1961 // louis dimucci

Chapter 25

"Look, I'm not saying that he wants to marry you!" Rhonda exclaims as I'm changing my into my night clothes.

"Then what are you saying, Rhonda?" I ask her. Honestly, she goes on and on about Louis and all the things he's done that means "he likes me", but doesn't mean that he actually "likes" me? I don't know what she's getting at.

"I'm saying," She pauses, "That somewhere, deep down, he has feelings for you."

"Yeah, feelings of hatred and disgust."

"You know he doesn't think that!" She shouts, "He's just jealous!"

"Of what?!"

"Of Michael!" She throws her hands up in the air, like it was obvious, "Don't you see how angry he gets when you mention him?!"

"That's just because he hates me!" I sit down on the floor, cross-legged.

"Nooooo!" She throws a pillow at me, "It's because he wants to be in Michael's position. You and Michael aren't even dating yet and you've already done the dirty. He hasn't got to third base with Sharon yet!"

"I only slept with him once!" I throw the pink pillow back at her, smacking her in the face.

"Watch the nose! And anyways, that's more than Louis has!" She lays on her stomach, facing me, with her face resting in her hands, "And do you not even remember when he went crazy and started a fist fight with Michael?"

I nod, "He only did that becau-"

"Because Goose told him about you and Michael!"

"Goose didn't tell him that! He wouldn't have known!"

"Um..." Rhonda gives me a guilty look, "Goose came over and... well, I kinda told him."

"What?! Rhonda!" I scream at her.

"I'm sorry, okay? But, seriously, Chloe, think about it."

"About what?"

"About all the times he's shown any interest in you as more than a friend!" She jumps up and her bed, "I can count some off the top of my head! What about the first day of school, where Balmudo tried to hit on you?"

"That was nothing! That was-"

"More than nothing! Don't kid yourself, you know he likes you. Remember that night at the bowling alley where he kept calling you pretty? And don't pretend like you guys didn't come up to my room, alone, for two different nights!"

"Rhonda, I'm telling you, that didn't mean anything! Plus-"

"Oh, and when we were in Biology and I thought you and Michael did it and he got mad and told me to shut up and-"

"Rhonda, would you quit interrupting me?!" I scold her. She won't let me get a word out, "I'm trying to tell you that it was nothing. He just hates me, okay? Don't over analyze things."

"I'm analyzing things at the perfect level to analyze things!"

"What?"

"Anybody can see that he wants you. You can just tell by the way he looks at you," She says, "I think even Sharon is noticing."

"You're insane," I tell her, standing up and looking through her piles of records.

"You're just dumb," She says, "What guy would hit Michael just because he tried to talk to you?"

"A crazy one."

"Crazy in love."

"Rhonda!" I abandon the records and turn to face her, "Could you shut up about Louis?"

"You even look at him the same way he looks at you!" She nods furiously, "You may not realize, but you do."

"Do not."

"I bet you think about his butt in those jeans."

"Why would I think about his butt? I'd be thinking about his perfect hands!" I say.

She grins at me. Shit.

"I didn't mean that, I mean, c'mon, his hands aren't even that perfect, and to be completely honest, they're just mediocre, nothing special about them, just regular boring old hands-"

"You totally want his perfect hands running all over your body! I bet you picture them holding your waist while kisses you and sliding down to touch your butt or even sliding UP to grab your tits or-"

"No! Rhonda!" I shout. I start to picture all the things she mentioned. Feeling his strong, but gentle hands gripping my hips as we make out - Ugh. No! I can't be thinking like this. I don't even like him, "I don't like him! Or his stupid hands!"

"Whatever you say, perfect hands."