They all assumed she was shallow. Well, it wasn't that. It was the weight of high expectation bearing down on her from above. Despite many people's thoughts and opinions, behind the makeup, popular hairstyles, mean demeanor, and pretty dresses, there was a person in there. A living, breathing person, who felt genuinely sorry for ever hurting anyone and for ruining people's days.
It was really her mother, Velma Von Tussle. The woman had been Miss Baltimore Crabs, a very high title in Baltimore (yes, the contest was the Baltimore version of the Miss Georgia Peach competition), and she expected no less than the same from her daughter.
Amber hated it. She hated it all: the fluffy dresses, the poofy hairstyles, and the layers and layers of makeup. Sometimes, the seventeen year old wished she could walk around town with real, genuine friends, wearing saddle shoes and pedal pushers. But no. Amber was to wear the best outfits, and real friends? Of course not. It was Amber's job to be cutthroat, to drag people down until she was on top, to be the lead dancer on the Corny Collins Show, and… to date Link.
Ugh, Link. It wasn't that Amber disliked the boy himself, per se. In fact, once one got to know him, he was a very sweet person. It was dating him that drove Amber crazy. Her mother had made her. She remembered the conversation as though it had been just the night before.
"Amber, darling, come to the lounge. I have something to say to you." Velma's voice rang through the house, and Amber sighed as she got up from her position on her bed, smoothed her pink dress out, and walked out of her room.
"Coming, Mother," she called, trotting into the lounge. It had been made very clear to her early on that young ladies never rushed, but went at a respectable pace: Not too fast, not too slow. Amber had mastered that particular speed, for the sake of not angering her mother. Velma motioned for Amber to sit, and she did so.
"Darling," Velma said as she filed her nails. It didn't seem that she found it worth her while to look up at her daughter. "I have arranged for you to be 'going steady', as your generation says, with that Larkin boy."
Amber's eyes grew wide. "What? How? Why? I don't even like him that way!"
Velma rolled her eyes, sighing. "Amber, I know you don't, and if it's any consolation to you, he doesn't like you, either. In fact, he put up quite the fight when I first told him he'd be off the show unless he was your boyfriend."
"You did what?! Mother, you can't force anyone to love someone else! Why the heck would you do this?"
Velma looked at Amber sharply, and she halted her filing for a moment. "Amber, a young lady never says 'heck'. And I did it for popularity. In case you haven't noticed, Mr. Larkin is rapidly becoming the most popular male on the show. If you are his girlfriend, that makes you his partner, which gives you more camera time. The Von Tussle women are always front and center, and this is just the first step."
Amber felt chilled. She didn't want to date Link. She honestly didn't like him in that way. Well, he was cute, but she didn't want to be his girlfriend! However, if Amber knew anything about her mother, it was that she never backed down- no matter what. So she sighed, stood up, and nodded. "Okay, Mother."
Velma smiled and waved a hand at her daughter. "Good girl. Now, go back to whatever you were doing before." And with that, Velma resumed her nail filing.
Amber left the room, her head hanging. She returned to her bedroom and closed the door. She really needed time to think.
But now, things were different. Velma had been fired, and Link- well, Link was standing right smack in front of the camera, kissing Tracy Turnblad as he held her in his arms. Amber smiled to herself. She was happy for him. It seemed that her ex-boyfriend had found real love, which he deserved after dealing with her needy self for so long.
Amber stood slightly offstage, looking over at a group of dancers dancing right in fro- whoa. She stared at one of the Negro Day dancers. He was cute. She caught his eye as he spun, and he winked. Amber broke into a smile, truly glad for the first time in quite a while.
She looked around at the people around her. Tracy and Link, standing peacefully in the middle of the stage, saying nothing as Tracy rested her head on his chest and Link stood with his on her shoulder. Teenagers, dark and light, dancing in the middle of the stage without holding back in the least. Velma packing her desk, and… that dancer, making his way towards Amber!
The girl breathed in deeply, smoothing her yellow dress. She smiled up at him as he came closer, pushing his way through the crowds to come talk to her. This studio radiated pure joy, and perhaps- just maybe- there was hope. For change, for a new reputation, and for real friendships. Amber looked up at the dancer, who was smiling shyly at her, and stuck out her hand.
"Hi," she said, beaming at him, "I'm Amber von Tussle."