Work Text
Betty Rizzo never had any reason to believe she was anything but straight. She'd only ever been with guys- there was that early fling with Doody back in freshman year, the single date (and inevitable drama that ensued afterward) with Danny Zuko a few months later, and of course, the on-again-off-again thing she had going with Kenickie since their Junior year. Sure, she'd always found the half-naked girls in those magazines the guys would bring to school attractive, and sure, she'd gotten a horrible lump in her throat and a blush crawling up her neck when she'd seen Marty in her prom dress last year...but she wasn't gay . Hell, it was hardly even legal to be at this point, and even then, if you were caught even hinting at possibly being one of those fairies , you were exiled by the school for the rest of your years. So Betty Rizzo knew for a fact she was straight. And that was that. That was, until that fateful day when Frenchy came to lunch with that new senior chick who she'd found looking horribly lost in the freshman hall. The Pink Ladies had always been known as an elite group, never letting anyone new into their clique, but Sandy Dombrowski was...different. Marty and Jan had shot Rizzo a look of "she has potential" when Sandy sat down at their table. Sandy seemed like your typical goody-goody, straight A's, teacher's pet (Hell, the only reason she was at Rydell High instead of a different, private school was that her mother had gotten into some silly spat with the people in charge of dress code- something about "boys being able to see up her skirts in the reflection of her patent leather shoes"). At first, Rizzo blamed the jolt she felt in her stomach when she so much as looked at Sandy on jealousy. Imagine what they'd say if they'd found out, she'd thought. Betty Rizzo, leader of the Pink Ladies, jealous of Little Miss Perfect. But it was true. Sandy was perfect. Perfect, delicate stature. Perfect blonde hair that gracefully framed her face. Perfect, sky blue eyes that had flecks of green in them. Perfect, dainty hands and perfect, smooth skin, perfect, perfect, perfect...and f*cking hell, Rizzo loved it. And knowing that she loved it? Well, it scared the absolute shit out of her. Soon enough Rizzo was given a reason to avoid her feelings toward Sandy. She’d started to talk about some boy she’d met at the beach- all perfect and smart and kind. It wasn’t long until the girls realized this boy she’d been going with was the Danny Zuko. And, being the idiot he was, once he saw her at school just treated her like some prostitute he’d found to keep himself busy over the summer. Seeing Danny treat Sandy like that made Rizzo feel sick- for multiple different reasons. Danny had always been a jerk, but wow. Maybe it was just his ego- he hadn’t been around the other guys all summer, and he wasn’t used to seeing Sandy while they were around. But still...it didn’t feel right. She ended up thanking God for Patty Simcox rolling around afterward and distracting Sandy by telling her about cheer tryouts- Rizzo never thought she’d see the day when Patty came to someone’s aid without intentions of personal gain. Hearing Marty invite Sandy to their annual beginning of the year sleepover sent shivers down Rizzo’s spine. She’d be spending the night in the same room as Sandy. Stop it. She thought as they walked out of the school building. Stop thinking these fucking fairy thoughts . So she shoved those longings down and feigned her pride. No way was Rizzo letting anyone find out about this...these... Fuck. What’s wrong with me? The sleepover ended up being...fine. It was once again quite clear that Sandy had no experience in “bad behavior” whatsoever. It was sort of funny, watching her choke on a cigarette and spit out the fancy wine Marty had stolen from her mother. Things went downhill for the poor thing when Frenchy took her to the bathroom to pierce her ears- Sandy saw one drop of blood and immediately got sick. Rizzo almost felt bad for her. Almost. Trying to keep up the ruse of being head-over-heels for Kenickie had started to get tiring- though at this point he wasn’t as interested in her as he used to be. Hell, it seemed like the damned car was more important to him than Rizzo ever was. She couldn’t decide if she wanted obstacles in the way of her and Sandy or not. More things keeping them from each other meant no consequences- but was that really worth it? Thoughts ran through Rizzo’s head as Kenickie gave her a ride home in his newly painted car- he’d tried to snap her out of her daze by asking if she was “thinking about another guy or some shit” but that had only made her more frustrated. She didn’t talk to him the rest of the way home and slammed the car door once they got to her house, stomping up the porch stairs and into her room. This couldn’t keep happening. She needed to get herself under control. “I don’t know why you’re being like this!” Kenickie shouted at Rizzo. Their friends stared at them in shock as the couple stood in the middle of the park shouting at each other. “Being like