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.
In Newsies Square
As Stress and David leaned in for a second kiss, she paused when she heard her name being called. Walking toward them from the opposite direction, Stress and David saw Martini, Stripes and Grace waving at them. She waved back, feeling incredibly guilty. Ever since she had returned from Queens she had barely seen any of her friends, instead spending all of her time with David.
Martini hustled up to them and gave Stress a big hug. "Hiya!"
Stripes duplicated the gesture. "Long time no see. Where have ya been the last two days?"
Grace stayed where she was, her eyes glued to the ground.
Stress turned to look at David. "Hey, Dave, would you mind terribly if I spend the rest of the day with me girls?" she said as she snuggled close to his chest.
David did mind; he wanted to spend every waking minute with Stress, getting to know everything about her. But David knew there was something about the way she had asked the question that made it a statement and not a request, so he nodded. Besides, the way she was snuggling so close to him made him forget everything else around him, so the only thing he could do was nod.
Stress gave him a quick kiss and whispered huskily, but not too quietly, to him. "I'll see ya tomorrow to sell our papes, but I'll see ya tonight in me dreams." She figured that she might as well show her friends that they were a happy, in-love couple even if it was a stretch.
Stripes and Martini just exchanged a look while Grace just wandered off. She couldn't bear watching her friend make David look like a pansy.
Stress waited for David to start walking away before turning to face her friends, who were both giving her questioning looks. Stress dismissed their looks and asked them, "Hey girls, what happened to Grace?"
Figuring that Stress didn't know about Grace's crush on her boyfriend, they kept that information to themselves. Things were already too complicated. "She left something at the lodging house. She said that she'd see you later," Martini told her.
"Oh, O.K.. So what brings you two here? Did you lose Spot and Blink? It ain't like ya, Stripes, to be with out Spot when he's here in Manhattan. And Martini, I thought that Blink and you were attached at the lip. Where are they?"
Stripes, looking quite serious, spoke first. "Stress, we're have to talk to you and we figured that it would be better if the guys weren't around."
"If this is about me and David--" Stress started to say but Martini cut her off.
"Actually Stress, it's about you and Jack. Look at me," she added when Stress quickly looked away, "I don't care what you say, you know that you still love him." It came out a little blunter than she intended it to be but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Stress scoffed in order to hide her surprise. "Me? Like Jack like that? Ya must be off your rocker," she said praying that Grace hadn't told Martini and Stripes about what she had said when she was in Queens.
"You may think that nobody knows ya but we do. It's been written all over your face for years now. What we wanna know is, if you like Jack so much, why are you fooling around with his best friend?" asked Stripes.
Stress turned beet red and started to mumble incoherently, though through her mumbles Martini and Stripes could distinctly hear the word "Sarah".
"Is that what this is all about? Sarah? Surely ya don't think that Jack likes Sarah like that?" Martini asked dubiously.
"What do you expect me to think? I came back from Queens and me world fell apart!" Stress exploded at the other two girls. It felt good admitting to her friends the disappointment and hurt she felt when she had returned only the day before.
Martini put her hand on Stress's in an attempt to calm her down as Stripes countered back "Jack's using Sarah the same way that you using Dave -- as a distraction!"
"I... I like Dave" Stress said indignantly as she shook her head royally.
"Yeah, but do you love him? I mean, like the way that you love Jack. Do the feelings even compare?"
Stress didn't need to respond; Stripes knew the answer from her silence.
"I need to go an think somewhere...anywhere..." Stress said as she turned in the opposite direction and ran. There was only one place to go when you need to think in New York-- the secret spot. She figured that Jack would be too busy with Sarah to use it. Besides they rarely went to the secret spot alone; Jack would never think of her going to use it by herself.
Martini and Stripes watched as Stress turned a corner, then looked at each other and nodded. Their plan might just work after all.