Melinda's First Kiss

*Note: This is a "Grease" FanFiction story.*

While Mason and I are sharing a dance together, everyone else is having fun getting refreshments, drinks, and other things, minding their own business. Even Blare seems to have gone out for some time, so she may have taken Mason at his word that he and I are “just friends.” “Are you having a good time tonight?” he asks me.

“Of course I am,” I reply. “I’m with you.”

He smiles as he pulls me in closer to him. And then, without another word… We kiss on the lips. The moment is perfect. It goes on for another minute, and then we let go. I am catching my breath, and he is holding my hand. I can’t believe we just did that! “Mason…” I say, but there isn’t anything else I can say.

“Shh, don’t speak. Just enjoy the moment,” he says.

And that I do. After a moment of dancing, Mason and I decide to take a break to grab a bite of the refreshments and sit down for a while. “Isn’t this fun?” he says. “You know, just sitting back and watching everyone else have fun.”

“It is,” I reply. “Sometimes it’s best to sit back and have a nice, refreshing drink.”

“You got that right,” he says as he gives me a kiss. “Excuse me while I go to the restroom.”

“Take your time, I’ll be right here.” I give him a flirtatious smile. He blows me a kiss before he leaves. As soon as he leaves, the Thunderbirds come over to our table, obviously to take a break from all the dancing.

“How are you guys holding up?” I ask.

“Dancing’s been fun and all, but boy, it’s a real handful,” Sonny replies.

“You can say that again, Sonny,” says Danny. “I shouldn’t even be complaining, being that I’m on the track team.”

“Dancing is good exercise too, you know,” I tell him.

He shrugs. “Ah, well…”

Putzie is repetitively sighing, and I can’t help but wonder what seems to be the matter. It’s like everyone else is having the time of their lives tonight except for him. “Is something wrong, Putzie?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he replies with another sigh. “I came here dateless. I must have been the only one who paid five bucks to come to this God-forsaken thing.”

“Buddy, you have us. You don’t need no girl,” Doody reassures him.

“Easy for you to say,” Putzie says with a scoff. “At least you don’t have some guy who’s dancing with your girl.”

“He’s talking about Jan,” Danny says to me.

I have no idea that Putzie was actually interested in Jan. Marco seems to like her, but they’re here as each other’s dates. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I say to Putzie. “She’s here with my brother, Marco.”

Putzie then gives me an incredulous look. “Wait a minute, you and Marco are twins?” he asks.

I’m surprised he never knew that. “Of course we are,” I reply. “He’s my twin brother.”

“Oh, wow, I’m an idiot.” He chuckles. “I should’ve figured. I know that he bears a creepy resemblance to you. Creepy being a relative term, I mean. You’re actually pretty hot, you know.”

I chuckled, slightly flattered. “Thanks, I guess. If you want, I’ll tell Jan that she deserves to dance with you.”

“It’s fine, Melinda,” he says. “Thanks for your help, though.”

“Are you sure? I want you to have a good time tonight.”

“Maybe later before we all leave.”

“That’s a good deal, Roger,” says Kenickie. “You get one dance with Jan, and she’ll instantly forget all about that Marco kid.”

“Who happens to be my brother,” I add.

“Right, yeah.”

“I hope you’re right, Murdoch,” Putzie says to Kenickie. “And also, what did I tell you about calling me Roger?”

Kenickie chuckles, clearly getting a kick out of it. “I just like getting a kick out of it, that’s all.”

Mason then returns from the restroom, and greets the guys. “How are y’all enjoying yourselves tonight?” he asks.

“It’s great,” replies Danny. “We just came to get some food and fuel ourselves up for the rest of the night. It’s gonna be a pretty long night, that I can tell.”

“Sure is,” says Mason.

“I’m just sulking over being without a date,” says Putzie. “I really wanted to share a dance with Jan, but she’s been pretty busy with Marco for the past few hours.”

“Don’t look, but I think she’s coming over here now,” says Mason.

Jan and Marco come up behind our table to get refreshments. “Hey, guys, what’s up?” says Marco.

“Not much, you?” I say.

