Danny Zuko

Chapter 25

Do you know when you get that feeling that everyone is talking about you? I get that feeling a lot and most of the it's probably pure paranoia, but this time I felt pretty sure.

While I was left alone in the bathroom, wiping away the never ending blood from my ear, the girls were talking fairly loud, I could heard everything they were saying but I tuned it out because my main focus was my bleeding ear lobe.

Right around the time when I went to rejoin them though, their voices got very hushed sounding and there was more giggling.

I tried to open the bathroom door a crack, silently so I could eavesdrop.

"I bet she's still a virgin." Reese said matter-of-factly.

Was I 'she'? I strained to hear the conversation better.

"There's nothing wrong with being a virgin." I saw Franny shrug. "Some people just haven't found anybody special enough."

I was grateful for Franny's comment, it was good to know she was defending me. Assuming that I was the topic of conversation.

"But she was so infatuated with Danny." Reese pointed out, putting a mocking emphasis on the word infatuated. "And she was alone with him for weeks at a time and I'd bet you a million bucks that they never so much as saw each other naked."

I knew for sure they were talking about me, now. Maybe I should've just barged into the room then as a way of letting them know I heard what they were saying and was upset about it without words, but I just stood there.

Reese was right. Me and Danny never got intimate. I guess it never really crossed my mind. Sure I thought about it, but I never seriously considered doing it and Danny never brought it up. It would've been so easy to get away with too, with me and Danny being alone in a house for so long.

Perhaps if Danny really wanted to, I would've but maybe Reese was right, I was a goody two shoes to the point that it got annoying.

"She's probably waiting until after marriage." Martha said with a small snicker.

Martha was one of the nice ones.

"Look at me," Reese said standing up on the bed and doing a high pitched valley girl voice I hoped sounded nothing like me. "I'm Sandra Dee. I'm a virgin and I won't go to bed until I'm legally wed."

Is that how people saw me?

There was a chorus of laughter after that.

"I can't!" Reese continued. I leaned against the door so I could see and hear better. "I'm Sandra Dee."

There was a hint of arrogance in Reese's 'impression' of me and my first thought was that I'm literally the opposite of arrogant. But the more I thought about it, maybe I was a little arrogant. How many times have I told myself that I'm better than Reese, better than everyone in the room?

She made a melodramatic face and clutched her heart with one hand.

"I don't drink." Reese said, starting a count with her fingers.

"Why, of course not." Jane said, joining in with the ridicule.

"I don't curse." Reese listed off.

"Never!" Franny quipped mocking Reese's voice.

"When I shampoo my hair, I rinse and repeat." Reese said sticking her nose up in the air.

She actually wasn't wrong.

"How else are you supposed to do it?!" Martha said sarcastically, gaining more giggles from everyone.

"I'm too cool for drugs." Reese added.

Franny opened her mouth to add something but I leaned against the door too much, nearly falling on my face and bringing attention to myself. Everyone whipped their heads around to face me, almost in perfect unison.

I could see panic on all of the girl's faces, except Reese, as they wondered how long I had been listening. Reese jumped down from Martha's bed and sat down with a smug grin planted on her face.

"Were you guys making fun of me?" I asked quietly.

It was a stupid question. I knew they were making fun of me, but I didn't know what else to say.

I felt kind of accepted and respected by all of them and now I felt like everyone saw me as a joke.

Silence followed and I'm pretty sure the hurt was evident on my face.

"Some people are so sensitive." Reese said, rolling her eyes breaking the silence.

I didn't say anything else and sat in the same spot next to Franny where I was sitting before and tried my best to pretend it didn't happen. No one brought it up for the rest of the night, but every once and awhile I got some guilty looks from them.

Usually I would be more upset over something like this, but I still couldn't stop thinking about what happened with Danny earlier.

Seeing Reese and everyone mock me showed me how everyone really saw me. That's why Danny didn't want to be seen or associated with me. And honestly, I didn't blame him.