what?” Rizzo scoffed. What had started as a casual get together with their friends had become a full-on screaming match between the two. Kenickie had gotten angry with Rizzo for being snappy a couple nights before, demanding an explanation for her attitude. “You’re the one who spends more time glued to that damned car more than any other human,” She growled. “Oh yeah?” he said, lowering his voice. “Well you’re the one who’s got her panties in a knot because you don’t get to be glued to my face every night,” “Keep that up and you’ll be getting a fist to your teeth ,” Rizzo hissed. Tensions had already been rising, but now everyone sitting around them was on edge, ready to spring up and break up a fist fight if needed. “Oh I’d love to see you try ,” Kenickie shot back. And that was it- the final straw. Rizzo shoved him to the ground and went in for a sucker punch- but the guys and Marty pulled her away and helped Kenickie up before things got even worse. “Riz, what’s gotten into you?” Marty whispered as she pulled her aside. “I’m really worried.” Rizzo forced a smile. “I'm fine. I’m just glad someone here actually cares about me,” She said. Soon enough, Sandy came in and immediately Rizzo scooted away from Marty, leaning on a nearby bench. She and The Bookmobile- er- Eugene - were in the park for some school-related thing, collecting flowers or grass for biology or something. She’d noticed something was off, though, Sandy wasn’t smiling and falling all over Danny. In fact, it seemed like she was actively trying to make him jealous by hanging out with Eugene. She skipped away, linking arms with him after Sonny tried (and failed) to flirt with her, resulting in her wrinkling her nose and leaving, much to Danny’s dismay. Frenchy shushed everyone and turned up her radio- apparently the host of the radio show would be at their prom that year to judge a dance contest. Danny looked a bit downtrodden, and Rizzo saw a golden opportunity and took it. “Danny, why don’t you go to the dance with me?” She asked. He frowned. “Well...I was gonna ask Sandy, but-” “Oh look! ” Rizzo crooned. “He’s all torn up over little Gidget! ” She cried, and Danny glared back at her. “What’re you talking about?” He asked. “Oh come on. I can pull that Sandra Dee crap any day, right guys?” Marty, Frenchy, and Jan giggled. “Oooh, look at me!” Rizzo cried in a high-pitched voice. “I’m Sandra Dee! I can’t go out past ten! I can’t smoke! How dare you say those nasty profanities around me! I can’t have sex, I’m Sandra Dee!” About halfway through her display, Sandy walked back to where they’d been sitting, just in time to hear Rizzo mock her. “Rizzo!” She cried. “I thought we were friends!” Immediately Rizzo felt the familiar jolt in her stomach and the knot and her throat- but she ignored it. Sandy’s voice softened. “Why would you say something like that?” Her blue eyes were welling up with tears. Rizzo rolled her eyes. “I’m serious!” Sandy demanded. And in a moment completely out of character, Sandy shoved Rizzo back by her shoulders. “Hey!” Rizzo snapped. Her first instinct would’ve been to shove Sandy back, but if Rizzo was being honest with herself- shoving the girl she had a horrible crush on didn’t seem like a very good call. “Relax, Goody-Two-Shoes. It was a joke,” she said. In an attempt to keep Sandy on her side, but not lead anyone on, she added on a “I didn’t mean it,” But it clearly wasn’t enough. Sandy ran away, crying, and Rizzo knew there was no fixing it at this point. The Prom went surprisingly well. Rizzo and Kenickie put aside their differences for the sake of competing to win the dance contest. There was no sign of Sandy- Rizzo couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing. Danny ended up winning the contest with some broad from another school- Doody was convinced she wasn’t even in high school. She’d gotten really gropey with Danny- and part of Rizzo hoped they’d become a thing and leave Sandy for her, but she knew it wasn’t likely. There was a rumor she went to Rydell’s rival school, and if Roger or Sonny caught word of that they'd never let Danny go out with her. She couldn’t help but hope Sandy was doing alright- staying in on prom night couldn’t be fun. Rizzo wanted so badly to confide in someone- but who would listen? Who would take her seriously? Who...who would still stay her friend after finding out her secret? She contemplated her two best options- Marty and Kenickie. Sure, Kenickie had been a complete ass lately, but something told her he’d be able to relate. Certain ways he looked at Danny...certain ways he acted around girls...she wouldn't have been surprised. Marty would understand, too. One of the boys she went steady with ended up being a pansy and they still stayed in touch. Rizzo shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind, and laughed with Kenickie as he drove her home. There were no goodnight kisses and no after-prom sex, just warm hugs and unspoken but accepted apologies. A few weeks went by, and it seemed like Sandy and Danny weren’t making up anytime soon. Kenickie invited