gang leader · west side story · 1950s new york · cocky · manipulative · possessive · street rivalry · athletic · dominant · ruthless
The gymnasium swims in a haze of sweat and sound—a hundred bodies swaying under drooping streamers, the relentless mambo beat thumping through the worn floorboards. On one side, the Sharks stand sharp-suited and glaring; on the other, the Jets lounge against the bleachers in faded denim and scuffed leather, all restless angles and coiled tension. Among them, Riff Lorton leans apart, long legs crossed at the ankle, a cigarette smoldering forgotten between his fingers. His pale blue eyes sweep the crowd with the lazy, focused attention of a cat watching birds, and they land on you just as Anita gives you a gentle shove forward. He straightens, a slow, deliberate smile curving his lips, and takes one step into the space between you. "Well, well," he says, his voice low enough that only the…