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.
. August 6th 1899 .
At the distribution center
Once again, like every other normal day, all of the newsboys and newsgirls met and lined up at the distribution center to buy their papers. After they bought their papers, they all split up. For the third day running, the groups that paired off to sell together were different. Blaze and Bumlets, Wish and Skittery & Slash and Dutchy, all being the happy and not confused couples that they were, split up amongst themselves so they could spend the day with their loved ones. Race, Mush, Bookie and Mushie all set off together while Stripes and Martini paired off, after trying and to get Stress to go with them. Stress declined their invitation and also the invitation extended by Grace and David. Instead she headed off with Gip, Reeny and Holiday while Bittah and Midnight had Itey, Snitch and Boots as their selling group for the day. Blink and Spot (who wasn't allowed to return to Brooklyn until "Operation Happily-Ever-After" was over or else Stripes would soak him) latched onto Jack before he was able to go out by himself, like he had the day before.
Down by Bottle Alley
"Wow, I sold all of me papes mighty quick today," noted Reeny.
"That's cause ya only bought thirty papes," Gip reminded her.
"It was a bad headline, Gip," pouted Reeny.
"Reeny, Reeny, Reeny. What does Jack always say? 'Headlines don't sell papes...'" began Holiday, turning to look at Stress so that she could finish saying the rest of Jack's infamous line.
"'...Newsies sell papes.'" she finished in a flat voice. Stress couldn't help but feel like a fool. She had given up her relationship with David for Jack but Jack hadn't even looked in her direction that morning at the distribution center. She had thought that since Jack had broken up with Sarah, then maybe she and Jack could have a chance to get together or at the very least go back to the way they were when she had left for Queens. Yet the way that he had snubbed her that morning had made her laugh at her naivety. "I guess that our kiss meant more to me than it did to him," she thought sullenly.
Holiday, noticing Stress's mood, changed the subject. "Hey Stress, I just liked to say that I'm glad to have ya back here with us 'Singles'."
Gip chimed in. "Yeah, what would we do with out our fearless leader?"
Stress cracked a smile at Gip's sarcasm. She could always count on her friends to make her feel better. "Thanks guys. I missed you too. God, has this just been one crazy month or what?"
Reeny nodded in agreement. "Well, now that things are back to normal, we can all settle down and forget about guys. Who needs them anyways?" When all four girls looked at each other and said in one voice "Me!", Stress burst out laughing. She really had missed her friends. And, for once, none of them mentioned her relationship, or lack-there-of, with Jack. All she needed was just a girls' day out.
Remembering her promise to attend Stripes, Martini and Grace's girls' night out at Irving Hall, Stress figured that she better head back to the lodging house to get ready.
Gip looked at her in amazement when Stress announced that she was heading back to get ready for that night. "Stress, it's only four o'clock. You've got two whole hours before the first show down at Medda's."
"I gotta go get dolled up and who knows how long that'll take. Remember, maybe I'll find the man of me dreams down there tonight. I don't wanna look like a bum, like you guys," Stress teased, ducking the playful punches that the other girls gave her before walking back to the lodging house.
At the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House
Jack was prepared to tape both Blink's and Spot's mouths shut if they mentioned going to Irving Hall one more time. They had asked him to go with them that night ever since they had left the distribution center to go and sell their papers. The two of them had bugged him all throughout lunch at Tibby's and now that they were hanging out at the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House, Spot and Blink were still pestering him.
"C'mon, Jacky-Boy. How often do I get to go down to Irving Hall?" Spot complained. Stripes would be furious if he didn't convince Jack to go to Irving Hall by six o'clock. It was already 5:30 and time was getting close. Spot knew that it took twenty minutes to walk to Irving Hall from the lodging house, so they only had ten more minutes to get Jack to agree to go.
"I dunno Spot. How about every time ya visit us here in Manhattan?" answered Jack, highly annoyed. All he had wanted to do was spend the day with Stress but, in the hustle and bustle of buying their morning papers, he didn't get the chance to ask her to sell with him. He had tried to catch her eye but she had already set off with Reeny, Holiday and Gip. Instead, he got stuck with Blink and Spot, who had not stopped running their mouths about going to Irving Hall all day long.
"Why not, Jack? Ya haven't had the chance to see Medda since we won the strike. I here they got some new girl performers down there," Blink added, slyly jabbing Jack in the side with his elbow.
