A New Way of Living

Chapter Twenty-One

Author's note: I do not own West Side Story or any element of it.

November

Vivienne found herself walking down the street, Velma's arm looped in through hers. A gaggle of the Jet girls had grouped together for a designated shopping trip, and Vivienne knew she couldn't say no. Not if she didn't want to be rude after the earnest invitation. 

Riff and the Jets had gone off somewhere, leaving her feeling strangely floundering. It had been a long time since she'd been alone in a group of girls. After all, the last group of girls that she had considered to be her 'friends' had turned out to be the very opposite. It had been the beginning of her downfall.

But she tried to push those thoughts aside now and let herself be dragged around from store to store. She obediently gave her opinions on an endless array of dresses that were tried on. Ones with too long a skirt, and ones that were too short. Ones with not enough skin being shown, and those with just enough. And that didn't even cover the shoes.

She noticed Tessa barely leaving her side the whole venture, whispering little jokes and comments to her like a bird. It reminded Vivienne of Baby John, and it wasn't hard to imagine the two kids together. 

When they walked outside a second-hand jewellery store, Vivienne caught sight of a small pair of pearl drop earrings. They were delicate and lovely, and Vivienne aligned her reflection with the earrings to see how they might look. She looked at herself longingly, remembering the life she had were buying earrings and dresses were never a problem. But now things were different, and upon seeing the price tag of the earrings, she swallowed down her wanting and continued to walk.

The girls stopped at the end of the street, their shopping having come to an end.

"It's so early," Velma commented, glancing down at her watch.

"We should stay out," Karen added. "The guys won't be done for hours."

"Where should we go now?" Tat asked.

Vivienne realised then that they had all turned to look at her. She blinked. It seemed like they were waiting for her thoughts, or rather, her instructions. It was strange, suddenly being thrust into a position of power. Being someone that people wanted to hear the opinion of. 

She tried to think. 

"We could...go get a milkshake?" she offered, hating how unsure she sounded.

But the girls seemed to respond.

"Sounds great!"

"God, I haven't had a shake in so long."

"I need ta sit, my feet are killin' me!"

So they went to the diner, taking over two full sized booths, squeezing in together. Their bags packed the floor space, and Vivienne found herself elbow-to-elbow between Tessa and Rhonda. 

Soon the table was packed with shakes and sodas, and the girls laughed and teased each other as they spoke about the Jets, their parents, and their schools. Vivienne picked up all the information diligently, wanting to know them better. The more they spoke, the more she relaxed. 

"...I swear, sometimes I think he loves that goddamn car more than he loves me," Rhona complained, mid-rant. "Maybe I'll sneak it off to the scrapyard one day."

"Can you even drive?" Mamie asked, sipping her milkshake.

"I mean...I don't have a license, but Deez taught me."

"Oh honey, you should be so lucky to have a guy with a car," Sorella interjected.

"I wish John had a car," Tessa sighed, swirling her shake with her straw dreamily.