"So where are you going tonight?" Paulette's mom asked she watched her touch up her lipstick.

"Frosty's Palace," Paulette said her eyes shining. "I have a date."

"With who? Have your father and I met him?"

Paulette held in a groan. "Yeah, I think you have met him. I'm going with Johnny Nogerelli."

Her mom paused, her brows furrowing. "Stephanie's boyfriend? You're going on a date with Stephanie's boyfriend?"

"He's not her boyfriend," she said smiling tightly, fluffing her hair up. "They broke up ages ago."

"Even so," her mom said shaking her head. "It's a bit too close to home. You're going to throw your friendship away over some boy."

"Don't be silly, Steph's cool with me and Johnny getting together. Besides, she dumped him."

Her mom gave her a stern look. "So you're going out with one of her cast-offs? Don't you have more self-respect than that?"

"Why are you always so down on me?" Paulette snapped her good mood evaporating. "I've liked Johnny for ages and he finally asks me out and now you're making me feel like shit about it."

"Language!"

"I mean it, mom." She imagined herself as a tragic heroine in an old fashioned romance and managed to make her eyes well up. "I like him and I've been looking forward to tonight but you're spoiling it already." 

"I'm sorry but I don't want you putting some boy before your friendships," her mom said more conciliatory. "But if this Johnny means so much to you, invite him round to dinner. Your father and I would like to meet him."

She gulped taken aback. "Thanks, I'll ask him."

"You do that."

"Yeah, I will." Maybe in a month or two, maybe a year...I don't wanna scare him off.

~~~

"Now promise you won't get mad Rhonda," Goose said as they made their way into Frosty's Palace.

She let go of his hand and glared at him. "What have you done now?"

He shrugged looking sheepish. "Just a favour, for a friend." He cocked his head towards the queue waiting to be served, and Rhonda spotted Johnny and Paulette. "Johnny wanted us to double date with them, just so Paulette doesn't start reading too much into things."

"God forbid," she said sourly. "I'd hate her to think going on a date with a guy meant he liked her."

"Rhonda..."

"Don't worry, I'll play nice." She gave Paulette a quick wave and was rewarded with a tight smile which conveyed Paulette was as disappointed with the double date as she was.

"I hope he doesn't make her pay for her food," she whispered as she watched Johnny placing their order.

Goose laughed. "He'll probably make her pay for his!"

Rhonda peered at them and was relieved to see Paulette didn't get her purse out. That was something at least. She turned her attention back to Goose.

"Anyway, how come you won't help us out with the talent show? Dimucci and Davey are," she said as they sat down. "We could do with some more guys to work on props, we have a pretty big performance planned."

'You know it's not my thing," Goose said scratching his head as if he were mulling it over. "And besides, Lou has ulterior motives. He's not helping you guys out of the goodness of his heart."

"Ulterior motives?"

"Do I have to spell it out, you know what I mean. Anyways, how'd Sharon get all these geeks helping you guys out?"

"I dunno." She was amazed that Sharon had got kids she'd barely passed the time of day with to come on board as backing singers and help with props. Nerds like Eugene had jumped at the chance when she'd turned on the charm.

"What's this about ulterior motives?"Johnny asked as he sat down joining them. "Sorry if I'm intruding but I couldn't help overhearing?"

Paulette perched herself next to him, linking her arm through his. "Yes, do tell us."

"We were speculating as to why Dimucci is helping Sharon out with the talent show," Goose said.

"Sometimes it makes sense to be a team player," Johnny said giving Paulette a studied look.

"I think it's quite sweet of him," she said, putting on a breathy Marilyn voice. "You guys probably don't know but he helps Sharon with her math work too."

Johnny and Goose gaped at her.

"For real?" Johnny said. "They do math together?"

Goose snickered. "I think that's the new name for something else they're doing."

Paulette giggled but Rhonda was irritated.

"Knock it off Goose," she said giving Paulette a hard look. "Making stupid, crude comments isn't funny." Goose shrugged, and Paulette rolled her eyes making Rhonda feel like a killjoy.

"On the subject of the talent contest," Johnny said pausing for effect. "I've decided the T Birds should enter."

Goose started to laugh, and Johnny looked at him straight-faced.

"Aw, no way," he protested, his eyes widening. "We got zero talent, we can't even juggle balls."

Johnny looked affronted. "What are you talking about, we're T Birds." He adjusted the collar on his jacket as if to emphasise the point. "I'm sure we can pull something out of the bag."

"Oh you'll be fantastic," Paulette cooed. "And we'll get to hang out at rehearsals."

"Yeah, we will."

Rhonda looked at Johnny suspiciously. Did he want to hang out with Paulette or Stephanie?

"Well, if you guys enter, I think I can safely say my performance won't be the worst," she said in an attempt at humour.

"No it won't be," Johnny said grinning. "So long as you control yourself with those branches. I saw you nearly take out Davey."

She laughed but Paulette stayed quiet, and she realised Johnny had revealed that he'd watched their first rehearsal. Was he watching Steph?

"So we know Dimucci and Sharon are doing homework tonight," Johnny said casually. "Where's Stephanie, what's her excuse for ghosting us?" Paulette crossed her arms, her lips pursed.

"I dunno," Rhonda said. "Maybe helping her dad out."

"I guess we ain't good enough for her." Johnny stretched out as if he didn't much care but Rhonda wasn't fooled. "She always has a reason to bail on us."

"There's plenty more fish in the sea," Goose said.

"Yeah, there is." Johnny looked at Paulette, a half-smile on his face, and her pout relaxed.

"So what's your act going to be?" she asked simpering at him. Johnny looked at her blankly, clearly, he hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Whatever it is, you'll ace it," she said giving him a big smile.

Rhonda cringed, could Paulette be any more of a creep? Johnny seemed happy enough with her response but Rhonda couldn't help suspecting Dimucci wasn't the only one with ulterior motives.

