Peter was thrilled when Officer Brown told him Ace was going to be detained at the station. He'd been following Laura everywhere lately, like a very annoying shadow.
Whistling a jaunty tune he stepped into the Blue Point Diner, not surprised to see Laura sitting in a booth by herself. He made his way excitedly to where she sat before he felt himself being pulled back roughly by someone. It was only due to the surprise element that Eyeball Chambers was able to slam him up against the wall. Peter was a fair bit bigger than him.
"Now where do you think you're going?" Eyeball asked in a sing song voice, "I know you wouldn't be stupid enough to try and talk to my buddy's girl over there."
"Let go of me you scum," Peter snarled, his faced squashed against the wall. "She can talk to me if she wants to."
"That's the thing though Mongoose, she don't wanna talk to you. Now get the fuck out of here before my fries start to get cold."
He released Peter who turned around heatedly. He was faced with not only Eyeball but Charlie Hogan and Billy Tessio who had just arrived. Not liking his odds Peter skulked out of the Diner in defeat.
Olivia left the house that morning for some bread from the bakery. She had been keeping to the house a lot more than usual lately, whispers about her son followed her everywhere she went. Familiar eyes judged her at every corner.
She was passing by the butcher's shop when she heard the gossip coming from inside.
"Yes that's what my Cathy said," Mrs Lowenstein was saying from inside. "He attacked her right in front of the hospital. She heard the whole story from her friend Jillian."
"Oh how awful," replied Mrs Whitney who was hooked on every word.
"I heard it was the woodlands," Mrs Parker interrupted.
"It's a miracle she escaped," Mrs Lowenstein continued not liking being corrected. "I always thought that Mongoose boy was funny, just something I could sense."
The other two nodded their heads in agreement.
Olivia ran back to her house without buying anything.
Laura sat with Eyeball, Charlie and Billy in an awkward silence. The Cobras were intimidated by her, this was Ace's girl, a girl he happened to be very territorial about, a girl who could get their asses kicked if they looked at her the wrong way.
On the other side Laura was very inexperienced with male company. The only friends she had at school were female and she didn't have any brothers or even a father. The only male she really was ever around was Ace but they were lovers not friends and so he was not a good template for how she should behave in male company.
Billy Tessio had tried to talk to her briefly about Connie but that conversation was pretty much a dead end. It was only when Charlie pulled a pack of cards out of his back pocket to shuffle that she perked up.
"Do you want to play poker?" she asked relieved at a potential distraction.
"Do you know how?" Billy asked her seriously, he for one didn't want to take advantage of her in any way. Even if that included putting one over on her in poker.
"Ace showed me how to play the other day," she assured them.
Only a complete lack of any other possible source of entertainment made them relent and so they began to play, substituting left over fries for poker chips. Soon the boys realised how greatly they had underestimated her.
"Well that's me out," said Charlie in amazement. He'd never lost so badly to a girl before.
"Are you sure Ace taught you how to play, you're pretty good?" Eyeball asked with amusement. This girl really knew what she was doing.
"What's that supposed to mean?" came a voice from behind them.
Ace sat down, highly amused by the fact that Laura was now clinging to him like she hadn't seen him in fifty years.
"I only mean she doesn't play like a beginner," Eyeball clarified hastily. "So what's the skinny with the police situation?"
Ace shrugged dismissively. He knew Brown didn't care about the car, he just needed an excuse to beat on somebody. Sadistic son of a bitch.
"So is someone gonna deal me in?" he asked, putting his arm around Laura.