him to come to the party at Jan’s but Danny turned him down, saying “he needed some space.” Sandy showed up all the same, though, along with some home-made cookies and her record player. Everyone was hanging out and enjoying themselves for the most part, until Sandy let Frenchy know that she’d be leaving soon. “Aw, don’t go yet, Sandy!” Frenchy pleaded. But it was clear Sandy was feeling down. “Sorry, French, but I should probably head home. I’m not feeling too well, and- um- my mother wants me home, I think,” She said, twisting her hands, nervously. Once again, Rizzo’s stupid and argumentative side- the side that caused things to get Sandy’s attention- got the better of her. “She’s just upset because her boy-toy isn’t here,” She snapped. “No, that’s not true!” Sandy said. “I- I just-” “Ya know, we only invited you because you have a record player,” Rizzo glowered. Frenchy, Marty, and Jan all winced. “If you don’t want to be here, why’d you even come in the first place?” “B-because you guys are my friends… ” Sandy said, softly. Rizzo could tell she was on the verge of tears. “Yeah, well, you might want to rethink that one, Gidget,” Rizzo said, ignoring her better judgment. The other girls took that as a sign. “Hey, Sandy, maybe some food will make you feel better, Let’s uh, go upstairs,” Jan said, grabbing Sandy by her elbow and pulling her along, Frency following suit. Marty pulled Rizzo aside. “Riz!” she hissed. “What is going on with you? Are you nuts ? Sandy didn’t even do anything to you!” she said. Rizzo sighed. “I just…” she paused. “I have a lot on my mind, okay?” she said. Marty frowned at the ground. “Yeah, I get it,” she said. “You know the disk jockey from the dance? And how he was gettin’ all grabby with me?” she asked. Rizzo nodded. “Sonny caught him slipping somethin’ into my drink! As soon as he walked away I poured it out,” Marty whispered. Rizzo raised her eyebrows. “Wow. Thank god for Sonny, I guess,” she said. Marty laughed. “Yeah, thank god for Sonny,” she replied. “Riz…” she started after a moment or two. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” Marty said, voice small, eyes sad. Rizzo’s breath hitched. “Like, if you were pregnant. Or if your parents started hittin’ ya. Or if you were…” Marty’s voice trailed off. It took everything in Rizzo to not just pull her best friend into a hug and cry. “Yeah, Marty. I know,” she sighed. “I know.” Marty gave her a look. “So is there anything you wanna tell me?” she asked. Rizzo didn’t reply, she just looked down at the ground. “Riz…” Marty began. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she asked. “We could’ve talked about it…I could’ve been there for ya,” “Because it’s terrifying .” Rizzo hissed. “And it makes me want to die .” And with that, Rizzo turned and stormed up the stairs to grab a drink. She ignored the girls upstairs, and when she came back down (the three of them following behind) she was met with awkward stares from all the boys. “What the hell is your deal?” she demanded, looking at Kenickie. “Riz-” he started. “Are you a-” Marty cut him off before he could finish. “ Kenickie !” she shouted. “My god, you never listen! I told you not to say anything!” “Oh I’m sorry, was I just supposed to go about my day knowing the girl I’ve been screwing is a f-” “That’s enough , Kenick.” Sonny snapped, shocking the room. “Quit acting like you’re not in the same goddamn sparkly boat.” He said. Kenickie shut up after that. Rizzo felt nauseous. So much was happening, she thought she was going to die right then and there. “Marty, what the hell did you say to them?!” She cried. “You’re a shit friend, you know that?” Marty’s eyes pleaded with her friend. “Rizzo, it’s not what you think-” Marty tried, but Rizzo was done. “Ah-ah-ah! I’ve had enough. You’re such a fucking snake ,” she snapped. “Fine. Don’t let me explain myself. Come on girls, let's go. We’re leaving,” Marty said, storming up the stairs. The boys looked around, and each one walked up, giving Rizzo sad sorry looks. Kenickie looked like he wanted to say something, his face red and his hands shaking. But he didn’t. He left. All that remained was the root of all her problems: Sandy fucking Dombroski. “Why are you still here?” Rizzo sighed. Sandy looked up at her. “Because I…um…” she took a shaky breath. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay,” she said. Rizzo just stared at her. “God, you really don’t get it, do you, Dumbrowski?” Rizzo said. