The pink ladies made plans at lunchtime to rehearse after school much to Stephanie's chagrin. She hadn't expected entering the talent show to become so all-consuming, but then she had put Sharon in charge. Big mistake, the girl was a born slave driver.

"Do we really need to rehearse after school?" she grumbled giving Sharon a resentful look.

"Yes Stephanie, we do," Sharon said with exaggerated patience.

"Look I'll play my part but I've got bigger stuff to deal with."

Sharon pulled a face at Paulette, who raised her eyebrows in return.

"Bigger stuff?" Paulette asked tentatively. "You mean with Johnny?"

Stephanie groaned, did Paulette think the world revolved around him? Dumb question, of course, she did.

"I'm busy with school work and working at the service station," she said feeling distant from them. "I don't have time for all this shit."

"That's a rather negative attitude," Sharon said, her lips pursed.

"I said I'll play my part!"

They glared at each other and Paulette awkwardly coughed. "Hey guys, did I tell you my mom wants me to invite Johnny over for dinner?"

"Really?" Rhonda asked wide-eyed. "Are you going to?"

"I'm not sure, I don't wanna scare him off."

"Louis comes over for dinner all the time," Sharon said, slightly superior. "It's no big deal if he likes you."

Paulette's face fell. "We can't all have the perfect relationship like you. I don't want to come on too strong."

Rhonda stifled a giggle and Stephanie resisted the temptation to bang her head on the table. Why did all conversations have to lead back to the T birds?

"Guys why don't you focus on something else in your lives," she said exasperated.

Rhonda gaped at her. "Like what?"

"Like anything! You're all obsessed with having T bird boyfriends. Do you even like these guys?" They all started to protest but she cut them off, she was done with biting her tongue.

"Paulette why on earth are you throwing yourself at Johnny?" She gave her a quizzical look. "Seriously he's nothing special, I should know. Would you give these guys the time of day if they weren't T birds?"

Rhonda and Sharon rolled their eyes at each other but Paulette spoke up.

"Steph, I understand it might be hard for you not being with Johnny anymore," she began and Stephanie spluttered.

"I don't want to be with Johnny or any of the T birds. They're assholes."

"I think you are being very unfair pulling our relationships apart just because you don't have one of your own," Sharon said her eyes blazing.

"Relationships?" Steph scoffed. "Is that what you call them? Well, we can all see exactly where your relationship is heading!"

Sharon slammed her knife down and Rhonda quickly spoke up.

"I don't know what's gotten into you Steph but you're out of order saying that." Her voice rose an octave. "None of us are saying the T birds are perfect but why are you picking our lives apart? We'd never do that to you."

Stephanie felt the wind leave her sails. "Okay I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," she said her shoulders sagging. "I guess I'm just fed up. It's our last year of high school and I'm not making the most of it. I want something more in my life."

"We all get down from time to time," Paulette said somewhat mollified, while Sharon sat tight-lipped and Rhonda concentrated on her lunch. Steph shrugged, if they didn't want to accept her apology that was their problem. She wasn't sure she meant it anyway.

~~~

Michael jumped at the chance to stay back after school and play the piano for the pink ladies. It wasn't like he had anything better to do and it gave him a chance to get closer to Stephanie Zinone. He watched Sharon running through some stage directions with Rhonda, and Dolores sidled over to him. She sat down looking bored.

"How come you're here?" he asked since she was only a freshman.

She pulled a face. "Paulette roped me in to help out with props and I get a ride home with Rhonda so I suppose it's worth it."

Michael nodded, remembering Paulette was her older sister although they couldn't be less alike. "I see."

"So what about you?" She looked at him closely. "I guess Stephanie's a big attraction."

He looked over at Steph and sighed. "She doesn't even know I exist. I might as well be part of the furniture."

"You and Johnny both," Dolores said inclining her head in the direction of the T bird leader. He sat with his legs sprawled out in front of him, feigning nonchalance, his eyes flitting from Stephanie to every other girl in the room.

"Don't put me in the same category as Nogerelli," Michael said grimacing. He'd had something of a breakthrough with Louis and Davey, thanks largely to their 'essays for cash' arrangement but Johnny was openly hostile to him.

"You should forget about Steph," Dolores said her brows furrowing. "She's a pink lady so she can only date T birds."

"So how do you become a T bird?"

Dolores's eyes widened. "I dunno, I guess that's down to Johnny. But would you seriously want to hang out with those jerks?"

Michael shook his head. No way could he see him and Johnny ever being bosom buddies.

~~~

Sharon stood at the side of the stage getting ready to cue Rhonda in. She signalled for her to make her entrance but Louis and Davey were slow in opening the doors, and she was out of time with the music. Sharon waved her arms, calling them to a halt.

"That was your fault," she said glaring at the two T birds. "Honestly, I ask you to do one thing."

Davey caught Louis's eye. "Can't you do something about her?" he grumbled, and Louis shrugged.

"Okay, try again," Sharon said pretending she couldn't hear their complaints. Rhonda restarted, and she breathed a sigh of relief that she was in time with the music. However, just as she was about to exit the stage Paulette ran in apologising loudly for being late. Rhonda jumped, hitting herself in the face with the tree branch she was carrying.

"For god's sake, I've had it being a tree," she yelled, throwing the branch down in frustration.

"Well swap parts with Paulette," Sharon snapped. "Then we won't have to keep reorganising everything cos she's always late!"

"But I want to be summer," Paulette said pouting. "It's got the sexiest costume. No way am I dressing up as a tree or Halloween!"

"Well, Rhonda can't have my part," Sharon said irritably. Since she was directing she'd taken the part of spring which she'd played when she'd performed the piece originally. She didn't want to learn a new part when she was already doing the bulk of the work.

"Look, it doesn't matter," Rhonda said resigned. "But if I poke someone's eye out don't blame me."

"If you concentrate you won't." She let Paulette take to the stage but as Johnny was watching, Paulette spent more time hamming it up for him than performing correctly. Sharon was fuming by the end and they all skulked away, desperate to avoid her.

"That's right, leave me to do everything," she muttered under her breath as she tidied up, only Louis staying back to help her.

"You were giving them a hard time," he said and she scowled at him.

"They wanted to do this but they can't be bothered to put the effort in."

"Yeah but you're making everyone miserable."

"Cos I want to do this properly?" she spat. "Right, I'll leave them to it, and when we put on a totally amateurish performance they'll only have themselves to blame." She stuffed Steph's costume into a box not caring that it would get creased.

"Just relax, you've got months to get this right," Louis said.

"That attitude will see us make no progress at all." If she was going to do this then she wanted to do it well.

Louis pulled her into his arms attempting to distract her. "How about I take you out on Saturday night, and take your mind off this," he cajoled nibbling her ear.

She sighed. "I think we're all going to a drive-in on Saturday. Paulette said Johnny was sorting out cars."

Louis groaned. "We don't have to go, I'm pretty sure we'd have a better time doing something by ourselves."

She felt her cheeks start to heat up. "I guess it was awkward last time we went to a drive-in with Stephanie," she said trying to sound blase. "Remember her and Johnny couldn't stop bickering?"

"So let's swerve it," Louis said grinning at her. "We'll do something by ourselves."

In the end, she agreed, she could always tell the others she had homework to catch up on.

~~~

Thank you for reading, please vote if you enjoyed this chapter. The prequel for this story 'Girl Code' is on my profile page.