Hal had come over to where Angie and Binky were leaning up against the wall, and about time, too. Angie had been growing rather impatient and bored, and she was getting dizzy from smoking so much. Looking cool while puffing away was a lot harder that she imagined it would be, even though she had thought she would be used to being a ‘Bad Girl’ by now.
Hal was in a good mood. Having Johnny back to lead the Clique once more seemed to bolster all the Clique members, even Peanut, who was now reduced once more to Johnny’s second-in-command. But strangely, Peanut was relieved to not have to bear the burden of command all alone. As Johnny’s second, he actually had more power and respect than he had alone, as he was still in charge of carrying out Johnny’s directives. The difference was that Johnny once more had his back. Over the past year, his leadership had been continually questioned, and as the revolt led by Norton and Ricky had shown, the other Greasers were more than all too willing to turn against him. But all that was over now. They wouldn’t dare question his authority ever again and risk Johnny’s disapproval, not as long as Johnny was the leader of the Clique. And, as Johnny had told him, he didn’t want to leave the Vale Valley again. He and Lola were getting their own place in New Coventry. He had even talked of the possibility of them running the Pool Hall at the Blue Balls Bar.
Hal scooped up Angie and swung her around like a feather, which made Angie even more dizzy and slightly nauseated. “H-e-e-e-y !!!!”, Angie gasped, “You’re gonna make me barf !!”
Hal didn’t seem to notice her discomfort, instead he laughed. He was in a high good humor indeed. “Heya Babe, what say we go off to the Carnival, just us ? I bet I can win you that new stuffed Bunny !”
“Bunny ?”, Angie gasped, her nausea forgotten. “I LOVE Bunnies !!!”
“Then let’s go !”, cried Hal with a big grin. He still was enchanted with everything about Angie, including her Bunny fetish. Looking at Binky, Angie said, “I have to go...See’ya.”
Binky said nothing, just gave her a slight nod. Hal and Angie headed across the lot, stopping briefly to talk with Peanut about their plans. Peanut gave approval, cautioning him to be on guard against attack by other Cliques, and to check in when they got back. It was all a precaution, these days attacks against single members were rare with all the media people still hanging around with cameras quick to record their every move. Hal and Angie then moved off. Peanut was left looking after them, then he shifted his gaze to the wall, where Binky was standing.
She was an odd character, Peanut thought. Here she was, this new chick, and she seemed coolly aloof to the goings-on around her. That she was there at all was a mystery. She had just showed up one day and hung around, not speaking much, but always with a knowing smirk on her face. Several of the Greasers had tried to put the moves on her and had been rebuffed, politely and inoffensively. It seemed she wasn’t interested in a relationship, but only in the observation of them. Peanut wondered again just who she was.
As he was thinking these thoughts, Peanut found himself moving closer to her. He halted several feet away, staring at her. She returned his gaze for an instant, then looked away, taking a drag off her cigarette and exhaling the smoke with a smug look on her face. She knew all about those Greaser boys, their wants and desires, from her time in Newark. From what she had been able to observe, there was no difference from that old neighborhood to this bunch, except that these Greasers were famous.
Haltingly, Peanut said, “Heya dere.....Umm....Da boys is planning a get-together for later....Youse wanna come ?”
A whisp of a smile played on Binky’s lips. “That So ?”, she said as she pulled another drag on her ciggy. “And I’m invited, I take it ?”
“Why...Sure”, Peanut said. “I’m, um....Peanut, by the way, and de rest are.....”
“I know who you are, Larry Romano”, Binky said, blowing a smoke ring.
Peanut was stunned. “You....Youse knows my name ? Howzat ?”
Binky did smile then. “Cause you’re famous, don’cha know. A real Internet Sensation.” She swept an arm out in an inclusive gesture. “I know who all of yous are.”
“Hows can dat be ?”, Peanut wondered, still a bit unsure. He had heard of these things, although in the backwards Vale Valley to this point, he had never so much as seen a You-Tube video.
“You’ve all gone viral, is how”, Binky said. “I don’t guess you all would understand it, though. Maybe Johnny and Lola would, since theys been out in the world.”
“Hey, I can unnerstand stuff”, Peanut retorted, a bit put off.
“Not sayin’ you couldn’t”, Binky suddenly tittered, with a small laugh. “No offense there. Just that, yous all don’t know, is all.”
Mollified somewhat, Peanut said, “Wells, none taken, I guess. Johnny says it’s a big world out there, at dat.”
“Dat it is”, Binky returned, pulling another drag off her ciggy and looking at Peanut speculatively. “Say, if’n you don’t mind my askin’, how’d you get called Peanut ?”
“It’s uhhh....”, Peanut fumbled, looking around, “It be cause of me bein’ so.....Short.”
“Short, huh ?”, Binky said. “You’re taller that me.” She looked around. “I noticed lots are tall ones around here. Even the girls.”
“Everyone’s so tall !!”, Peanut exclaimed with venom. “Tired of all these tall punks around !! Even the short little kids gets tall !!”
“You know”, Binky said with an ironic smirk, “We could make our own short club at this here place. Like, the magical daily life of Peanut and Binky the short.”
“Yeah, could”, Peanut said. “I’se gets so pissed wid all of dis. Could use some-o-dem elevator boots like youse girls.”
“This ?”, Binky said, sticking out her leg which was clad in a stylish thigh-high 4-inch heel boot. “Still not high enough to be tall, not even close. Look funny on you, though.”
Peanut broke a smile. “Naw, guess not.” He watched as she finished her smoke and then dropped it, grinding it out with the same booted foot she had just displayed to him. Peanut’s gaze was riveted on her shapely leg as she ground the butt back and forth. To distract himself, he said, “Your name can’t really be Binky. Dat’s like a baby name or someptin.”
“Nope, that’s right, it’s not”, Binky said. She pulled out a piece of bubble-gum from her vest pocket and proceeded to lick it with her tongue before popping it into her mouth and starting to chew.
Peanut was watching her moves closely. “So....What is it, den ?”
Binky just chewed her gum without answering, finally blowing a bubble and popping it.
“So, youse ain’t a-gonna tell me, huh ?”, Peanut said after a while.
“Nope”, Binky said and popped another bubble.
“So...Why not ?”, Peanut said with mock dismay. “It’s not fair, youse knows mine, y’know.”
“A goirl gotta have some secrets”, Binky said with a smarmy laugh. She blew and popped another bubble. “I didn’t say I’d never tell. Maybe, if’n I get to know you better...”
“Oh...”, Peanut said. “Umm....So, youse wanna hang ? Since we gonna be in the same club and all ?”
Binky looked at him a long moment. Then she said, “Sure”, followed by another blown bubble. Peanut slouched against the wall beside her and shook a ciggy out of his pack and lit it. Binky gave him a sidelong look, and the corner of her mouth turned up in a lopsided smile.
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