Danny Zuko

They were supposed to be working on the car today. That's all they ever did. All five of them. Unless Danny was the one off on his own, running track in secret. But it was always the whole group or him alone. That night had been bugging him for a while. Kenickie going off with Rizzo like that. Sure, Danny had bailed on everyone, but it still wasn't right. Even if he and Rizzo were ancient history. Even if he was on and off with Sandy. He didn't even know where they were at anymore. But something about this just ate at him too hard to leave alone. The worst part was that he had to hear the real truth of it fall out of Leo's mouth in a snide remark.

That's really what had him waiting outside Kenickie's last class when he was supposed to be headed off to track practice soon. He'd pushed it down, best as he ever good. Then Leo had to go and remind him of it. Something about passing Rizzo around like a party favor. Danny paced the hall near the door. He didn't even know if Kenickie was in his class today, for all he knew the guy had skipped out after lunch to neck under the bleachers.

As the final bell rang he ran his hands over the sides of his hair, trying to calm himself down. By the time the door opened, he was leaning against the lockers opposite the door with his hands in his pants pockets. He still looked so irritated that some of the girls exiting the room looked started and hurried on their way. But he didn't care about them. He pushed himself back properly to his feet when he saw his target.

"'Ey, Kenick," he said, sounding even less happy than he looked. "We gotta talk."

The summer had been the best Danny could recall. He'd gone to spend the summer at the beach, expecting the same stuff as usual. Lay in the sun, hook up with a few chicks, that sort of thing. The last thing he ever expected was everything that Tanner had been. Learning to surf was something that in no way fit his usual repertoire. And yet that's how he'd spent his summer. He wasn't the greatest at it, but hey, he could stay up on the board for a fair amount of time.

And then there was everything else that had happened. Drenched from the surf, laying under the dock with Tanner...it had been unreal. In the moment, he didn't even question it. It was beach fling. It felt great. Tanner felt great. It was only when he and his family headed back home that he thought about it. Doing that with a boy?! What had he been thinking?! What would they think at school?

By the time the first day rolled around, he'd pushed it from his mind. It was a fling and no one would ever know about it. He'd had fun. End of story. Simple. So he acted like he always did, strutting across the courtyard as students gathered. He was leaning against the brickwork, waiting for his usual cronies, chatting with a couple of girls. Thumbs tucked into the pockets of his dark jeans, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"...you know how it is," he said with a slight scoff as the two girls giggled. One of them leaned closer, asking him something, eager to keep his attention.