It was a breezy night in West Side NYC. It was also late...most people were either sleeping or partying in bars. The streets were deserted, except for one. Right outside old and dull Doc's Candy Store sat a boy. An angry boy. His name was Riff, and he had just been shouted at by the unibrowed Luetenant Schrank...for the millionth time. Of course, he couldn't have a simple war council with the Puerto Rican boy Bernardo without that dumb officer shoving his badge in their faces and calling them hoodlums. Riff had told his fellow gang members to go home and prepare for the rumble the next night. He sat on the stairs outside the store's entrance with his chin on his hands, and sighed. It was dark and lonely, but he just didn't want to go home.

Just then two arms snaked around his shoulders, and a warm face pressed against his curly hair. As the person sat down next to him, he could see a flash of orange fabric out of the corner of his eye.

"Graziella, I thought you'd split when the Sharks showed up." he said to his girlfriend.

Her lips curled into a cocky grin. "You never said where to split to. So I and Velma waited in the playground til them PRs had left."

Riff shifted one corner of his mouth into a small grin. "What about Velma?"
"She said she'd find Ice and take him back to her place. But I didn't see him." she said with an I-don't-really-care tone in her voice.

"That's 'cuz they probably didn't want to be seen." Riff replied, and winked. She gave him her melodic laugh and nestled her head against his neck.

"So you're rumble'n tomorrow night?" she murmered, lifting her eyes to look at his handsome face.

"Yea. We're settling this once and for all."
"What kind of rumbling, huh?"
"Well, Tony asked us to have a fair fight. But we're takin some weapons just in case they wanna play rough."

Graziella mocked an angry cat meow. "Sounds so frightening. What would they use? Garbage? Cereal boxes?" she asked sarcastically.

"No. Sounds like them boys are bringin' guns...bats...belts...the whole kaboodle."
Graziella lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. "You be careful, ya hear?" she asked sternly.

"Chill, babe. I have Ice to fight Bernardo. We ain't gonna have any struggle." Riff replied reassuringly.

Graziella's worried gaze turned into a look of relief. She pressed her lips to his cheek, then parted and whispered in his ear, "They're going down."