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I don’t need your sympathy. I’m fine on my own. I don’t talk about my feelings and I don’t cry in front of people.” she ranted. “I’m not as bad as this whole town thinks. I’m not terrorizing anyone. I don’t start shit for no reason. So why does everyone…” she trailed off, looking up. Sandy was just listening, not a judgemental look in her eye. “God, Sandy,” she sighed. “You’re so…” she stopped. “I’m so what?” Sandy asked softly, walking towards Rizzo. The other girl watched as the girl she liked too damn much stopped right in front of her, head tilted. “...beautiful.” Rizzo said, defeated. Sandy smiled. “Thank you,” she replied. Then she thought for a moment. “Rizzo,” she began. “Do you have a crush on me?” she asked. Rizzo was immediately taken aback, scrambling for a retort, a quip, an insult- but to no avail. “Wh-what?!” Rizzo gasped. “What?! What do you mean!? ” she cried. Sandy simply shrugged. “I mean…do you like me? Romantically? In a way that makes you feel scared of yourself and the people around you?” Sandy said. “Because it sure seems like it.” Rizzo was floundering for something to say, mouth agape. “And if you do have a crush on me, it’d do ya good to know that I no longer have an interest in Danny,” she said. “Sandy…what are you saying?” “I’m saying that I like you, Rizzo. I like you. And I know you like me too, you just don’t know how to feel it,” Sandy replied simply. “Sandy…you can’t like me,” Rizzo said. “I’ve been awful to you. If that’s what you think love is…then you need help.” Sandy shook her head. “I didn't fall for the girl who was mean to me. I fell for the girl who’s not afraid to speak her mind and would stand up for any of her friends.” “Sand-” Rizzo tried. But Sandy shook her head. “I’m not done.” she said. “Rizzo, you might have a few anger issues to work out, but deep down you’re one of the most loyal and honest people I know. And…I really, really like that about you. And I’m willing to be there for you and help you through things that are hard…because…” Sandy looked up at Rizzo. “Because I love you.” Rizzo stood there for a moment. And then grabbed Sandy by the collar and kissed her. A million thoughts ran through her head, some telling her to stop, some cheering for success, some simply screaming. She ignored them and kept kissing the girl she’d been pursuing all year. Sandy was surprised at first but leaned into it, then pulled away for a moment. “If you’re not ready for this- if this is too much-” Rizzo started. But Sandy shook her head. “It’s just enough.”
The girls would’ve continued their display, but were rudely interrupted by Roger running downstairs to get the record player. Apparently, no one had actually left and they’d all been up in Jan’s living room, trying not to eavesdrop on the conversation downstairs. “Oh!” Roger stood at the bottom of the stairs, eyes wide in shock. “Um…I’m just gonna- yeah…um-” and turned around and ran back up the stairs. Rizzo and Sandy just looked at each other and laughed. “Do you think the others will…be okay with this?” Sandy asked. “They’ll have to, or I’ll make em',” Rizzo replied, tossing an arm around Sandy, the two walking upstairs. They were met with mixed reactions. Marty immediately ran to hug Rizzo, both girls apologizing overtop of each other. Roger and Sonny grinned at each other, happy their friend was finally herself. Jan and Frenchy hugged the girls as well, telling them that they’d make sure to help keep them a secret at school. Doody, however, was looking around, a dopey grin on his face. “Wow, you two are such good friends!” he said. Frenchy groaned and slapped a palm to her forehead. “What?” he said. “What’d I say?!” The group devolved into laughter and conversation, amidst of which Rizzo noticed Kenickie was nowhere to be found. She leaned into Sandy’s ear and told her she’d be right back, Sandy nodding. Rizzo made her way into the kitchen and noticed a figure through the sliding glass door, sitting on the porch. She went out and sat next to him on the steps. “Hey,” she started. Kenickie didn’t reply. His eyes were red and he stared at the ground. “Listen…about what happened earlier-” “Don’t say it,” Kenickie said. His voice was thick with dried tears. “I can’t…I can’t hear someone else say it.” he said. Rizzo sighed. “Kenickie.” she said. “I know. And I know you know about me , so let's not beat around the bush here,” she said, looking at him. “Riz-” he started. “I- he- I just-” he was sniffing between each word, breath hitching and tears forming again. “ Danny -” Kenickie’s voice broke and so did he. Rizzo just pulled him into a hug as he sobbed into her shoulder. She’d never seen him like this before, and it hurt to do so. “I know,” she said. “It will get better…” she paused. “But maybe not with Danny.” Kenickie pulled off of her and buried his face in his hands. “But I want - I just want him to see-” he cried. Rizzo nodded. “I know. It’s really…really hard being like us,” she said. He nodded. “Yeah. Fuck , I hate this,” he said. “So…did anything happen between you and Sandy?” he asked. “Yeah.” “Good or bad?” “Good.” “Wow.” “I know…I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. I’m the one who fell for the biggest douche in our entire school,” Kenickie laughed. “Yeah, I guess that was kinda on you,” Rizzo smiled. They sat for a while in silence, neither of them bothering to think of their other friends, their failed ones, their parents, their schoolwork. They just sat there, quietly enjoying each other’s presence. “You know I’m always here for you right?” Kenickie asked. “Yeah, you too.” Rizzo replied. “I love you, dumbass.” “I love you too, stupid.”