They slept peacefully wrapped up in the blankets and each other, blissfully unaware that reality awaited them at sunrise. The carnival, their friends, singing and dancing, it was all a lot of fun. But the roller coaster ride would soon come to an end, and they would have to figure out a way to make this relationship work after graduation. They had so many things to work through, things to get past. Sure she was decked out in leather, lipstick and high heels, but that was all Frenchy. Could she maintain an exciting enough lifestyle to keep Danny interested? Would she wake up wondering if sleeping with him was a bad decision? The excitement of the day, and the heat between them... He promised he loved her, and she believed him. She knew her heart belonged to him as well. So what about him? Would he be good enough for her parents? Would he grow out of his bad boy persona, and love her even when the excitement wore off? They wanted to be together so badly, and spent the whole school year getting in their own way. They were through with misunderstandings and foolish pride. They agreed last night, they wanted to be together, and they would figure things out.
Sandy woke up to Danny leaning on his elbow with his head in his hand, staring at her. She smiled. "How long have you been staring at me sleep?" She was a little embarrassed.
"Not long. I just can't believe we're finally together. That you're here with me."
"No more games, no more misunderstandings. Agreed?" He smiled and nodded. Then he leaned into her ever so slowly and kissed her. And for another couple of hours they would remain in their bubble of bliss.
***
Graduation wasn't until 7pm, so the gang made a pact to meet up at the Frosty Palace at noon. Everyone was so excited that Danny and Sandy got back together, and Rizzo and Kenickie were on the mend as well. It seemed all was good in the group. Frenchy had picked up Sandy earlier and taken her home to shower and get dressed, so her mom wouldn't know she spent the night with Danny. Kenickie and Danny arrived first, and Rizzo moments later. They razzed Danny about his first night alone with Sandy, and he was all smiles. He just couldn't help himself. He was genuinely happy, maybe for the first time in his life. "So now what?" Kenickie asked. He and Rizzo waited for a response, wondering if Danny and Sandy had even talked about anything beyond today.
"What do you mean, now what?"
Kenickie and Rizzo looked at each other. Rizzo reminded Danny, "Isn't Sandy going off to college in a couple of months? You do remember she's an honor student, right?" They could tell by the look on his face, the corners of his smile sinking down to a straight line, he hadn't given it much thought before now. "Ah, you got all summer. You'll figure it out."
"Yeah, we'll figure it out." He felt small inside. How could he be so foolish to think one day, one night, would change everything. Maybe because it did for him. Danny was finally able to admit to himself that he really loved Sandy. He wanted to be with her, and he hadn't thought about all the other stuff. He looked at his watch, and then the door. Sandy and Frenchy walked in and the others flagged them down from across the restaurant. Sandy looked beautiful. There was something different about her. She had shed the goody two shoes look, but hadn't adopted the sexpot look from the carnival either. She had managed to strike the perfect balance between the two. She was wearing blue petal pushers with a short sleeve button up blouse, with top button undone. Her hair, still wavy from yesterday's curls, was tied back in a ponytail with a blue scarf to match her petal pushers. French had done her make-up, but today instead of the bold red lipstick she wore pink lip gloss- totally kissable.
Sandy sat down next to Danny. With the smile of a school boy crush, Danny's baby blue eyes sparkled when he looked at her. Everyone else was so tickled these two had finally came around to find each other. Danny suppressed the nerves he was feeling about the future conversation. They had plenty of time to talk, he told himself. For now, he just wanted to hang out with his friends and look forward to graduation.
***
After lunch and lots of laughter with their friends, Danny drove Sandy home. They were both like giddy school children, kissing every time they stopped at a red light. They talked about Rizzo and Kenickie and how nice it was they worked things out after all their drama this year. They giggled wondering if Frenchy and Sonny were finally going to take their relationship to the next level. Danny was happy in a way he never thought possible. He had been waiting for years to finish high school and get out of his house. His parents had so many of their own problems, they couldn't be bothered with him. His older sister moved out two years prior, and promised once he graduated, he could move in with her as long as he got a job. Danny never really thought about the future beyond getting out and away from his parents. He started to wonder if there would even be a place for him in Sandy's future. He wanted to wait to ask her, but he couldn't take it anymore. He tried to rehearse it in his head a couple of times before saying anything. But then without warning he just blurted it out, just like Kenickie.
"So now what?" It barely escaped his lips before he became self-conscious. He felt insecure and ill prepared for what might come out of the conversation. But it was too late.
"What do you mean, now what?" Take me home so I can get ready for graduation.
"I will. But that's not what I meant." Now she was confused.
"I mean, what about us? What happens to us now?" He remembered their promise to stop playing games and be honest with one another. Embarrassed or not, he needed to know what would happen. He and Sandy had spent so much time apart, he realized when Kenickie asked this afternoon, he didn't know what Sandy's plans were for after graduation. It had been weighing on his mind all afternoon. Would she be leaving him? "Are you gonna leave me? Are you going away?"
Sandy had also been lost in the excitement of their reconciliation and had forgotten all about her plans for college. She had several choices, and she knew Danny had none. "Going to college wouldn't mean leaving you. Even if I leave California, I wouldn't be leaving you." This was not going to go well. She could already tell.
"You got into USC, right? How about USC? Then we can still be together and you can go to college. I can get a job, we can get a place together..." He was practically begging. He had finally made the choices he needed to make to let Sandy back in his life. He didn't want to lose her again.
"Let's just get through graduation first. We'll talk about this later." They sat quietly until he pulled into her driveway. They looked seriously into each other's eyes. He touched her cheek and dragged his hand along the side of her face and under her chin. She kissed him.
"I love you Sandy." She smiled warmly.
"I love you too, Danny." And he drove off wondering when the conversation would continue.
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