“We’re having a great time.” Jan grins as she munches on a mini hot dog. Then she notices Putzie’s sulking, then asks, “Oh, no, Putzie, what’s wrong? You came here without a date?”

He nods in response.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you just say so? If you wanted me to dance with you, you could’ve just said so.” She smiles at him.

Putzie smiles, feeling somewhat better. “Do you really mean it, Jan?”

“Of course. I mean, as long as it’s okay with you, Marco?” She turns to my brother.

“Of course!” Marco replies. “You and Putzie should dance together. I won’t get in the way of that.”

Excited, Jan forgets all about the refreshments she came to get, grabs Putzie’s hand and drags him onto the dance floor. It’s clear that they are passionate about each other. Carl and Laralee are also dancing together, with Patty Simcox and a nerd guy named Eugene joining in on them.

A little while later, we return to the dance floor. Frenchy and Doody are sharing a dance. I have never seen her that happy before, especially in the presence of a guy. “I love you, Anthony,” she says to him in a whisper.

“I love you more, gorgeous,” he says as they share a passionate kiss. Inspiring me to do the same with Mason.

“Have I told you that you looked so handsome tonight?” I am doing my best to flirt with him.

“I love it when you boost my ego like that,” he replies. “You’re as sweet as the compliments you give out.”

I giggle like a little girl as he kisses me. And just then, I see Blare… And she is watching us! I stop dead in my tracks. Mason certainly doesn’t seem to notice. But I do. I want to reach out to her, say something. But she runs off, feeling heartbroken. I guess I blew it. I blew every single ounce of trust she was beginning to have in Mason. I should probably leave well enough alone.

“Melinda, is something wrong?” Mason asks me. He finally notices.

“Oh, no… Just a little bit tired,” I reply.

“Brace yourself, then; it’s gonna be the longest night of our lives.” Yeah, the longest night indeed.

The dance turns out to be the best night of our lives. A very memorable time full of fun, food, and music and spending quality time with all our friends. Or so I think. That Monday, the craziest thing has just happened. There is a rumor going around Rydell High…

About me. It was started by Blare, and apparently, she has been going around telling everyone that I am pregnant and it belongs to Carl. That’s right, Carl, Mason’s best friend. I never thought she would stoop so low.

It’s pretty awkward that people are coming up to me, asking, “Is it true?” and other things of that nature. No, of course it’s not true. But now, I am truly the laughingstock of Rydell High.

A bunch of jocks---not the Thunderbirds---come up to me, and one guy says, “Hey, Roberts… So, you and Carl, huh? How long has it been going on?”

“Oh, knock it off, you smart-ass,” I snap.

The guys laugh to themselves as they leave, and I can hear another guy say, “Of course she doesn’t have a definite answer for that. For the new girl, she’s certainly earned herself a not-so-good reputation. She’s probably gonna get expelled.”

I hope that’s not true that I will get expelled! That’s the last thing that I want for my first year at Rydell High, which is now a living nightmare. How can Blare do this to me?

The Rosy Ladies come up to me, all wondering (and hoping) if it’s untrue. “Is it true, Melinda?” Frenchy asks me. “We’re just curious.”

“No, of course it’s not true,” I reply. “I am not seeing Carl behind Mason’s back. I really like Mason a lot. I would never do anything to hurt him. You guys have to believe me.”

“Chill out, woman. We believe you.” Rizzo says with a grin. “If you really want to become one of us, you have to be woman enough not to be hurt by such dumb rumors. Which we know to be false.”

“Rizzo’s right,” says Marty. “You learn to stand your own ground. You don’t let your rival win. So that means… Congratulations, you’re officially a Rosy Lady for life!” She hands out the jacket that Rizzo has given her to give to me. “Keep this for your record. You don’t have to wear it just yet, but you know it’s yours and you’ve earned it.”

I am speechless. Did I really just become a Rosy Lady? This is a dream come true; I can’t believe it! “So… Beautiful. Thanks, guys.” I am glancing at the leather jacket with admiration. It’s not a dream, though. It’s reality. And if it isn’t bad enough, guess who shows up?

“So, you really did want to be a Rosy Lady all along?” she challenges me. “What’ll Mason think of that?”

