Cool Rider (Grease 2)

Chapter 27

Paulette spent most of Saturday with a sense of nervous anticipation bubbling away inside of her. It was her birthday on Sunday but Johnny had promised to take her out that evening saying who wanted to celebrate their birthday on a Sunday night? She had to agree, it was a more sedate sort of a day. And he'd promised not to make her wait for her present!

She smiled as she applied her make up. She'd seen him passing money to Sharon, and that could only be for one thing. He wanted to get her a gift she'd really love so he was entrusting her friend to select it. Ok, she'd have liked him to choose it himself but she guessed he'd have the final say. Probably he'd already gone with Sharon to pick something out and Sharon was going to get it for him? Maybe he'd had her try rings on to get an idea of Paulette's size? He was kinda dumb and wouldn't realise they had completely different finger sizes.

"So where's Johnny taking you tonight?" Dolores asked as she watched her get ready.

"We're going to the Italian that's just opened up. Johnny said he wants to treat me."

"You should go out with your friends and let your hair down."

Paulette smiled. "Johnny is my best friend," she insisted as she smoothed her dress down. "The girls can't compete."

"That's dumb Paulette, he's just some guy." Dolores pulled a face like she was the world's worse suck up.

"I love him, one day you'll understand." She looked at Dolores, momentarily forgetting about herself. Dolores was going out with a guy who was far too old for her but the relationship seemed more like friends hanging out. She detected zero romance. "Dolores, what's the story with you and Davey?"

"I love him," Dolores said glibly and Paulette rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, what's going on there?"

Dolores sat down on her bed letting out a deep sigh. "We're friends, who the hell cares?"

"I care, I'm your sister. Davey is too old for you but I'm not picking up the vibes he's like a regular boyfriend."

"Well he ain't like Johnny," Dolores said laughing. "But you don't need to worry. We have a mutually convenient arrangement."

Paulette frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We're boyfriend-girlfriend, that's all you need to know. It works for us."

Paulette shook her head, that made no sense at all. However, she wasn't sufficiently interested to probe Dolores any further. So long as Davey didn't take advantage, that was all that really mattered.

***

Louis stood in Johnny's mom's kitchen leaning against the counter as Sharon fussed about. On the one hand, he wasn't surprised she'd taken Paulette's surprise party on, on the other he was deeply irritated that Johnny was taking liberties.

"Louis, could you help us by buttering the bread for the sandwiches?" Sharon asked as she turned the heat up on a pan of water.

"No Sharon, I can't."

She spun around indignantly. "Why not? You're here, aren't you? Why can't you do one thing to help me?" 

He saw Rhonda stifle a giggle, and he let out an exasperated sigh. "Cos I don't know why you're going to all this trouble for Johnny in the first place."

"It's for Paulette," Sharon said dropping some eggs into the pan of boiling water with enough force to have cracked them.

"And what's Paulette ever done for you?" 

"He's gotta point," Rhonda said rubbing her hands on her apron. "Paulette wouldn't do a fraction of this for either of us."

Sharon looked at the both, a small frown on her face. "Well, sometimes it's nice to be nice."