Title: Secrets Behind the Lies

Author: Stress

First written: June 27, 2002- March 19, 2004

Edited and replaced: May 16, 2006

Summary: Part II of the Soul Mates Series; After living in Manhattan for two years, Stress thought she knew everything about Jack Kelly or, should we say Francis Sullivan? Well, guess not.

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Ignoring the snickers and giggles from all of the other newsies, Jack and Stress headed off to sell their papers. It was a beautiful summer morning, even if it was hot and nasty out.

Jack reached out and plucked a lock of Stress' hair. "By the way your hair is frizzing this morning I'd have to say it's really humid."

Stress playfully smacked him on the arm and moved her hair out of his reach. "Not funny, Jack. Not funny."

"I thought it was," he remarked, while approaching an elderly couple and selling them a paper. Stress waited until Jack had tipped his hat in thanks before asking him something that had been bugging her since they had left the distribution center. "Jack why were you so late this morning? Usually you're the first one to buy your papes, but today you wasn't."

Jack pretended to fumble with his papers and purposely looked anywhere but in her green eyes. "As I recall, I was the one that bought your papes this morning, eh Stressie?"

"That ain't the point, Jack. I want to know what was so important that you let the others buy their papes first." Stress rested her arm gently on his and smiled when she heard him sigh. For a second there she thought he wasn't going to tell her. They had never had secrets from each other in their two years of friendship and she didn't want them to start now.

"Well, you see, it's this." Jack removed his cowboy hat, letting it hang down his shoulders, while he ran a hand through his thick brown hair.

Stress began to feel the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Watching Jack squirm around was getting her extremely nervous. She looked at the four or five papers he held in his hand and the ten or so in hers and decided that selling could wait until later. "Jack, let's go have a little something to eat while we talk, k?"

Jack looked at Stress and saw that she was serious. "She ain't going to let this go, is she?" he thought to himself. "Of course me best friend is going to be the most stubborn of them all." He sighed again and lifted the remainder of his papes over his head. "Load of gold found at the bottom of the Hudson!" he yelled and in no time all of his papers and most of Stress' were snatched up.

Stress thanked the last of the customers, pocketing the nickel that Jack's "improved" headline had just earned her, and bowed. "Nice headline there, buddy. Are you ready now?"

Jack placed his cowboy back on his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you say, Stressie. Let's go."