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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Queens
Rip whistled jovially as he made his way to the girls' lodging house. Finally it was time to get going. But first—
"Hey, Grace!" he called as he watched the familiar petite blonde figure trod slowly down the street, as if she carried the weight of three hundred papers on her back.
"Oh, Rip. It's you. Ya haven't left yet?" Grace slowed her pace and stayed on the side of the street she was on, content in just speaking to him over the crowd.
Rip, on the other hand, liked to speak to a person face to face. With a devilish grin on his face, Rip strutted across the street and approached Grace. "No, we're going to leave the lodging house in about a quarter of an hour or so. But before we all leave, I just wanted to make sure that you took care of me business."
Grace averted her eyes and didn't answer.
Rip lifted his hand and cupped her face, jerking it upwards so that she was staring him in the eye. "Answer me, Grace. Ya know I don't like to be kept waiting," he hissed, spraying his spittle all over her face.
She resisted the urge to wipe the saliva from her nose, knowing that if she did she would offend him. "I did, all right. I sent the letter with the one Mrs. O'Connor wrote this morning. She sent Jess a care package with one of the trolley workers that Mr. O'Connor knows so she'll get the letter tonight at the earliest. Are you happy now?"
Rip thrust his hand downwards and let out a cruel laugh when the force nearly brought Grace to her knees. "Yes, Grace. I'm very happy. Now, if you don't mind me, I got a train to catch."
Grace watched as he lifted his head high into the air and stalked off towards the Queens' girls' lodging house, a new found spring in his step. "Goodbye Rip and good riddance," she spat, praying with every ember of her body that the train overturned and there was only 1 fatality; scum like him did not deserve to live. "Have fun in California, Rip," she whispered to the air, "and never come back!" California. Grace just couldn't believe that Rip and Spindle were both so set on getting revenge that they were heading out West, bringing with them a few of the best newsies in Queens, just so they could make money out there in order to set up some sort of elaborate plan to make Jess' life miserable. "Thank God that I'm staying behind. It ain't safe to be traveling with two of the biggest crazies, ever." She sat down by the side of the road, thinking of her friends. "Good luck."