So I hit a big road block with this story and realised it was mostly because it wasn't going how I'd originally planned for it to go so I decided to put it through a major rewrite! I hope you will all join me on this journey and enjoy this new first chapter of Rewrite the Stars.
No matter how many times we hear the story, we cannot help but hope for another outcome. That this time Orpheus won't look back, that Juliet will wake up before Romeo swallows the poison, that Jo will realise she loves Laurie before he marries Amy. Like children building sandcastles on the beach, hoping that this time the tide won't wash them away only for the inevitable to happen. And yet we still return to tragedy perhaps because no matter how sad things get, we still cling to the hope that maybe, just maybe this time around things will be different.
It was a hot, sticky summer day and all the West Side could talk about was the rumble that had rocked the streets the night before. And the verdict was in, the Emeralds were out, and the Jets were once again the ruling gang of the West Side. Until the next gang moved in and then the vicious cycle would begin again and probably wouldn't stop until someone really was dead. Molesey's Diner had just entered the post-lunchtime lull leaving the three waitresses to take a break and get things ready for the dinnertime shift who would be arriving in an hour. The three girls on duty had just finished clearing and resetting the tables and were taking a short break.
Emily leant against the bar, a pen between her teeth as she looked down at her notebook and her disjointed notes that would at some point make sense. She sighed and jotted down one last thought One by one, only the good die young... Emily closed the notebook and dropped it into her bag pulling out her battered old copy of Little Women and continued to re-devour the words of Louisa May Alcott.
Graziella and Velma watched her from the other end of the bar. Emily had started working at the diner a week ago and the two girls still couldn't work her out. Emily was nice enough but there was a something about her like there was an invisible wall keeping her isolated from the rest of the world. She was a hard worker but quiet, they weren't quite sure if she was shy, thought herself better than them or she was just quiet. They'd asked her questions trying to get to know her and gotten vague answers back until eventually they stopped asking. If Emily didn't want to share, then they would keep their noses out.
Riff walked side by side with his guys, Tony and Ice had wanted to stop by the diner to see their girls and he was hungry so joined them for the free food. His shoulder was smarting from where one of the Emeralds had swiped at him with a knife. The stitches from the hack doctor he'd seen at the ER irritating his skin. He winced when Tony clapped him on the shoulder but grinned at him. Tony had a bruise forming under his eye and a split in his lip while Ice had a nasty cut to the crown of his head and a black eye.
The three of them walked into the diner feeling like the Kings of New York and were greeted by the two lovely ladies. Riff glanced around the diner while Ice and Tony reunited with their girls and spotted a new girl leaning against the bar, her nose in a book. She was pretty, a mass of curly rust coloured hair, fair skin with a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks, big blue eyes behind round wire framed glasses. Her waitress uniform wasn't doing much for her figure, but it looked like she had a nice set of curves underneath.
"Riff. You coming?" Tony called and he glanced over to where they were all now sat in a booth and nodded sliding into a seat, wincing at the jostle of his bruised ribs.
Velma smiled to herself and walked around the bar to grab cokes for all of them. "Hey Em, Grazi and I are going to sit with the boys for a bit, do you want to join us?"
Emily looked up at her with wide eyes like a deer caught in the headlights. "Oh... Er... I'm okay, thanks." She glanced at the clock. "Actually, do you mind if I head off? I have a few errands to run before my next job."
Velma nodded. "Yeah, go for it. You have another job?"
"Yeah. Not as glamourous as this but it pays the bills." Emily took off her apron and picked up her bag and skates from under the counter. "Bye Velma." She waved walking around the bar and out of the diner, sitting down on the outside step to put on her skates and pulled herself up gliding off down the street.
Currently, Emily worked four jobs. The diner three days a week, she did the accounts, ordering and inventory for a bookstore, she pulled pints at a local pub two nights a week and she did the closing shift three nights a week at Doc's Chemist. Right now, she liked to keep busy and working to make as much money as possible was a good pastime. Skating was her other outlet too. She loved the feeling of flying down the sidewalk, wind in her hair as she sped down the street, weaving in and out of people with the grace of a ballerina. She ran her errands, picking up her paycheck from the bookstore and finalised her hours for the next week, picked up a few groceries and returned a library book.
Arriving back at her apartment, Emily put away her groceries and changed out of her waitress uniform for a pale blue shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. She shoved her sneakers into her bag and paused at the battered old piano playing a quick tune as it came into her head and jotted it down on a scrap piece of sheet music before grabbing her skates and hurried down the steps, putting her skates back on and sped off again towards Docs. She wheeled inside, flopping into the first available seat and took off her skates replacing them with her sneakers. "Hey Val." She greeted the older woman behind the counter.