I want to tell her off, but I don’t want to risk expulsion. Mason and Carl then arrive, and they’re just as surprised at the rumors as I am. “Mason, please try to understand…” I say to him.

“I know it’s not true, relax.” He reassures me.

“I trust you, Melinda,” Carl reassures me. “There’s nothing going on between us.”

“Oh, really?” Blare says to them. “Well, how do you explain… This?” She takes out a small piece of paper and gives it to Mason.

Mason reads it aloud, “‘Mason, I’m sorry to say this, but I have to call it quits. I am really more interested in Carl.’”

“What?” I gasp. “I did not write that! You’re a liar, Blare. I didn’t write that.”

She scoffs. “Seems like your handwriting to me.”

“You must’ve forged it!”

“I did no such thing.” She walks away. I know that Blare refuses to accept responsibility for starting that rumor and forging that note, but as a new Rosy Lady, I am not going to let her get away with it. It’s like letting her get away with murder.

“Melinda, this does look like your handwriting,” Mason says. “I’d know. We’re in the same bio class, and I’ve seen your writing.”

“Okay, but could it also be possible that Blare has been secretly following me around, seeing everything I write so she can try to imitate my writing style?” I say. I know I sound like a crazy person, but I really want him and Carl to believe that I would never do such a thing like that.

“That’s insane,” Carl says as he shakes his head.

“You’re my friend,” I say to him. “I thought you trusted me.”

“I’m not so sure anymore, Melinda,” he says.

“Neither am I,” says Mason. “You’re both supposed to be my closest friends, and this is what you do to me. I can’t believe it.”

“Mason, I think Blare is just trying to tear us apart,” I say. “I’d never do anything like that.”

“How could you think that I’d stab you in the back like that?” Carl challenges Mason. “We’ve known each other since, you know, eternity! That hurts to know that my own best friend thinks I’m capable of hurting him.” He slams shut his locker and storms off.

“You really hurt his feelings, Mason,” I say.

“You should stay out of it,” Mason snaps. “And I don’t want you talking to me ever again, I hope you understand.” He storms off before I can even say anything else.

The Rosy Ladies have seen everything. Sandy then asks, “What happened there?”

“Everything’s gone wrong,” I reply. “I don’t know what else to do.”

“You’re one of us now,” Jan says with a smile. “You’ll figure it all out. We trust you to do the right thing.”

“That’s right,” says Rizzo. “In the meantime, I think it’s best that we don’t get ourselves involved. Melinda, you figure it out. It’s all on you now. We’ll catch up with you later, if you’re available to hang out.”

“See you guys later, too,” I say to them as we all go our separate ways to our classes. Unfortunately, I don’t think I am in the mood for hanging out with the Rosy Ladies later. I am about to go to class when I see Ms. Blanche blocking my path to the water fountain. “Hi, Ms. Blanche, how may I help you?” I say, trying my best to be courteous.

“Greta wants me to call you into our office now,” she replies. “We need to have an important word with you.”

Now what? I sigh as I reluctantly make my way to Ms. McGee’s office. And here we meet again.

“Miss Roberts, we meet again,” says Ms. McGee with a forced smile. I know deep down, she is displeased with me, and I have a feeling I know what she is going to talk about with me. “Please come on right in and take a seat.”

I take a seat across from her as Ms. Blanche shuts the door and sits next to me. “Melinda, there are rumors going around Rydell High that you are… Uh, expecting,” says Ms. McGee. “For lack of a more appropriate term. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Ms. McGee, but the rumors are false,” I reply.

She wags her finger at me. “I did not ask if the rumors were true or not; I simply asked if it was true that the rumors were spreading around the school. In which case, Miss Roberts, you know that we tend to take issues like these very seriously. And unfortunately, neither Blanche nor I can prove or disprove the authenticity of such rumors. Unless there is evidence that someone has started this rumor about you, I have no choice but to suspend you.”

I am not hearing this right. I am hallucinating this whole day. I’m just feeling very sick, due to having to stay up so late on Friday for the dance… suddenly, I find myself losing consciousness. What is happening to me?