'So where's Johnny taking you?' Dolores asked as Paulette preened in front of the mirror. Paulette sighed.

'We're only going for burgers, and as usual Goose and Rhonda have crashed our date.' She'd told Johnny more than once that Goose was cramping their style. She was almost convinced he loved Johnny more than she did!

'Well you don't have to worry about me and Davey tagging along, we're going to the movies.' Paulette frowned, Davey had to be a good three years older than Dolores, she'd like to know what he was playing at. Mentally he might be on her wavelength but still, it was downright weird.

'Just be careful with Davey ok?' Dolores rolled her eyes.

'Careful Paulette you're sounding like you care.' Paulette pulled a face, of course she cared but Dolores was such a pain it was hard to show it. She looked at herself critically in the mirror, her roots could do with a touch up, and she swore she was putting on weight. Her face seemed rounder, and in her peddle pushers she could see a little roll of fat around the waist band. She scowled at her reflection. It had taken a lot of effort for her to loose the puppy fat, and now she getting content with Johnny it was coming back. She heard a knock at the door, and pushed past Dolores hoping it was Johnny coming early for her, she wasn't disappointed.

'Hi Johnny!' She was instantly made happy by his appearance, eagerly letting him in. 'I wasn't expecting you yet.' He looked at her smiling.

'It's not a problem is it?'

'Of course not! Go sit down.' They went into the living room, and she told herself not to sound so keen, it wasn't cool, the guy should make the advances. But looking at him in his tight black shirt and jeans, he was hard for her to resist. They sat down together.

'Have you heard about Sharon?' She looked at him blankly. 'She's in hospital, she has a burst appendix, Lou called me this morning.' Paulette gasped.

'What are you talking about?'

'Sharon was taken into hospital last night.' Johnny spoke slowly as if she were a child. 'She's had her appendix taken out, it sounds like she's pretty ill.' Shame washed over Paulette as she remembered how she'd been joking.

'Gosh, Rhonda said she had stomach ache....'

'Well it was obviously a lot worse than that, apparently she could have died.' Paulette shuddered, her and Sharon didn't always see eye to eye but she was one of her best friends.

'We'll have to go see her.' She'd take Sharon some grapes or something, that's what you did when people were in hospital.

'We can't just yet, she's still recovering from the operation, Lou said it's family only.'

'Oh it must be bad.' She looked up at Johnny, imagining if something like that happened to him. She'd be distraught, after waiting so long for him she didn't like to think of anything ever coming between them.

                                                                   ~~~

'Hey Johnny!' Goose yelled at them as soon as they set food in the burger bar. He stood up waving them over, while Rhonda smiled but looked a little weary. Paulette wondered if she got tired of the double dating as well.

'We held off on ordering until you got here,' Rhonda said looking at her watch, and making it was clear they were late.

'Oh we just lost track of time,' Paulette said ignoring the implied criticism, Rhonda was so ratty lately.

'Is that right?' Goose raised his eyebrow, the innuendo clear, but Rhonda grabbed the menu seemingly not interested in talking to them. Paulette felt a little annoyed with her, she didn't have to come along.

'Actually I held us up, Johnny was early but I wanted to call the hospital before we set off.' She was deliberately vague, and Rhonda's head shot up, her eyes wide. 'Oh you haven't heard? Sharon's in hospital.' Rhonda gasped.

'Never! Why?' Paulette imparted the news. 'Is she ok?'

'Well that's why I called the hospital, to see how she was. She's recovering but she can't have visitors yet.' Goose and Rhonda exchanged looks.

'I guess that's not how Dimucci was expecting the night to go,' Goose said trying to laugh, and Johnny half smiled.

'And there you were saying Sharon had had a miscarriage,' Rhonda said accusing Paulette. They all looked at her, and Paulette felt her cheeks heating up.

'I was only joking, I didn't really think that.' She looked down feeling awkward.

'So why say it?' Rhonda asked. Paulette's heckles went up, they knew she hadn't been serious.

'I dunno, I was just messing on. Sharon would know it was a joke.' Rhonda rolled her eyes at Goose, and Paulette knew her excuse was lame. In all likelihood Sharon would go off the deep end if she heard her gossiping like that. She looked at Johnny hoping he'd say something.

'Don't look at me Paulette.' Rhonda raised her eyebrows at Goose, and Paulette didn't miss her smug expression.

'You know Rhonda, I'd knock it off with all these superior faces you're pulling.' Her voice rose an octave, and Johnny squeezed her knee. 'I mean you saw Sharon yesterday, didn't you think there was something wrong? I find it hard to believe she was pretty much ok when you were on her doorstep, and what, an hour later she was being rushed to hospital by Louis's mom.' Now it was Rhonda who flushed, and Goose was looked at Johnny in bafflement.

'I just thought she had period pain or something,' Rhonda said, and Goose snickered.

'I think she'd have said she had period pain if that's what it was.' Paulette wasn't going to let it go, Rhonda had made her feel bad, now she was going to dish it back.

'I can only go on what Sharon said!' Rhonda raised her voice, and Johnny gave Paulette a warning look.

'The thing is Rhonda, you didn't ask did you? You were too busy being pissed off cos Sharon didn't call to cancel, and you had a wasted journey. Even though Sharon's house is on the way to the Bowlarama. How petty was that?' Paulette's eyes met Rhonda's and she was startled when Rhonda suddenly pushed the table back.

'I'm leaving, I'm not staying here to be accused of doing something I didn't do!' Rhonda grabbed her jacket, as Goose pleaded with her to calm down, shooting Paulette a desperate look. Paulette ignored him, she wasn't going to apologise for pointing out the facts, and she was almost relived when the pair of them left. She turned to Johnny, and he shuck his head.

'Why'd you do that Paulette?'

'I wasn't going to sit back quietly while Rhonda tried to make me feel bad for making a stupid joke. I shouldn't have said it but in the grand scheme of things what Rhonda did was worse.' Johnny looked at her, his expression hard to read.

'Paulette do you honestly think Rhonda would have left Sharon if she'd known how ill she was?'

'But that's my point Johnny! She didn't know cos she didn't care enough to ask. Rhonda's changed, she's not the friend she used to be, and Sharon could have died because of her.' She sat back satisfied that she was right, and she was glad she had defended herself. The days of Paulette Rebchuck getting pushed around were over!

                                                             ~~~

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