Trapped In Your Bleeding Heart (Riff x Reader)

Chapter Twenty Four - Tensions Rise

Even by the time dinner rolled around, Maria and I had shared no additional words. It seemed as though I was always the bigger person when it came to our arguments. Although usually they weren't about such heavy topics, tip toeing around Maria's feelings was going to get me nowhere I could stay. She needed to loosen up. Get thicker skin. Move on with life. Especially being a Puerto Rican in Manhattan. Who was she kidding? I should've been the least of her worries.

Wait, what?

How shallow could I be? Just because Maria had greater struggles didn't mean she couldn't be upset about the smaller things. But then, how could she hold such double standards? Even if I wasn't in love with Riff, I couldn't believe she wasn't more sympathetic. Not to mention, as time went on I became more and more upset with my unresolved feelings for Riff, which didn't help my patience in the matter.

"Are you two okay?" Bernardo asked casually. "Because you are quiet. Really quiet. And you two are never quiet."

Maria sniffed sharply and shoved food into her mouth. I guess that was her way of telling me to handle it. "We're worried about the rumble." I said. It wasn't exactly a lie.

"There's no other option." Bernardo dismissed quickly. "The Jets need to go down."

"When Maria and I were at work, we overheard women talking. They said that Riff fought three Sharks— and won. Are you sure it's a good idea to fight so many of them? They seem... scrappy."

"Like animals." Maria mumbled.

I eyed her. "Well, that's just Riff." Bernardo said. "He's always alone. The only reason he's not dead is because he fights like that."

"What Bernardo is trying to say is that they aren't all that capable." Anita appended. "Most of them are just skinny orphans with no direction, so they follow a leader like Riff blindly."

"Which is stupid. This is all stupid." Bernardo stated.

Minnie's eyes flashed annoyance. "No one is saying that it's not."

"If it's so stupid, call it off." Maria interjected. "What's the point?"

"The point is the Jets need to know their place." Bernardo seemed to sense the tension rising, because his voice came out firm.

Maria stood. "Do you really think the Jets will stop if they lose?"

"If they stay to their word." I contributed, my eyes lowly grazing over the scarce food on my plate.

Maria shot me a look. "Riff doesn't seem the type to stay with his word." She snapped.

"You wouldn't know anything about it though, would you?" I challenged, meeting her gaze.

"He's dangerous!" She  shrilled. "He's unpredictable!"

Bernardo stood now, too. "That's because nobody cares about Riff, including Riff. He knows he's gonna die young. He expects it." Bernardo paused, as if he was contemplating whether to swallow his next words or not. "So I'll kill him, if I have to."

A gasp flew into my lips, and I stood, too. "You would kill a man? For your pride?" I asked furiously.

"For my people!" Bernardo yelled. "For you! All of you! Mi familia!"

"This is foolish, and you know it!" I couldn't believe I had the courage to yell at him like this— the faith to counter his opinions so avidly without fear of being kicked out. "If this wasn't about pride, you would think about what was right, and you'd call the rumble off!"

Anita rose to her feet now, too. "Rose is right." She stated. "This rumble with put every Shark in danger, and you know it."

"Enough!" Bernardo slammed his hands down onto the table, causing the plates and cluttered cutlery to clatter and crash.

He promptly stormed to the room he shared with Anita, and slammed the door behind him. "This is ridículo." Maria muttered, stomping to our room and closing herself in as well.

Anita looked down to the table regretfully, and then began clearing the plates and dishes. After a moment, I began to help her. "We are all on the same side." She spoke after a few minutes of silence. "So why doesn't it feel like it?"

Because we aren't all on the same side.

I shook my head briefly. "We're all scared for each other. Tonight just went poorly."

Anita hummed. "Don't tell me that nothing happened between you and Maria." She said. "I know you two bicker, but this seems different."

"It's probably because I'm moving jobs. That's all." I reassured.

But I knew Anita wasn't convinced. Attentiveness was one of her most admirable traits. But she also knew better than to pry. "I'm sure whatever it is, it'll blow over." She said.

Authors note: we get to see Riff next chapter 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰💃💃💃💃💃💃💃