Rosie watched Roger leave once again, it had been over a week since she had decided to follow him and she was still sore about what he had told her. Once Roger left it left just Rosie and her mother in the apartment, June put down her copy of Look magazine, "Rose what's with you and Roger?"

Rosie just looked out the window as usual watching her brother go off with his friends, "nothing'" She replied coldly folding her arms across her chest. Her mother laid down her magazine, "this isn't nothing Sugar… You haven't spoken a kind word to him in days." She sat down beside her little girl.

"We had a fight that's all…" Rosie couldn't bear to look at her mother. June shook her head, something had torn her children apart, she only wish that she knew what it was.

Rosie found herself listening from anything like the Lux Radio Theater, Burns and Allen, and the Jack Benny Program. She had decided to wait for Roger to come home, it didn't matter to her how late it would be. Near eleven o'clock she saw her brother and two others approaching, she ran down the stairs and waited in the doorway arms crossed. When they got to the door and saw her standing there they stopped talking and laughing. Roger approached her, "you're still up?" He frowned.

"Well I hate to break it to ya' Rog I ain't a kid anymore," she answered bitterly. "Where do you go every night? Why do I never see you anymore? Why do I…" Roger covered her mouth with his hand, "go inside… We'll talk later…"

Rosie huffed, she glared at all the boys that just stood there, angry that they had stolen her brother away from her. He wasn't the same Roger she used to know, he was gone now… She no longer knew who it was who stood before her. "Fine," she replied bitterly. She went inside but didn't go upstairs, instead she let the door close and she listened to them continue to talk.

"Geez, what's with that kid? She's all up in anybody's business!" She could hear one of the boys complain.

"Don't you mean everybody's?" One of the other boys corrected the other.

"A-rab she's my sister… I think I can see why she's worried… I suppose I'd do the same for her…" She could her Roger, maybe she really hadn't lost him after all.

"Yeah but she even followed ya! How do you explain that buddy boy?" A-rab retorted, "now Action I know…"

"You don' know nothin'!" Roger snapped.

"Easy Action… Take it easy…" The other boy replied.

"How can I take it easy when you pick on my sister? She may be a pain but I love her!" Roger spoke strongly. At that point Rosie had heard enough, silently she walked up stairs back to her family's apartment and waited for Roger. When he finally got up stairs and saw her sitting there at the kitchen table he really didn't know where he should begin.

"Why don't I see you anymore?" Rosie started, Roger ran a hand through his short brown hair, "well?" she asked impatiently.

"Rosie… It's hard to explain…" He started.

"What's so hard to explain about a stupid game of basketball?" Rosie frowned.

Roger took a breath, "It's more than a stupid game of basketball." He had almost forgotten that she had followed him and watched them.

"Oh yeah?" She raised an eyebrow, "then what is it?" She now eyed the orange band that was around his head. "What's that?" she pointed.

Roger ran his hand around his forehead, "Wha'? Oh shit!" He yanked the band off, it was the mark of being a Jet.

Rosie narrowed her eyes, "so that's it…" She knew about the gangs of the West Side, how they all had different ways of marking their members. "The Jets are a gang?"

Roger was speechless, his sister had never been so cold to him even during their worst fights. "Rose… I needed somewhere to belong and the Jets… They are my family…"

"What about mom and me? Or do we not matter anymore?" Rosie almost couldn't bear to look at Roger any more she was so angry with him.

"Rose you have to understand," Roger knew that his explanation would sound terrible to his little sister but he couldn't lie to her, he had done enough of that already.

"I need somewhere to belong, I know you know how important that is…" When he said that he could see his sister begin to cry.

"I don't know what it's like to belong!" Rosie snapped, "I never have!"

"Rosie…"

"Just stop," with that Rosie went to her room and slammed the door.

A few minutes later he stood outside the door, he was about to knock on her door but he hear her sobbing inside. He had hurt her too much, how could he do something like that? He looked around the apartment and noticed one small picture frame, it contained a picture of him and Rosie when he was nine and she was barely seven years old, it had been taken at their grandmother's house in Buffalo. Taking the back off the frame he took the picture out and slid it into his pocket