Welcome to Rydell High! It's 1959 in sunshine-filled California. Kathryn starts public school at Rydell after a big move from her rural town due to her behavior. When her mother enrolled her into Rydell, she had no idea that this would just empower...
"I'm not the bad guy, here," Leo's accent dragging his vowels out like worn-out elastic.
I scoffed.
"I didn't," he paused, drawing in a breath and adjusting his footing on the cool floor. "I didn't want us to ever end up like this. Screw the T Birds, Rydell, my dad, whoeva'."
The room grew humid. Leo was locked and loaded and I could tell by the look in his eye I was in for it.
"Things ain't been right with you not around." His voice dropped an octave lower as he stared down at my knees in front of him.
"Sure looks like you can do perfectly fine without me," I pushed my weight up with my palms to try and move out of his stare. A tight lipped grin plastered itself on my face as I rolled my lips together.
He interjected, letting out a sarcastic chuckle under his breath. "I-," he started.
"No, Leo. You don't get to tell me you weren't having a blast with that chick at the flicks, eyeballing her, and acting like I was this square girl who couldn't be enough to fill your time. We spent most of our time together with you telling me who I couldn't dare be around you you'd flip your lid!"
He was never receptive to me spilling my mind. Somehow something would be my fault, but once again I laid it out for him in clear, bold print.
Leo cocked his head to the side, scratching at his nose, his brows raised for a moment. "Kat, I don't know how to fix this. She's no one! You know I care about you, don't you?" His thumb softly grazed my knee, his head tilting back in exasperation.
"I was just the one chick to help you get your kicks and crawl in the backseat of your car," I said lowly. I kept my eyes focused behind him towards the doorway as they became cloudy.
He reached his hand out to my jaw, his pinky pressed under my chin. The lines around his eyes grew softer and his bottom lip pouted heavy I found my face doing the same as I shifted my watery eyes into his.
I couldn't help but see flashes of this bow-legged girl's face he had been messing with.
Had he let her see this delicate, child-like part of him?
My eyes stung and my heart felt like it was in my throat.
"I can't do this," I sniffed, swatting his hand away from me with my own before rubbing at my eyes with the knuckle of my thumb.
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I pushed him aside to step back into the living room where Leo's mother stood, arms crossed in the doorway. Her brittle form stood slumped on a wall's corner, her face reading she knew of our talk.
