Who Knows || Riff (West Side Story 2021)

Chapter 23

𝟷𝟹. 𝚂𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟿𝟻𝟼

Maybe going into town on her own in the evening wasn't the best idea for Rose, especially when she was alone, but there was something that had to be done. Riff had been busy, still finding time to visit for five minutes before rushing off to some gang meeting.

He'd gotten used to telling her everything, without getting her too involved. It was exactly what Rose had wanted. To know what was happening.

This side of town was a risky one, but it was the only place she knew of that could do what she wanted. The whole predicament sounded worse than it actually was, but when Riff came to sleep at hers that night, she would have something interesting to show him for once.

With a concerned look, the man had asked her many questions.

"Are you sure?" Was the final one, and she had responded with a firm nod.

If she hadn't been sure, the Everly girl wouldn't have trekked so far for this moment.

After that, after arriving home and lying in her room for a while, Riff appeared. He'd a key to her apartment now, so didn't need to clamber through any windows if they were left slightly ajar. They didn't speak, but he did lie beside her.

There was a content silence between the two of them, but when he lay his arm over her side, she winced in pain. Riff noticed immediately. In fact, it worried him quite a bit that she was hurt and he hadn't known about it.

"What happened?" He sat bolt up right, noticing how she was still in her regular clothes. It was one in the morning. Why was she in her normal clothes?

"Nothing." Rose smiled, softly. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, I'm gonna worry 'bout it." Riff rolled his eyes. "You're hurt.

"Aww. You care."

Again, Riff rolled his eyes, not exactly happy with the childishness of his sort-of girlfriend. "Of course I care. Now, tell me what's wrong?"

"Will you close your eyes?"

He raised a brow. "Why?"

"Just do it."

With an exasperated, over-exaggerated sigh, Riff shut his cold blue eyes away from her sight. Then, Rose looked to her waist. She wasn't sure how to do it, really. She didn't want to show certain parts of herself to give the wrong idea, but the upper thigh was going to have to be on show. There was no other way.

Rose lifted up the skirts of her pink dress, and raised it so much that her waist was on show. Unfortunately, it did mean that the side of her underwear was visible too, but that wasn't the point of this at all.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" He huffed, impatiently.

"Yes, you can open your eyes."

As he did, they seemed to open as wide as tennis balls. The exposed skin of her body was radiant, but he was focused upon the space on her waist. There, an inky design was imprinted in her.

"What did you do?" Was the first thing Riff said, causing her heart to sink deeply.

"I got a tattoo." She said, solemnly, feeling insecure. Letting the pink dress drop to its natural position, she looked to her knees. "Do you not like it?"

Without saying anything, Riff pulled Rose closer to him. "I think it's wonderful." He pecked her forehead. "It just shocked me."

"Do you like it?"

"I love it."

𝟸𝟹. 𝚂𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟿𝟻𝟼

The time had come. Rose was more nervous than she'd ever been. She wasn't as strong as everyone else. She wasn't as fearsome. She didn't scream anger, or hold any sort of prowess.

    Rose Everly was an eighteen-year-old girl from Manhattan and she should not have been meeting the Jets under any circumstances.

     Riff had decided it was time that she meet his friends, insisting that his presence would be enough to sway them. After all, she'd already met Ice and Mouthpiece, who'd both shown interest in being her friend- but that was tedious.

     "Boys-" Riff had began, arms slung easily around her shoulders to show that they were there together. "This is my Rosie."

  "Why you brought a girl, Riff?"

  "Because she's my girl, Action, that's why." He hissed back, in a matter of fact sort of way. No one wanted to argue with him. He was in charge. He could order a massacre should he so want it. But he didn't. All he wanted was Rose.

  "No, he's right." Another said, making Rose want to curl up and die away in a corner somewhere. "There shouldn't be no girls here."

  "Leave it." Ice pulled back Action's shoulder. "Look, you and Numbers are the only ones with problems."

  "Should be more of you." Numbers hissed, huffing thick air through his nose. He stepped forwards, angrily, eyeing up the girl. Mirroring his actions, unafraid, Rose stepped forwards.

  "You don't want to do that." Riff warned, tentatively.

   "Exactly." Numbers said. "Go home, little girl."

     Rose felt the fury boil inside of her. She couldn't remember a time she'd been so furious.

     "Actually, I was talking to you." Riff raised his eyebrows, a coy smile upon his lips. "She's pretty tough."

     It was an easy thing to say that Rose came out of the situation with barely a bruised knuckle. The Jets who opposed her being there, however, left with black and blue skin all over.

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Disclaimer!!!
I do not own West Side Story or the characters originally from the book, play, or musical. I do not own Riff, or any events from the 2021 film that this book is based off. However, I do own Rose, her friends, family, and her relationship with Riff prior to the film.
All of this is purely fictional, anything that relates to real life is purely coincidence.