Title: One Year Anniversary
Author: Stress
First written: April 18, 2002-May 12, 2002
Edited and replaced: August 9, 2005
Summary: Part III of the Soul Mates Series; When Jack and Stress reach their first year anniversary, Stress tells a friend the story about how they almost didn't get together at all.
At the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House
"Hey Jack? Jack! Hey Cowboy, where ya hiding?" called the fairly short, dark-haired boy, whose one hand was holding a cigar while the other was grasping Bookie's hand, as he ran up the stairs leading into the boys bunkroom.
"What do ya want Race? Right now I'm waiting for Dave to come back from selling the last of our papes so we can go meet Sarah for lunch at Tibby's," answered a tall, handsome boy of seventeen, as he worked on tying the red bandana around his neck.
After catching her breath for a minute, Bookie pushed aside Race, her hazel eyes gleaming. "Oh, look it's the Cowboy, getting his self all dolled up for his girl, I mean now that's she's back from Queens," she said sweetly as she subtly emphasized the word Queens.
Jack stopped fumbling with the knot in his bandana and paled. "What do ya mean, Bookie?"
"Just what I said, Jack," she purred as she walked past him to sit on Race's lower bunk.
Race, noticing the dumbfounded look on Jack's face, cut in. "It's true, Jack. Bookie told me and I brought her here with me to tell ya, but we actually ran into her on our way here. Stress came back this morning and is looking for ya. She said that she was gonna stop by the lodging house after she and her new friend got a quick bite to eat at Tibby's," he said as he gestured his hands frantically.
Jack sat down on Snipeshooter's bunk, absentmindedly running his hand through his thick, brown hair. "Well, I never expected her back so soon. This is great, I guess. I mean, I did miss her. She's me best friend..," he said more to himself than to Race and Bookie, as he, once again, stood up and began to pace around the bunkroom.
"Yeah, yeah, we know. We all missed her. But at least none of us went out and got ourselves a girl while she was gone, eh, Cowboy?", Bookie spat out as she stood to face Jack. He towered over her tiny 5'1" frame, but physical size didn't matter. Jack was stuck and it made him shrink down to two inches tall. "So whatcha gonna do, Jack?" she asked, trying to get him to face what was happening. "Eh, ya got any plans now, mister strike-leader?"
"Bookie--", Race said, shocked. This was so unlike Bookie, she was usually so good-natured; every one, including himself, loved her. He had never seen her acting this way before and it worried him.
Meanwhile, Bookie stood there and glared at Jack, indignantly. She had not forgiven him for turning scab during the strike. While Race and the others forgave him at the drop of a hat, Bookie wasn't letting him off the hook so easily. She wanted to make him squirm and she figured that his present situation would do the trick perfectly. "C'mon, Jack-- We all know how ya really feel about Stress. You've been mooning over her for years now, only she's too dense to see it. But I ain't. And I sure as hell know that she is crazy about ya too. What I don't get is, Jacky-boy, that the second she's outta the picture, you go out and gets yourself a girl. What are ya trying to do, break her heart? Well I won't let you!" Bookie spat out as she ran passed David as he entered through the door leading into the bunkroom. Race shrugged helplessly at Jack, and then turned to follow his girlfriend down the lodging house stairs. David stared at the backs of the two runners as they left, and then cautiously approached Jack, who was sitting on Snipes's bunk again, with his head in his hands.
After a few minutes Jack looked up at David just as he began to speak somewhat hesitantly. "Uh-- Jack? Are you almost ready to go?" Jack's only response was to quickly lower his head back into his hands and to shake it non-committed, side to side.