Carmen reached back into the studebaker for her purse, school had been boring since Frenchy dropped out and often times she never even bothered going to class.
But that day was different, the National bandstand were coming in little under a week and she still didn't have a date. So that morning she set out to find one, anyone, well not anyone.
"Could she wear anything less?" Danny tutted watching his cousin strut across the school car park.
"Stop looking then." Kenickie replied attempting to cover the fact he was looking too but for different reasons.
"Hey you still going to the dance?" Danny asked turning to his best friend.
"Man, I'm going to have the hottest date there." Kenickie replied. His plan was fairly simple, if Carmen wouldn't accept him showing her how he felt then he would make her realise what she was losing. But things could never be that simple.
*
"Hiya Tom." Carmen smiled and waved. Her plan was simple, get Tom to ask her to the dance, get over Kenickie and make him jealous in the process. And of course it wouldn't hurt to help out Danny either.
"Hi Carmen." He chuckled awkwardly.
"How ya doing?" She asked walking closer to him so she could play with his shirt flirtatiously.
"Ha, alright." He replied simply, still just as awkward as before.
"You got a date for the dance, Tom?" Carmen asked looking up into his eyes.
"Huh, no. Why?" Tom asked seeming lost in her eyes.
"Well neither do I." She sighed, working her sad puppy dog charms. Planting the message in his head.
"Well, uhh. Maybe you could go with me?" He asked smiling at the prospect.
"Oh my god, really." Carmen smiled widely, charming him further.
*
"You got a date to the dance then?" Rizzo asked looking back to Carmen who was shuffling in her baby blue dress as Frenchy attempted to fix the hem.
"Yeah, no one special." Carmen smiled looking back at herself in the mirror.
"Don't say that Carmen, I'm sure the prettiest girl in the schools got the best date there." Frenchy stated, making Baby blush and Rizzo snarl at the thought.
"I wonder if Danny's going to take Sandy?" Marty asked looking up at Frenchys ceiling while sat in her prom dress.
"Nah she'll be going with that airhead walrus." Rizzo replied, smiling at her own insult.
"Yeah but he's sure good looking." Marty countered, filling Carmen with a little more pride and reassurance that her plan would work.
"You going with Putz, Jan?" Carmen asked changing the subject as she stepped away from Frenchy and towards the mirror so she could check her dress.
"Yeah, I mean I hope so. He hasn't asked me yet but we're going to the drive in tomorrow and I think he'll ask me."
"Nice." Carmen replied before checking the time and realising she had to rush off. "I'm sorry girls but I've got a family dinner in ten minutes so I best be off."
*
Carmen reentered her childhood home to see her sister handing out plates and laughing at something someone else had said.
"Hi ma," Carmen muttered hugging her mother as she pulled her into the house to greet the family. "Hey, uhh, w-what's Kathleen doing back home?"
"Oh baby, she's here for the weekend. And she's brought a boy!" Their mother squealed, moving Carmen further into the living room.
Baby greeted her relatives and hugged her sister before seating herself at the table with an empty seat next to her as Danny was yet to arrive.
But it wasn't too long before the front door burst open again and Danny was rushing in with someone behind him.
"Sorry I'm late, uhh... aunt have you got enough for one more?" She replied with an open "yes" and Carmen expected to see Sandy walk through the door, instead a tall, dirty-blonde haired boy who she knew all too well came to sit next to her.
Danny pulled up an extra chair and squeezed in on the other side of his little cousin, making a remark on how well Kathleen looked and preparing to eat.
"Oh, Kenickie. Lovely to see you son, we haven't had you for dinner in years." Carmen's mother noted, walking out of the kitchen with another plate.
"Yeah thanks for having me." Kenickie replied smiling awkwardly and turning to Danny and Carmen who both shrugged lightly.
"Well, John. Say grace." Carmen's mother called to her husband as she took her seat.
After grace was said they all dug in to their meals content with the food, however Carmen was weary of the situation.
"Why are you here?" Carmen whispered within taking small bites of her food.
"Why are you here?" Kenickie whispered back, annoying the girl.
"Shut up, answer my question."
"Don't worry I'm not here to ask you to the dance." Kenickie whispered back in a slightly bitter tone. He was still somewhat mad at her for turning him down and she was somewhat still mad about him sleeping with Rizzo after their encounter.
"So Kathleen, how did you meet Michael?" Carmen's mother spoke loudly, unintentionally breaking Carmen and Kenickie's conversation.
"We met at the library in the college campus." Kathy replied smiling wildly looking back between her mother and her new boyfriend.
"Michael did you meet everybody?" Carmen's dad called making conversation with the seemingly nervous boy.
He replied with a no and then Carmen's father went around the table recalling everyone's names and how they related to Kathleen.
"And that's Danny, Kathy's cousin. Carmen, Kathleen's baby sister, and Kenickie, uhh- a family friend." Carmen despised being known as her Kathleen's baby sister but the nickname Baby never shook and everyone she knew, knew Kathleen first.
"I hear prom is next week, huh?" Kathy asked looking over at the three in their senior year. "You got dates yet?"
"Yeah." All three said fairly proudly in unison.
Carmen smiled and returned to stabbing the meat on her plate as Danny talked about Sandy adoringly before remembering his reputation and the fact Kenickie was watching.
"How about you Baby?"
"Oh me. Well umm..." She stalled thinking of something to say after Danny's love letter. "Uhh, he's uhh." They all began to stare and all words had left Carmen's head. "Um, his name is Tom." She finally said after swallowing.
"No way!" Kenickie and Danny both called, shocked by her final reply.
"Well that's nice Baby." Carmen's mother said and Kathleen replied with something of the same effect before someone changed the subject.
"What the hell are you thinking, Tom?" Kenickie said still in shock, as the rest of the table spoke louder.
"I don't know. At least he doesn't make unwanted advances." Carmen muttered back staring down at her plate.
"How much do you believe that, huh." Kenickie countered.
"Yeah well he's not you." She whispered back wanting to leave the table as soon as possible.
"Don't act like you haven't wanted to be with me since you were ten." Kenickie replied.
"Shut up." Carmen spat out before falling back into her chair with a huff.