don't leave me this way

f o u r

Lisa had spent the rest of her afternoon getting food for the house before she made her walk back to the apartment slowly, knowing there was no rush and it didn't matter if she was late to the mixer, no one would scold her.
She dumped the bags on the counter before she started to put everything away, making sure the fridge was fully stocked.
She then made her way to the bathroom where she proceeded to go for a shower, humming along to a tune she had stuck in her head. Once done, she stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel, doing the same to her hair knowing it would need to dry and be left to settle before it looked nice.
She then moved around her place and got changed into a dressing gown so she could make herself some dinner and not spill on her beautiful new dress. She made herself a small salad knowing she would not want to be dancing around on a full stomach before putting her plate in the sink for later and moving to the bedroom where she pulled on the red piece of clothing.
It came down to just below her knees and was pulled in at the waist. The top was off the shoulder and had material tied at either side to help make it tighter. She smoothed it down and smiled at herself in the mirror, letting herself finally admire what she looked like without anyones input. She pulled the towel off her head and continued to hand dry the curls before she let the slightly damp strands fall down her back.
She applied a small amount of concealer to brighten her face before she reached for the lipstick she had bought a few weeks ago but had not yet had the chance to use. She opens the cap and rolls up the red substance before applying it to her lips, painting them brightly. She smiles and rubs her lips together before putting the item away and going to find a pair of black heels and a black coat to match. She pulled both things on and checked herself once more in the mirror before she left her home and started to make her way down to the street to join the rest of the happy young adults who were heading to the mixer. She was excited to dance, even if she had to by herself. As she got closer to the building she spotted Tony making his way over as well.
"Tony hey!" She calls and he turns to see her, stopping to let her catch up.
"Woah Lis, you look beautiful"
"Oh thank you, and you look handsome, but you have a button open" she points out and he looks down, fixing it quickly before offering her his arm which she latched onto happily.
They make their way into the building together and she smiles as she hears the music and sees the people dancing away, having a fun time.
"It's wonderful isn't it?" She sighs and he nods before they are interrupted by Riff racing over to the pair.
She watches as Grazie trails behind him but clearly can't keep her eyes off of the taller boy which makes Lisa roll her eyes knowing she was right about her.
He says a quick hello to the boy before Riff turns to face the girl in red, contrasting beautifully with himself stood in blue.
His breath is caught in his throat for a minute as he stares at her, taking in every inch of her being. He notices how the material hugs her waist and that her lipstick matches her outfit meaning she would stand out in the crowd. It felt like the first time he had seen her all over again, and it was beautiful.
"You look incredible" he smiles and she blushes lightly.
"You don't look so bad yourself" she smirks and he rolls his eyes happily before telling her he'll dance with her later as he makes his way back to the floor with his date who had been glaring daggers into her side due to the attention her boyfriend had been giving the shorter girl.
She shook it off and started to look about, quickly finding Anybodys who was being left out once again.
"Hey, do you want to dance?" Lisa asks approaching the boy who nods enthusiastically.
They make their way into the circle and dance together happily, spinning around like two children on a playground. She had always admired the boy for standing up for himself and never letting the jets words get to him.
"You're a great dancer, it's a shame no one's gotten to experience your talent tonight" the girl sighs and he nods.
"It's whatever, they'll accept me one day"
"You're right, keep that faith"
And he does as he takes her hand and twirls her about making the girl giggle loudly, so that everyone could hear her having a good time.
Riffs ears pricked up from halfway across the hall when he heard the all too familiar sound. He looked up from his partner and saw his best friend laughing away with someone else, having a great time, being spun about and looking so beautiful. She should've been dancing with him and he knew it. He had spent most of the day contemplating whether or not he should be there dancing with his date or not and now seeing her stood there, truly happy, he wondered if he'd made the wrong choice.

Lisa was brought out of her trance when the sharks and their dates came pouring through the gym doors, spotting Anita immediately who raced over to the girl and spun her about.
"It looks even more beautiful on you that i remember, you are stunning tonight"
"I'm nothing compared to you Anita, look at how beautiful you are" she admires the Puerto Rican woman who thanks her before she calls over the younger girl who had answered the door that morning.
"Lisa, this is Bernardo's sister Maria, Maria this is Lisa, the woman I was telling you about" she introduces the two and Lisa shakes her hand happily as she girl comes closer.
"Your dress is lovely"
"Well Anita here made it so it had to be, but you look simply divine, a vision in white indeed" she says spinning the girl about, making her laugh before Anita is taken away to dance by her boyfriend leaving the pair to get to know each other.

It was a few minutes later and Lisa watches as the groups are being instructed to stand in two circles so that they can mix and dance with someone from the opposing gang as opposed to fighting which they had tried to do only minutes prior. She watches as Riff walks round lazily to the music, clearly not enjoying the experiment. The music stops and she sees him turn to Anita who smirks lightly before yelling to the band and switches the song. Bernardo grabs her hand quickly and takes her away as Riff sweeps under people to grab onto his date and twirl her into another dance against the Sharks.
She sighed knowing she should've asked him to take her to the dance when they first announced it as she now had to watch as he danced around with the woman he loved instead of her and it hurt.
She would just have to wait her turn.