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.
Manhattan
For the fourth straight day, Rip left the boardinghouse where he was staying and began to wander around Manhattan. "Today I'm gonna visit the distribution center for the "World". I'm sure she still works as a newsie and I haven't seen her at the distribution center for the "Journal" yet. Maybe she wonks for Pulitzer," he murmured to himself as he stroked his chin.
He groaned as his finger met the stubble there. He hadn't had a proper shave since he ran out on Spindle in Queens. He laughed as he thought of the reaction Spindle may have had upon hearing that he was gone. "But if I find me 'Li'l Miss' everything will be fine," he said adamantly as he began to jog towards the distribution center for the New York World. He was getting a bit antsy-- he had been in Manhattan for four days and had not seen nor heard anything about a new newsgirl named Jess. He purposely ignored the little voice in his head telling him that she may have changed her name. "My girl would never do that," he whispered back to the little voice.
Rip continued to run towards the center as he kept his eyes peeled for Jess. He slowed down when he got about seven or eight blocks away from the distribution center. "I can't believe how well I got to know Manhattan since I've been here," he thought to himself, feeling a bit smug at his directional skills. "But I still don't understand why Jess picked Manhattan. If she would hid from Spindle in Harlem, I would have been able to help her. I ain't got no good informants here."
He increased his pace a little bit when he noticed a group of girls, newsgirls by their appearance, walking and laughing a block or two ahead of him. "What if one of those girls is me 'Li'l Miss'?" he thought excitedly. There were four, no five, girls ahead, and they were all heading in the direction of the distribution center.
He jogged quickly to close the two block gap that was between him and the girls. Once he got directly behind the girls, he drew in a deep breath to calm himself down. Right in between a girl with long dark brown hair and a girl with short blonde hair was Jess.
He walked in step with them, deciding how to draw attention to himself. As he walked behind the group he overheard one of the girls, the one Jess's size with long blonde hair, say, ""That's easy for you to say, Stress. You got Cowboy wrapped around your li'l finger. Every day he's there waiting for you."
Rip paused for a second as he registered what the girl had said. It wasn't the fact that she had changed her name - Stress? What kind of name is that - no, it was the fact that they mentioned her in context with another guy - Cowboy. Before he realized what he was saying he opened his mouth and snarled at her. "I'd like to meet your friend, Cowboy, Miss Jess."