: - watty's shortlist 2022 - :
{riff ff}
Elizabeth Russell seems to have everything but the one thing she's always wanted comes with a different kind of price.
Riff thinks that he has everything he's ever wanted when it comes to the Jets but an unf...
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// - chapter twenty three - \\ "i'll be my own saviour."
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ANITA'S APARTMENT FRIDAY MORNING
Crossing to the other side of town took longer than Elizabeth wanted to and by the time she reached the familiar building, the sun was starting to rise. Her head was throbbing from all the crying that she had been doing non-stop, still getting over the fact that Riff was dead. As she ran through the streets, she had flashbacks of his face, seeing him smile and laughing, something that she would never see again. She would never feel his touch, feel his lips against hers or his skin grazing hers. He was gone and she could never get him back, more tears sprung to her eyes but she wiped them away because this wasn't the time to cry. She was on her way to help someone, she needed to keep herself together. The streets were seemingly empty, everyone was hiding after the rumble because they didn't want the cops to find them running around. It was dangerous to be on the streets when the cops were looking for anyone to arrest, two people had been murdered, the city was in chaos.
Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth knocked softly on the door. "Anita?" There was no answer but she knew that the woman would be here, she had nowhere else to go. She knew that the woman was scared and upset but she wanted to offer her help; she knew what it was like to go through this and she knew it was better not to be alone. "Anita, it's me, Elizabeth, please, open up."
"Your dress is not ready yet." A voice called back after a moment of silence, her tone shaking as she tried not to make her emotions obvious to the person on the other side of the door. "I haven't even looked at the fabrics and-"
"I'm not here for a dress. I'm here for you."
Slowly, the front door creaked open, only slightly so that Anita could look out and see the girl on her doorstep. She was confused, she didn't know why the gringa would be acting this way and she didn't trust her, she watched the girl, raising an eyebrow nervously. "What?"
"I was there." Elizabeth gulped, knowing that this was going to sound worse than it was because how could she get Anita to trust her when it seemed as though she was part of the drama. She had been friends with the Jets but that was before she knew what they were capable of, now that she had seen it, she wanted nothing to do with them. "I was at the Drugstore."
"You were there. You did that to me."
"Of course not, I never wanted that to happen-"
"You let them hurt me!" Anita shrieked, tears running down her cheeks as she relived the experience that she had in the drugstore, as she felt their hands on her skin and her dress ripping loudly.
"I couldn't stop them. I didn't know that they were like that, I swear, I thought they were different."
The Puerto Rican narrowed her eyes, stopping her hysterical crying and instead looking angry at the white girl that acted innocent, the girl that spoke calmly as though she was unbothered by the actions of the men. "Why would they be different? They are men, all men are pigs."