~~~

"Try not to get wound up about it, you're only making it harder," Louis said as he went through Sharon's math homework, correcting her mistakes. They were sat in her bedroom, and for all he kept trying to explain it, she was too tired to understand. She threw herself back against her pillow dramatically, and Louis looked at her bemused.

"Look, all you have to do is remember the formula, it doesn't matter if you get it. So long as you remember the formula you'll get the answer right."

"I guess," she said but she found it so boring she struggled to retain the information. It didn't help that she'd over-committed herself with the talent show in her eagerness to take charge of something.

"Why don't we leave it for a bit," he suggested laying on his side next to her. "You won't remember anything when you're tired." He leaned over to kiss her and she smiled as his mouth met hers. She parted her lips letting him deepen the kiss, her mind now far from her math work. Her body began to tingle as Louis kissed her neck, and she momentarily froze.

"Relax," he said, his hand stroking her thigh. She trembled thinking the problem was she was getting too relaxed with him. Way too relaxed. She felt his hand inching up her leg, her skirt riding up.

"Louis," she said pushing his hand back down. "Don't."

He stopped kissing her, leaning back to look at her closely. "I do like you, Sharon," he said, almost stumbling over the words in his eagerness to sound sincere. "I like, really, really like you."

She looked back at him her eyebrows knotted together. After nearly six months of dating, she thought it was a given that they at least liked each other.

"Okay," she finally said, seriously underwhelmed. "You like me."

"Yeah, I like you a lot." He moved closer to her again, and she let him kiss her until he started to unbutton her blouse.

Her heartbeat quickened. "Louis, my mother is downstairs, stop it."

Reluctantly he pulled back, kissing her softly. "Sorry," he said. "But say your mother wasn't downstairs? Say we were here alone?"

"Seriously?" He smirked at her. "No way, Louis, no."

"Why not?"

"I'm not ready to."

"Okay," he said turning his attention back to her math work. "No problem."

She quickly rearranged her clothes, buttoning her blouse back up, and trying to calm herself down. It was pretty clear what his intentions were, and no way was she ready for that. But if she didn't do it, would he still like her? She imagined the girls would be lining up to take her place if he dumped her. And worse of all, he knew it.

~~~