"Good evening Emily." Valentina smiled at the young woman. She'd met Emily only two weeks ago, but she had a knack for finding strays and helping them find their way. She still didn't know what had happened to Emily for her to need help, but she knew sometimes it was best not to push for answers. "I thought we'd close up earlier tonight, eight thirty instead of nine. I don't want you walking home with all those boys running around acting the hooligan." She shook her head.
Emily smiled. "That's very kind of you Val but I'll be okay, I can look after myself." She hung up her bag and coat on the stand.
Valentina saw a flash of a memory, John Krupke with his arm around a beaten and exhausted young woman looking like the world had just come crashing down around her and a small smile crossed her face. "I know you can dear, but it would ease an old woman's mind." She patted Emily's hand. "I'll leave you to close, there isn't much to do, if you could restock the candy and sweep up the floors."
"Of course. The ship is safe with me Captain." Emily told her.
Valentina smiled. "I have full confidence. I left your paycheck in the till as well." She told her before leaving the store and heading up to the apartment above it.
Emily sang to herself as she restocked the candy and swept the floor. She loved this time of day, it was peaceful, a time for contemplation. She jumped when the door banged open and a very pale faced boy staggered into the shop, falling forwards and would have hit the floor had Emily not reached out, dropping the broom with a clatter and caught him. She steered him over to sit in one of the chairs. Her eyes widening as she saw the blood blooming on his shirt. "Fuck." She gasped pulling his shirt back to see a three-inch stab wound, once stitched together but now torn open again. Reacting on instinct she rushed around the store grabbing the things she'd need.
Riff slumped in the chair watching the blue and orange blur dash about the store. Was he dying? He felt like he might be dying.
Emily dumped everything on the table and pulled a second chair up sitting down in it and pressed gauze onto the wound.
"Fuck." Riff hissed.
"Sorry, but if you don't want to bleed out on my nice clean floors then I need to apply pressure." Emily told him with a roll of her eyes. "You need a hospital."
Riff shook his head. "Can't afford it."
Emily rolled her eyes. "What did you think Val was going to do?" She took his hand and pressed it over the gauze. "Hold this." She got up and rushed up the stairs knocking on Val's door. "Val!" She called.
Valentina opened the door with wide eyes. "Emily?"
"There's a guy downstairs, he's hurt, I need to stitch him up he can't go to the hospital. Do you have any alcohol, matches, a sharp needle and thread?" Emily asked her.
"Hang on." Valentina hurried back into the apartment. "Why didn't he go to a hospital?"
"He can't afford it." Emily explained. "I think he's already been there once, but the stitches ripped, looks like they were done by a complete amateur." She rolled her eyes.
Valentina came back with the items she asked for. "Do you need me to come down?"
Emily shook her head. "No, I'll be fine." She reassured her taking the items and hurried back down the stairs to find the young man still slumped in the chair. She set everything down on the table and poured some of the rum into a glass dropping the needle into it. She put on a pair of latex gloves and pulled away the gauze, the bleeding had slowed down which was good. Emily put some antiseptic alcohol onto some cotton wool and gently began cleaning the wound and removing the ripped stitches.
Riff flinched, hissing between his teeth at the sting, keeping his eyes closed, clenching his fists in pain.
"Here, it'll help." Emily offered him the bottle. "The next bit is going to be much worse."
Riff accepted the bottle of rum and took a long drink. He set the bottle down watching the girl pluck the needle from the glass and tread it up before running a lit match over the needle. He watched her take a deep breath and lean in. She was right, it was worse. He could feel every nic and pull of the needle. He leant forward gripping onto her arm and gritted his teeth, panting as he prayed for it to be over.
Emily kept her breathing even, focusing on the task at hand. She worked as quickly as she could but methodically, wanting to make sure that this time the stitches would hold. Finally, she finished stitching and after applying a cream to assist with healing, she carefully placed a clean bandage over the wound. "There, that should do it. Try not to tear these ones." She picked up the bottle of rum and took a long drink before handing it to Riff.
Riff took the bottle and took another drink. He flexed his shoulder and winced but already it felt a lot better than after that hack had sewn him up. He watched the girl collect everything up and toss it in the bin. Now with the pain under control he recognised her as the girl from the diner earlier. "Thank you." He said breaking the silence.
Emily glanced at him from where she was wiping down the counter. "You're welcome." She walked around to pick up the broom and continue sweeping up. She jumped seeing Riff get to his feet and stumble, moving quickly to catch him, holding onto his arm.
Riff looked up at her. "You're good at that." He mumbled, feeling lightheaded and like he was on the fast-spinning teacup ride down at Coney Island.
"Sit back down." Emily steered him into the chair again kneeling on the floor next to him and placed two fingers on his wrist glancing down at her watch.
Riff frowned. "What are you doing?"
"I'm taking your pulse." Emily mumbled focusing on keeping count.
Riff looked down at her hand holding his wrist, it felt sort of nice, intimate in a way. Her hand was soft against her. "How'd you know to do all that?" He asked her.
