Cool Rider (Grease 2)

Chapter 9

Sharon heard a quiet rat-a-tat-tat on her bedroom door.

'Come in,' she called smiling, knowing who it would be.

'Hey,' Louis said sitting down on the side of her bed. 'What are you doing hiding up here?'

'Recovering.' She was still in pain but more than anything she was tired. Her mom had been pushing her to do more, saying it would speed up her recovery, and she felt exhausted. The thought of doing anything more strenuous than watching TV did not appeal.

'You know, this is the first time you mom has told me to go up to your room without telling me to leave the door open,' Louis said smirking. Sharon pulled a face, her mom was now far more approving of her boyfriend, no doubt feeling guilty he'd been there when she wasn't. She still wasn't sure how she felt about that, part of her did feel her mom had put some random date first, the other part remembered she hadn't insisted her mom stay with her. She'd kinda hoped she'd stay out of concern for her well being.

Louis kicked his sneakers off and sat next to her on the bed. She leaned against him wrapping her arm around his waist, and he pulled her closer. She sighed feeling happier than she had in ages.

'I've missed you,' Louis said kissing the top of her head.

'You saw me every day at hospital.' She was amazed he'd visisted without fail every day after work. Even when she was too tired to speak, he'd been there, holding her hand.

'It wasn't the same though, being with you now, like this, it's different.' She rested her head against him, feeling his heart beat as she braced herself for what she had to say.

'I'm different now Louis.' He looked at her uncomprehending, and she moved away slightly. 'I'm disfigured.' He pulled a face looking incredulous.

'What! You mean cos they cut you open?'

She turned to look at him as she tried to explain.

'Yeah it's a cut, with a scar, and stitches across, it's absolutely hideous.' She couldn't stand to look at it herself, how could anyone else?

'Oh, well at least it's in a place no one can see it, unless you want them to that is.' He grinned at her and she looked away, she knew he wouldn't take her seriously.

'Do you want me to take a look at it?' he asked. 'You're carrying on like it's a big deal and I bet it isn't.' Yeah wait till you see it, she thought.

'No, you'll be repulsed. You won't want to be with me any more.' He started laughing and tried to turn it into a cough.

'You seriously think it's gonna make a difference to how I feel?' She frowned.

'Yeah it will. I guess that's a good thing, you and nobody else is going to want me now. You have my permission to move on to an unspoiled girl.' She sighed dramatically, and he tried not to laugh again.

'Right well, I think you should show me.' She paused, and sat up. 'Come on Sharon, if I'm gonna dump you over a scar I should at least see it.' She went to pull her skirt up, and then thought better of it, and unzipped the back lowering the waist band down over her hips. Louis sucked his breath in as she revealed the ten centimeter scar.

'Wow.' She guessed he hadn't expected the cut to be so big, and purple, and painful looking. She quickly pulled her skirt back up.

'See, you can leave now, we'll just be friends.'

'Will you stop being so ridiculous! Yeah it's bad, bad as in you must be in agony. I really don't care what it looks like though.' She looked at him uncertainly, she knew she was always seeking reasons to doubt him, putting up whatever obstacle she could find.

'I'm not in pain, well not like I was, it's just sore.' She folded her arms across her chest.

'Sharon before all this happened, I had a surprise for you. It seems kinda pathetic now, like I want to give you something that means more after this happened.' She frowned not following, and he reached into his jacket.

'Remember Johnny gave Paulette that old ring of his.' Sharon nodded. Paulette had been wearing some piece of tin, that was far too big for her finger, on a chain around your neck. It was hardly a nice piece of jewellery but Sharon knew what it meant to Paulette. 'Well I wanted to get you a ring, but one you could wear. That day of the baseball game, that's where I was.' He passed her a small box and she took it tentatively.

'Louis what does this mean?' He shrugged, clearly struggling to think of the words.

'I'm not sure, after everything that's happened well I guess I want it to mean more than what I did.' She looked at him nervously before opening the box.

'Oh,' she saw the ring, with her birth stone glistening in it. 'Louis you shouldn't have...' He put his arm around her shuffling up to her on the bed.

'Yeah I should, I mean I never got you a friendship ring, and after all this time, well I think you deserve more than that anyway.' Her face broke into a smile.

'But Lou, after what's happened, I mean my scar...' She grimaced again.

'I don't care about some dumb scar. I want us to be together. And now I'm working I want to move out as soon as I can, and I want you to move in with me.' She looked at him a range of emotions flitting across her face.

'Oh Louis, I don't know if I could. I mean live together. What would my mother say?' She knew her mother wouldn't approve, never mind what her dad would say.

'Do you think your mom will ever approve of anything?' She bit her lip, he'd got her there. 'And in the meantime, I was thinking we could go away together, before the end of summer.' She felt her stomach lurch, she knew what that meant.

'I'm not sure.' They'd talked about it before, in a round about sort of way, and of course she did want to spend some time alone with him but she knew what he'd expect would happen.

'I'd have to come up with a pretty convincing excuse to tell my mom,' she said not wanting to dismiss the idea out of hand.

'You could say you were going away with Rhonda or Steph,' Louis suggested. 'So long as you called her she wouldn't be worried, and well, it's not like she worries that much anyway.' A shadow crossed her face as she knew what he was alluding to.

'Maybe,' she said. 'And say I was to agree to move in with you, how would I get her to agree to that one?' Louis smiled.

'When the time comes we'll work it out. Right now I can't move out anyway, but when I can, I'd want you to come with me.' She supposed it was nice she was included in his plans.

'But I'm supposed to be going to college....' She drifted off, she wasn't hugely struck on the plan, again it was down to her mother's coercion.

'You could still go to college, or you could stay at home. Either way, I'd look after you. All you'd have to do is make sure I got up in the morning, oh and maybe make dinner.' She laughed.

'You just want an alarm clock that cooks!' He grinned back at her.

'So is that a yes?' She smiled trying the ring on, it was definitely a maybe.

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