Cool Rider (Grease 2)

Chapter 37

"Will you be okay while I'm at work?" Louis asked Sharon as he got his stuff together. It had been days since they'd found out her mom had died and Sharon was strangely discompassionate, barely reacting to events. At first, he'd been relieved that she wasn't distraught, now he was getting unnerved by it.

Sharon stared blankly at him for a moment, an expression that was becoming all too familiar. "Of course I'll be okay," she finally said.

"Rhonda said she'd stop by this afternoon.' He gave her a wry smile. "I told her not to bring Goose."

Sharon nodded. "So everyone knows about my mom now?"

"Rhonda's going to let your friends know, those that haven't heard already." He'd breathed a sigh of relief when Rhonda had offered, feeling completely out of his depth when imparting the news.

"I might visit Paulette today," Sharon said as she idly curled her hair around her finger. "I was going to go on Sunday but I've got sidetracked with everything."

"Sharon?"

"Yes?" 

"Do you really feel up to going to see her?" He frowned. "I mean your mom's just died, and Paulette, well she's Paulette. Half the time you're at each other's throats."

She pursed her lips. "We are not Louis, don't exaggerate."

Louis shook his head, his sense of unease deepening. "You should rest, you didn't sleep last night-"

"I'm fine," Sharon insisted her voice rising an octave. "I'm not tired."

"You have to be."

"I'm not!"

Louis let out a weary sigh, he could hardly argue with her but she was wrong. She hadn't slept, she was barely eating, she hadn't cried, it was not normal. He wasn't the most sensitive of guys but even he could see that.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" he asked trying a different approach. "I told your dad I'd look after you, I can call work and tell them I'm sick."

She smiled ever so slightly. "Don't do that, dad wouldn't think you were very good husband material if you skived off work. And I won't be alone, every day half the family show up. I'll put money on it that Joanne will be around raiding mom's jewellery box before long."

Louis made himself laugh. "I could see that happening...Okay, I guess I should go. Promise you'll eat some of that pasta mom brought over."

Sharon rolled her eyes. "Pasta for breakfast?"

"You know what I mean, and don't go to the hospital, it's too soon." Sharon nodded and he couldn't remember the last time she was so agreeable. He ought to like it but it was just too weird. "At the weekend do you want to go and look for an engagement ring? See what you'd like."

Her eyes widened. "Okay, that would be nice." 

"And we should probably tell my mom before she hears it on the grapevine."

"I guess," Sharon said hesitantly.

"Look she's going to take it better than your dad did, stop worrying." He smiled reassuringly but Sharon looked unconvinced. He almost told her that in light of her bereavement his mom wouldn't dare raise a murmur but that would be tactless even for him. True but tactless.

***

"Look at you," Dolores exclaimed sitting down by Paulette's bedside. "Is there nothing you won't do to keep Johnny?"

Paulette tried to frown but her face was still too swollen for the expression to register. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well he can't dump you now, you're practically a cripple."