her mouth to speak. "Stress, these two girls are Martini and Bookie, Blink and Race's wannabe girls."
"Hey!" Bookie cried as she smacked Jack in the chest before facing Stress. "Jacky-Boy's just jealous that we got our eyes on them instead of him."
Stress laughed again as noticed the indignant look on Jack's face. She walked in front of him and put her left hand on his cheek. "Thanks for bringing me here, Jack, but I think it's time for some girl talk." Moving her hand down so she was pressing his chest, Stress gently pushed him towards the door. With a quick kiss on the cheek, Stress said goodbye. "I'll see you at the distribution center tomorrow, OK? An' thanks Jack, I mean it," she added in a whisper. She didn't want the other girls to think that Jack was her weakness. After all, she'd only known him one day. "Why did I just kiss him? What if he thinks I like him like that? Ugh- can't let me emotions to get in the way, not this time," she thought to herself as she shook her head gently to clear it.
Jack stood there in shock that she had given him a kiss. "Sh-sh-sure, Stress. Tomorrow," he said as he turned to leave the bunkroom, walking smack dab into the doorway in the process. Shooting a Look at Stripe, but failing in getting her to stop her laughing, Jack left the Bottle Alley Lodging House.
Once they were sure that Jack had left, Gip asked Stress about her relationship with Jack. "So, I guess you're Cowboy's new girl, eh?" she said, her bitter tone of voice evident through her accent.
"Me and Jack? Naw, naw, it ain't like that. He's just been real sweet to me since I came to Manhattan," Stress answered. She was pleased to see that Gip perked up a bit at her words. "Why, do you got a thing for Jack?"
"Me, naw. I just like to pretend like I do. It's interesting to play with the boy's mind," Gip said, trying to sound serious before she broke into a fit of giggles. The other girls joined in and pretty soon they were all rolling on the floor laughing.
"I hear ya. And I'm glad to meet you two," Stress announced as she set her eyes on Martini and Bookie, "I heard so much about the infamous Martini and Bookie from Race and Blink during our poker game last night, I'm happy to see they weren't making you up. I thought they were never going to let me go to sleep last night."
While Bookie and Martini glowed at her words - they really liked their new guy friends and were glad to hear that Race and Blink felt the same way - Stripes stared at her with her mouth wide open. "Are you telling me that you slept in the boys' lodging house yesterday night?"
"Yeah, it was quite an experience, let me tell you," Stress looked around at the surprised faces that were on all four of their faces.
"Wow, you've got to be one o' the only girls that ever stayed dear over night and survived," Martini said in awe.
"I wish that I could have stayed there a night before I came here," Bookie stated with a bit of jealousy seeping in her words.
"Stress, tell us all about, please? I would love to have something to blackmail the fellas with!" Gip said gleefully as she rubbed her hands together.
Stress laughed out loud, glad to be accepted by the other Manhattan newsgirls. "Well, if ya really want to know..." she said with a mischievous smile before launching into a play by play of the previous nights activity, starting from the moment she stepped of the trolley up until she up sold Jack that morning.
Though she bonded with her new pals, and even began to trust them, she left out one important detail of her story. Though she talked for hours, late into the night, with Stripes, Gip, Bookie and Martini acting as a perfect audience, the words Rip, Spindle or Queens never once escaped her lips.
It wasn't that she didn't trust them or anything. She was just trying to protect her new friends. What if he ever found out about her being in Manhattan? It just wouldn't be safe...