Baby come back

𝓣𝔀𝓮𝓵𝓿𝓮

Carmen didn't go to school Monday morning, it was only a week until Christmas break but her mother allowed her to stay home when she sat with tears in her eyes the whole weekend.

Despite the heartbreak, nothing really was wrong with her and so Danny arrived to pick her up the next morning.

"Can you drop me round the block please?" Baby muttered, staring out of the window in attempt to avoid eye contact.

"Baby, what the hell happened between you and Kenickie, because I'm fed up of the two of you acting sour and lying to me about it." Danny raised his voice slightly, trying to get something out of his little cousin.

"Danny just leave it."

"Oh come on Carmen, if it's that bad I'll beat him up for ya, just tell me."

"Don't beat him up, it's just what happened at the dance. But forget it, it's not important."

"Baby don't tell me he touched you." Danny raised his voice in concern.

"No no, of course not. We just had an argument but I don't want to talk about it so can we just leave it."

"Fine." He huffed a response and push his hand into the steering wheel.

Once they got to school Carmen separated from her cousin and walked towards her locker. She managed to avoid just about everyone as she made her way, but when she got to her locker Frenchie stood smiling towards her.

"Hey Baby, where were you yesterday? We were all worried sick."

"I'm all good, just felt a bit under the weather you know." Carmen lied. Frenchie could tell, but was too sweet to inquire any further. "How's everyone," Baby asked, wondering if Kenickie felt the same as she did.

"Everyone's good, well... Rizz also wasn't in yesterday, I haven't seen her actually at all."

"Mhm, well I better get going." Carmen replied grabbing her books and walking away from her locker.

"Oh Baby! I almost forgot, Kenickie said he wanted to talk to you!" Frenchie shouted down the hall.

Carmen brushed it off however, really she wanted to talk to him too but out of sheer self respect she decided to ignore his attempts at winning her back. She made her way to English, forgetting that he sat in front of her.

"You have the book right?"

"Off course I have the book, Kenickie who do you think I am, some lowlife hood who doesn't even know how to write their own name?"

"Well would you mind ever so kindly letting me borrow it for a minute?" She muttered a sure under her breath and passed it to her side, avoiding eye contact.

He sat there with the book upside down trying to grab her attention and make her subtly snigger or mutter something silly under her breath like she normally would, but this time Carmen was only aggravated, "Hey, what were we actually supposed to do with this then huh?"

"Kenickie, just give me the book." She snatched it back and sat tight in her seat.

"Baby, look I know I fucked up but seriously you know I didn't mean to. Just let me take you out, one last time."

"No. I don't want to share a pie with you at a diner and go up to that cliff where you take all the girls to shack off in your car with. I'm not like Rizz and all the other girls you hang with."

"Baby... come on."

"Shut up Kenickie, your luck's run out. Try actually caring about a girl for once."

"Carmen-" He was abruptly cut off by the late arrival of their English teacher before he wouldn't speak to her again for the rest of the day.

*

"Hey you know what's weird?" Marty asked the group of girls sat round for lunch.

"No, what?" Carmen replied halfheartedly.

"We haven't had lunch all of us together, Rizz, you and Sandy all together this year since the first day." Marty remarked.

"Well you know we have other things to do unlike you, miss." Carmen added.

"Yeah, sure like you have anything more to do than me. You know I'm very committed to my nine overseas admirers, since when was the last time you even looked at a boy?"

"Of course I have... Tom."

"Come on Baby we all know that was just for show." French commented.

"Yeah well I talk to boys all the time. I mean I was speaking to one all summer."

"Oh yeah right, this mystery man that none of us saw and somehow just disappeared." Marty laughed.

"How do you know you've never met him, maybe I've just been good at hiding who it is."

"Yeah right, as if he was right under our noses the whole time." Marty continued to laugh loudly.

"You never know, I mean look at me and Putz." Jan added.

"Jan, that's no secret sweetie."

"No but she's right. I could be living a double life for all you know." Carmen reassured.

"I hope not!" Danny remarked in response, appearing behind his baby cousin.

"Well what do you think boys, could Baby have a secret boyfriend that we don't know about?" Marty asked, making Carmen go red in the face.

"Well she could, I've got plenty of secret girlfriends you girls don't know about." Kenickie smiled. The other girls scoffing in disgust.

"Ok well, you coming to the drive-in later?" Danny diverted the conversation.

"Sure whats on?" Baby asked.

"I don't know, but bring your own cars please I'm taking Sandy."

"Oooooh!" The girls chorused.

"See you later!" Danny said, walking off as the T-birds followed. The pink ladies started talking again but Carmen couldn't help but feel a little odd, a sense that something was wrong.

She twisted slightly in her seat to watch as they walked away, Kenickie turning back too for a brief moment. Their eyes locked in a melancholy gaze, as they silently yearned for one another.