my pretty | riff (wss)

15

Dance At The Gym: Blues, Promenade and Mambo.

Early May, 1957.

I curled my hair, parting it in the middle so I could clip it back. "Mom asked where are you going?" My younger brother Isaac asked, stepping into my bedroom. "A dance." I responded, finishing another curl and parting it on the side.

"Really?" He asked as I nodded. "With who?" He asked. It came to me. My family don't know I have a boyfriend, when Riff stayed with me in the hospital, the nurse told me that my parents had left.

"With a friend." I responded walking over to my jewelry box.

"A guy friend?" I heard my moms voice from my door. Shit, I was never the type to hide secrets from my mom but I didn't know if I wanted her to know this particular secret. If I told her yes, she would ask who, and if I said who, I bet she'd know his name. "Maybe." I responded safely, as I picked a gold necklace, with a pendant with the letter R for my name on it.

"Who?" She asked. Panic. "Some guy from school." I responded walking over to my mirror, as I put the necklace around my neck. She knew I was avoiding the question, but it was just left to see how'd she react to it. Would she pressure me into giving her his name, or would she just brush it up.

She nodded walking over to my door. "Have fun and, stay safe Rebecca. You know how those gangs are." Oh yeah, I know how they are. I had finished everything. My hair was done, I had my jewelry in place, my dress was nice, and I was done. Then I remembered my shoes. I walked to my drawer, picking up blue small heels, with a elastic on the top so they couldn't slip off.

I heard a small knock on my window, as I walked over to it, moving the curtains, and pulling the window up. "Hey." Riff spoke, smiling with a smirk as he sat in the fire escape like in the morning.

"Give me a second." I spoke, walking over to my drawer once again so I could grab my flats. If I went on the fire escape with my heels, they would probably get stuck in between the bars. I put on my ballerina flats, that I wore in the morning and grabbed my heels by the elastic top.

I stepped out of the window, pulling it down as soon as I was on the fire escape. "There." I whispered as he nodded, we walked down the stairs as I looked at the Jets and their dates in the bottom. Ice with Karen, Mouthpiece with Velma, and so on.

"Great let's go." Riff said turning to the right, as I followed by the side of him. I watched as he reached for my hand, as I gave it him. "I like the dress." He spoke as I smiled. "Thanks, I did wear blue." I responded as he nodded.
"Thank you, by the way." He said, turning to me.

I smiled, as we continued walking. We finally reached the gym, in which everyone went onto the floor, except me and Riff.

"Here let me help." He said, as I sat down on a bench. I watched as he took off my flats, and placing the heels on my foot, then tying it with the elastic.

"I feel like Cinderella." I spoke, causing us both to laugh.
"You watched that movie?" He asked, as he grabbed the other heel so he could put it on me.

"Of course, you?" I asked as I watched him put the elastic through the holes. "Yes, didn't really like it though." He responded as he finished the heel.

"Why not?" I asked, standing up as I took his hand. "I doubt she was the only person with that shoe size." He spoke as I laughed. "You're right on that." I said, as he walked to a spot in the gym.