Grease 2

Chapter 4

Louis

We park up by Rhonda's car outside Frosty Palace, and we're all giving Johnny a wide berth. None of us know what to say about Steph kissing Shakespeare, it's downright disrespectful to Johnny but he's overplayed his hand. Now we all know how little Steph cares for him, I mean to go and publicly humiliate him like that. We go inside and Johnny struts over to the pink ladies like nothing's even happened, and we pull up seats at their table.

'Where's Paulette?' I ask Sharon.

'Reapplying her make up,' Sharon says with a pointed look at Johnny who shifts under her gaze.

'You chicks get over emotional,' he says and Goose laughs.

'Well personally I think you owe Paulette an apology,' Sharon tells him and Johnny turns to me scowling. I know he expects me to keep her in check but I pretend I don't know what his look means. He's been a jerk and he knows it.

'Sharon's right,' Rhonda says butting in and Goose groans.

'Shut it Rhon, it ain't nothing to do with us.' Rhonda glares at Goose, he's an idiot to fall out with her over Johnny. Paulette comes back and Johnny goes to order, he doesn't even look at her, he probably blames her for what had happened with Steph.

'He's a jerk Paulette,' Stephanie says. 'I should know, don't waste you're time on him.'

'Listen to her, she knows what she's talking about,' Sharon adds. Davey looks at me and I can see he's thinking that we can't just sit there while they slate Johnny.

'Johnny's just confused,' Paulette says. 'I guess it's hard for him coming to terms with your relationship ending, this is part of the grieving process.' Us guys burst out laughing, Paulette's deluded, no way is Johnny hurting, well except for his ego.

'Why don't I give you a ride home?' I say to Sharon when Johnny comes back and we all pretend we haven't been talking about him.

'It's ok, Rhonda will drop me off.' She's playing hard to get as usual.

'Well I was thinking I wouldn't take you straight home.' I watch her pretending to consider. I can see Davey is listening in and I turn away from him slightly. Sometimes I think he's a bit too interested in my relationship with Sharon, like maybe he's after her himself.

'Alright, so long as I don't get home too late, you know what my mom's like,' she eventually says. I don't know what her mom's like, Sharon makes out that she's an ogre but she seems ok to me, no different to any other parent really. I think the issue is that Sharon prefers her dad, god knows why since he cheated on her mom and dumped them all but that's the impression I get.

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Sharon

Louis parks up at the edge of the woods and I look at him suspiciously.

'Come on,' he says grabbing my hand and leading me through some trees to a clearing by the lake.

'Why are we here?' I ask as he wraps his arms around me, really I don't have to ask.

'Well we won't get disturbed here,' he says and we sit down looking at the lake.

'Not unless a bear catcher comes along or something,' I complain. He laughs cos I'm being ridiculous, exaggerating as usual. But I think it's kinda creepy, with the moon shining on the lake, and it makes me shiver.

'Do you want my jacket?' he asks.

'No I'm fine.' However, I wrap my arms around him to keep warm. Big mistake, he takes that as a total come on. I'm happy enough to let him kiss me but I don't want to go too far, especially not out in the middle of nowhere.

'Louis.'  I push him away from me.

'What?'

'I'm getting leaves in my hair.' I sit up trying to comb through it with my fingers whilst he takes his jacket off and places it behind me.

'There your hair won't get messed up now,' he says pushing me back down. My distraction technique has barely worked, and yet as he kisses me, and I kiss him back I'm thinking how easy it would be to just not stop him. Cos I know he won't stop, he'll do whatever I let him. I sit up again, my heart's actually pounding.

'What's wrong?'

'You don't think I'm actually going to do it with you right here?' I ask and he grins.

'Well....what if I found somewhere we could go, somewhere nice.'

'No!' I snap.

'Ah come on Sharon.' He sounds hard done to and I give him my best indignant look. I know exactly where that would lead, a baby nine months later, no thank you!

'Sorry,' he says pulling me back into his arms.

'I'll have to go soon, you know my mom....'

'She's not that bad,' he says. 'Oh I meant to ask, why were you getting all worked up earlier when Goose was asking about your new clothes?' Damn, I can't believe he's remembered that!

'I didn't like his tone.' I try not to sound annoyed. 'I mean obviously my parents gave me the money, so why the interrogation?'

'Cos you were being cagey about it,' Louis says and I'm ready to snap. I make myself keep my temper, Louis doesn't really know how I feel and I'm not sure I want to tell him.

'Look my parents try and compete with each other, they're always getting me and Joanne stuff.'

'And what's wrong with that?'

'Well it's just like a transaction to them,' I say sighing.

'It's probably their way of showing they care.' I can see that Louis doesn't quite understand.

'Well it doesn't make me feel that great.' I don't want to go into how utterly shit it does make me feel, that they'd rather give me their money than their time.

'You know I could make you feel pretty great,' Louis jokes, his mind never far from one thing. I swat his arm away and tell him we'd better get going. I'm glad to get off the personal conversation even if he is trying to lead me into another one.

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