Though Jack was not at all interested in meeting any new girls, he finally gave in and nodded his acceptance. He knew that he would never hear the end of it if he didn't go with them.
"Good, let's go now!" Spot said as he grabbed Jack's arm and began to lead him out of the lodging house door. Jack sighed as he allowed himself to be led out of the lodging house before grabbing his arm out of Spot's grip.
They walked toward the Hall in silence. About three-quarters of the way there, Blink gasped. "Oh no! I left me lucky eye patch back at the bunkroom. I have to go and get it. Now!" He turned and started to run back to the lodging house. Spot called to Jack as he began to chase after Blink. "Jack, I'm gonna go help Blink find his lucky patch. We'll meet ya at Medda's in a little bit."
Jack shrugged and continued to walk towards Irving Hall, completely forgetting the fact that Blink only had one patch and he was wearing it. He approached the front door of the Hall and stopped for a minute before walking in. "I'll have fun with the fellas tonight and tomorrow I'll make sure that I get to sell with Stress." He shook his head; he needed to stop thinking about her for one night, otherwise he wouldn't have any fun.
As he walked in the door, he stumbled as he saw a tall blonde girl throw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He struggled to right himself as she began to plaster kisses all over his face.
Jack stood there, stunned, as this girl whom he had never seen before, started to talk to him through her kisses. "Wow. Bookie never said that you were this cute, Francis."
Jack went limp when he heard, over all the catcalls and music in the Hall, one very hurt and angry voice screech into the air, "Francis!"
On her way to Irving Hall
Stress felt like a princess as she walked down the street to Irving Hall. When she had arrived at the Bottle Alley Lodging House to get ready for her evening on the town, she found Blaze, Wish and Slash relaxing around the bunkroom as their boyfriends finished their selling. After Stress had explained to the other girls where she was going, the three of them helped her do her hair and put a little bit of make-up on. Wish had even lent her one of her red dresses to wear since Stress didn't own any herself. It was the first time since she had left Queens four years ago that she was wearing a dress, but she didn't mind. She was actually looking forward to having a girls' night out, a night where she could forget all about her guy troubles.
Before she knew it, she had arrived at Irving Hall. She started to look around, trying to find Grace, Martini or Stripes in the crowd around the entrance. When she didn't spot any of them, she wasn't surprised. They had told her yesterday that if they weren't there when she arrived then she should go inside and save them a table. Instead of waiting outside for a few minutes she decided to just go directly inside and wait.
As soon as she walked in the door, her eyes met an awful sight. Right in front of her was Jack, receiving a plethora of kisses from some tall blonde girl in a purple dress. As Stress stood there, gaping at the couple in front of her, she could make out some of what the girl was saying to Jack. "...this cute, Francis."
Stress was horrified. What the girl had said registered in her brain instantly. She knew Jack's real name! It had taken Jack almost two years to tell Stress the truth about his past, yet this ... this dress knew it! She couldn't control herself as she yelled out to the room, "Francis!"
As tears of hurt sprang to her eyes, Stress saw Jack pull away slightly from the girl and look straight at her. Jack and Stress looked right into each other's eyes for an instant before she darted out of the room.
Jack couldn't believe what had just happened. All he had done was walk into the Hall and he had gotten attacked by this girl he didn't know. And, of course, Stress picked that exact moment to walk into the door. When he had looked straight into Stress's eyes he knew what she had walked in on, but also what it must have looked like to her and how, as a consequence, it must have made her feel. Without stopping to think, he escaped from the girl's clutches and ran right after Stress. "I'll make her see that she's the only one for me," he vowed to himself.
When he reached outside he looked from right to left and left to right, but there was no sign of Stress anywhere. As he let out a sigh of disappointment, he recalled exactly how she was dressed when he saw her standing at the entrance of the Hall. For the first time since he had met her that fateful day in the secret spot four years ago, he had actually seen her all dolled up in a dress. "God, she is beautiful. How did I never see that before?"
As he stood outside, lost in his thoughts, he tried to think of something that could help him out of his present predicament. All of a sudden he remembered the name that the blonde girl had mentioned: Bookie. "Maybe she knows what's going on." Praying he'd be able to find and talk to Stress later on, after she had had a chance to cool off, he went off to find Bookie, hoping against hope that Stress would forgive him. After all, he hadn't done anything wrong. This time.