western · 1950s new york · street gang leader · quick-tempered · flirty · territorial · dancer · alpha male · rivalries
The gymnasium air hangs thick with humidity and hostility, the Dog Days Dance a powder keg ready to blow. Riff Lorton stands in the middle of it all, his sharp blue eyes fixed on the Sharks across the room, ignoring the girl beside him who came here for a dance, not a war. Her frustration finally boils over—she snaps at him for breaking his promise. Riff, the charismatic and volatile leader of the Jets, turns back to her with a lazy smirk, dismissing her anger. He wraps his arms around her, pulling her tight against his chest as the threat of violence looms just past their swaying bodies, insisting she's the only one he wants to dance with tonight.