Emily let go of his wrist. "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies." She patted his hand standing up. "You'll be fine." She walked back over to put the broom away and pulled out the bucket and mop, filling up the bucket with water and floor cleaner and began working on mopping the floor.
Riff reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumbled pack of cigarettes, putting one between his teeth and lit it with a match. He watched her work. "You work at the diner."
Emily nodded. "I do." She carefully wrung out the mop and continued to mop up the floor.
"Not much of a talker, are you?" Riff asked her.
"Nope." Emily put the mop away and walked behind the counter beginning to cash up the till counting everything out and putting it into the lock box to take up to Val.
Slowly Riff got to his feet and walked around the counter getting into her personal space. That sweet scent of lavender and vanilla and a weird spice he couldn't quite place invaded his sense as he got closer. "You don't like me very much, do you?"
"Now what gave you that idea?" Emily asked him.
"Wow six words that time." Riff reached down for the candy only for his hand to be smacked away. "Ow." He shook his fingers giving Emily a hurt look.
Emily rolled her eyes. "You're a child."
Riff grinned. "Don't kids get candy after they've been hurt?"
"Urgh, fine." Emily reached down and picked up a Milky Way. "Here. Can't have you going into hypoglycaemic shock. Now go sit down and shut up so I can finish." She thrust it into his hand and pushed him back towards the table.
Riff chuckled. "I knew you liked me really." He walked back over to sit down.
Emily shook her head. "No, I just don't want to have to dispose of your dead body. I don't have any more room left under the floorboards." She locked up the cash box and walked it upstairs. "Val, he's still alive and I've cashed up and cleaned up." She handed over the box.
Valentina smiled taking it from her. "Thank you, Emily. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle. I'll see you on Friday." Emily told her.
"I'll see you Friday." Valentina nodded her head.
Emily walked back down the stairs to find Riff where she'd left him. She pulled on her coat and grabbed her skates and bag, swinging them over her shoulder. "Out." She instructed Riff, opening the door.
Riff jumped up and stepped out of the door, shoving his hands in his pockets and watched her turn off the light, lock the door and pull the gate across.
Emily turned and jumped seeing Riff still stood there. "God, what are you still doing here?"
"It's late." Riff shrugged. "Thought I could walk you home. There's some dangerous people about." He smirked.
Emily rolled her eyes. "I can handle myself thanks." She turned and started walking down the street.
"I'm sure you can but all the same I'd like to walk you home." Riff fell into step beside her.
Emily sighed. "Fine." She cut across the street heading in the direction of her apartment.
Riff jogged to keep up with her. "I'm Riff by the way." He introduced himself.
Emily nodded.
"See that's where you tell me your name." Riff explained.
"It's Emily."
"Emily." Riff repeated. "So, Emily, how did you know how to do all that stuff with the stitches?" He asked her.
Emily smirked. "And lose all my sense of mystery." She shook her head. "Sorry I don't think so." She stopped in front of the steps to her building. "Well, this is me, you've completed your mission and walked me home. Now pass Go and collect, 200. Goodnight Riff." She started walking up the steps when she felt Riff reach out and grab her hand.
"Wait." Riff pulled his hand back and rubbed the back of his neck. "Er... Can I take you out?"
Emily frowned. "With a rifle?"
"I was thinking more dinner or a movie or a dance or something."
"No." Emily shook her head.
"I mean if you'd prefer the rifle..."
"Look you don't owe me any favours or anything. I'm flattered but no." Emily shook her head, taking a step back up one step.
"You got a guy or something?" Riff asked her.
"Or something." Emily sighed. "Look you'll need to keep that shoulder clean and dry and change the bandages every day. Every day." She reached into her bag and pulled out a bunch more from her own supply. "Here."
Riff took the bandages from her. "Okay well, I'll get out of your hair. Thanks for your help."
Emily crossed her arms and looked down at her shoes. "Don't mention it." She rubbed her neck. "Look you should come by Docs on Friday. I'll check the wound; it won't heal pretty but it'll heal which is the main thing. I'll know on Friday how long until you need the stitches removed." She shifted from foot to foot.
Riff nodded. "Got it. So... I'll see you Friday."
Emily nodded. "Friday. Goodnight Riff."
"Goodnight Emily." Riff walked her walk up the stairs and disappear behind the door. A grin crossed his face, and he shook his head, pulling another cigarette from his pocket and lit it, walking off down the street to his own apartment to change his shirt and then track down the Jets to carry on the celebrations.
And that is the new chapter one, I hope you all enjoyed it. I changed the timeline so we'll see a bit of Tony and the lead up to the rumble with the Egyptian Kings as well as going through the timeline of the movie. Hope you will all join me on this ride with the rewrites and enjoy the story. Please leave a review if you do enjoy it.
