1961 // louis dimucci

Chapter 12

Maybe the best plan is just to pretend like it never happened.

The next day at school, she doesn't bring it up. Everytime we Birds meet up with the Pink Ladies this week, Chloe doesn't say anything about what happened. In fact, she barely even talks to me at all.

Oh God. What if she's mad at me or somethin'? 

But why would she be mad at me?

She probably is. Maybe because I almost kissed her when I'm still dating Sharon.

Do I tell Sharon? Nah, it'll just upset her. It didn't mean anything anyways... Right? It was purely an accident. It just kind of... happened?

What am I saying?! We didn't do anything!

"DiMucci!" Johnny snaps his fingers in my face, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"What is up with you?!" He exclaims, "You've been distracted all week!"

"Oh, um, yeah, I'm just distracted."

"Well, undistract yourself because we have to audition for the talent show tomorrow and we need to get in it to beat the girls!" 

"Yeah, beat the girls!" Goose copies him. I roll my eyes.

"Do you even have the song written?" I ask Johnny, who just shrugs. I take a deep breath and sigh. This is going to be a long night.

The next day comes and goes, and the only good thing that happened was that we managed to pull ourselves together for to write some part of a song. It isn't too good at the moment, but I'm sure we'll be ready by the end of the school year.

Now, as I was saying, that was the only good thing. The bad thing was that Sharon and I got in a fight. It all started after the audition, when we went bowling...

"Louis!!" Sharon shrieks at me.

"What?" I say, watching Chloe get up to bowl her turn.

She lowers her voice and whispers angrily, "You're staring at her again."

"Who?"

She somehow drops her voice even lower so that I can barely even hear her and whispers, 

"Chloe."

"What?! No! I-I'm not!" I glance over at Chloe again, hoping she isn't hearing this conversation. I wasn't staring! I mean, I couldn't have been...

"Yes, you are!" She crosses her arms, "I've been watching you."

"Look, I wasn't starin'," I mumble back, shifting nervously in my seat. We're starting to attract attention.

"I watched you!!" She shouts.

"Sharon, you're makin' a scene..." I mutter. I wish I could just disappear right now.

"Maybe I want to make a scene!!"

"Guys, what's going on?" Rhonda cuts in, looking very confused.

"Oh!" Sharon laughs, "What's going on?" She laughs some more.

Oh God. She's going crazy.

"I think you should ask Louis," She jumps up and looks at me angrily, "what's going on!"

The Birds and the Pink Ladies both stare expectantly at me.

"Sharon," I stand up and grab her by the arm, "Can we talk?"

"No," She tries to get out of my hold, but I drag her back to the front of the bowling alley where the pinball machines are.

"Louis! Louis, let me go!"

I let her go as soon as we're right in front of Johnny's favorite pinball machine.

"Sharon, will you calm down?!" She crosses her arms again, and makes a "hmph" noise.

"Listen, I wasn't starin' at her. I'm just tired, tryna get all those essays done," I lie, hoping she buys it, "So I just zoned out a little bit. Is that so bad?"

She stays silent for a moment and then, "You've been looking at her a lot lately..."

Have I?!

"Sharon... I'm sorry. I swear, it's not international."

"Intentional."

"Yeah, whatever. Do you forgive me?"

"I don't know, Louis. I feel like you've been hanging out with her more than me..."

"I told you, I'm sorry," I say, "What else do ya want me to do? Pledge that I won't look at anyone ever again?" I start to grow impatient.

"Fine, I knew you weren't really sorry," She says bitterly and spins around. I grab her shoulder before she can go any farther, and I lean in and kiss her.

Pulling back, I say, "I'm sorry, Sharon. I mean it."

She stares at me for a minute and I begin to fidget. Is she going to do anything?!

"Okay," She smiles, "I forgive you. Let's go bowl," I hold out my hand for her and she places her hand in mine.