don't leave me this way

e i g h t

Lisa waited for half an hour before she heard a knock on the door that echoed through the home. She knew the tough conversation that was to come and swallowed down the lump in her throat. She approached the front entrance and opens the door slowly to reveal Tony instead. He has a look of panic and worry spread across his face and she looks at him confused before opening the door wider to let him in. He stumbles into the place knowing this will be a hard thing to talk to her about and takes a seat at the kitchen table, seeing all the carvings Riff had no doubt made with their initials. The brunette takes a seat in front of him and takes a hold of his hands making him look up at her.
"Tony, is everything okay?"
He looks deep into her eyes and she feels an unsettling pit form in her stomach as he shakes his head. She can see the tears in his eyes and her mind races to a million different things that it could be. But she never predicted what he had to say.
"Riffs got a gun" he says almost too quietly.
Her heart plummets and she starts shaking.
"What?"
"Riff, he's got a gun, for the rumble tonight and I'm scared Lis, scared he's going to do some real damage" he whimpers and she feels herself fall to the ground from the chair.
Tony is by her side in less than a moment and holds her as she stares at the ground. She was already so worried about him, but now he could kill someone or worse, someone could kill him. She didn't want to lose him.
"Tony you have to get it off him" she whispers.
"I tried, he's not giving in, if you can't convince him, I don't know what's going to happen"
"If I can't convince him, you will take me to that fight and I will make sure he's okay" she tells him and he nods.
He continues to hold her as she starts to let a few tears slip out fearing the worst for her friend.
He stays with her for a few minutes more before he leads her to the sofa and leaves the apartment, maybe he would be able to talk the other jets out of it, protect the boys she wanted to keep around for as long as she could. She spent the rest of her day sobbing lightly in fear of what could happen. Scared incase Riff didn't come back before it all went down. She wouldn't forgive either of them if she didn't get to try and keep him out of harms way.

It was around ten at night when Riff came in through the window to her room. She was sat on the bed clinging to a cushion and he immediately rushed over, placing his hand under her chin to lift her eyes to meet his, both filled with worry.
"Lis, what's wrong? Has something happened?"
"Tell me it's not true" she whispers and he looks at her confused for a second.
His heart is beating out of his chest in fear that she had been hurt or someone has lied to her about him.
"What's not true?"
"You got a gun"
There's silence between them and he looks away from her, knowing she is about to get mad at him for what he's doing.
"Oh my god, it is true, you've got one, is it on you right now? What are you gonna do Riff? Kill someone? Bernardo? What's that going to do? Nothing!" She splutters at him.
"I don't plan on using it but what if they try to jump us?" He stands up quickly, trying to defend his actions and she follows suit.
"And what if they don't and they find that on you? Then they for sure will try to hurt you!"
"It's better to be prepared just incase"
"And what if you do kill someone huh? What then? The cops will show up and I can't save you from this one, I can't bail out a murderer. I won't" she shouts at him.
Her hands are clinging to the shirt on his chest desperately, almost begging him not to leave and go to that fight. His hands are placed tightly on her shoulders as he looks to her with so much anger and guilt.
"You think I'd murder someone?" He snaps at her.
"You've got a gun, I don't know what to think anymore"
"Yeah well, I won't need to use it if Tony shows up"
"Oh so now you're relying on someone else to make sure you stay out of trouble, what if he doesn't show? And you get taken away, I can't do that" she says hitting her hand on him.
"I'm not going to kill anyone!" he shouts at her.
"And what if someone kills you?!" she screams and he takes a step back.
They stand together in shock for a minute, both processing the words that had slipped out of her mouth in the heat of the moment. It was both of their biggest fears, and she didn't want him to willingly put himself in a situation where it could happen.
She sinks to the ground crying once again and he falls down next to her.
"Lis, I'm going to be fine, I always am"
"No! You're not! I sit and wait up every night and clean up all your wounds, i feed you and make sure you have somewhere to sleep, what if I have to lose all that, I care about you so much Riff, I don't want to lose you" she sobs and he shakes his head.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" he says as he holds her closer.
"But I can't back out now"
Her head snaps up to look at him and her eyes gloss over in anger.
She was mad, so incredibly mad at how foolish he was being. How he didn't care for what she had to say.
"You're selfish!" She seethes.
"For what? For looking out for the jets?"
"No, for pulling them into your feud, for risking leaving me, and if you come home tonight, I will take your face into my hands" she says reaching forward and placing her hands on either side of his face making his cheeks heat up from the intimacy.
"And I will look you in the eyes and tell you how much of an idiot you are" she spits out.
"And what if I don't come back?" He asks bravely.
She lets out a shaky breath, a sign of weakness. He hated the sound of it.
"Then you'll have this as our last conversation, this argument where I begged you to stay, will be your last memory of me and you know what Riff, that's on you, if you want to risk your life then fine, see if I care whether or not you come home" she chokes out and his heart falls at her words as she tears herself away from him and sits back down on the bed, still crying.
He stands back and stares at her, his head spinning from what she had just said. His eyes travel around the room before he takes one last look at the girl and starts making his way back out of the window, his heart breaking with every step he takes further away from the building.