The dance was really, really pink.
The decorating committee sure had gone out of their way to make Alcott High's Gym look presentable. Actually, all they really did is make it go from a dingy gym to a really pink dingy gym.
Alternating red, white, and pink streamers nearly covered the whole ceiling while little pinks hearts dangled from fishing wire underneath them. There were bustles of balloon in every nook and crany and a little booth set up to get your picture taken under the "Ark of Love".
Meg's bright eyes grew two sizes in awe, "It's gorgeous!" She and John quickly ran off to get their cliche prom picture taken.
Jo made a face, "This is too much lovie-dovieness for me, thanks."
Teddy laughed and took her hand, "Come on, Jo." He yanked her so hard that she skid across the tiled floor. "Want a picture?"
She glanced over at the booth were a couple were kissing as the flash of the photographer went off.
"No thanks," Jo muttered and looked around the rest of the gym. Off in a corner were tables bustled in more Valentinesness. A long table had refreshments but Jo was stuffed. They met Chris and Hailee for dinner and Jo had eaten her fill.
Speaking of Chris and Hailee, Jo didn't see them anywhere.
Thumping in the background was some rap song that Jo had never heard before.
"This music sucks," Jo told Teddy as they walked over to the tables and sat down.
Teddy shrugged, "I like this music."
"Your taste in music sucks."
"Stop being such a hipster," Teddy grabbed a handful of Valentine's colored M&Ms from the bowl on the table. "Well, we're here. What do you want to do?"
Jo sat her head on her hand, pushing up her cheek, "I don't know. I wanted to dance, but this music is bad."
Teddy tossed some candy into his mouth, "What type of dancing?"
"Something I can dance stupidly too." Just then the song changed. A poppy, upbeat county song. Jo's eyes widened. "The gods have smiled upon me! Taylor Swift is the perfect music to interpretive dance to!"
Teddy smiled sheepishly, "Are you really going to do that I front of all these people?"
"Yeah," Jo said strongly. "I don't care about them. Do you? You don't even know them! Come on, loser." She grabbed his arm and dragged him out with her.
It took him a little bit, but soon he loosened up and joined her in acting out Taylor Swift's pathetic love life. Sure, people stared and sure, Meg was probably horrified. Jo didn't care. She was going to have fun.
After the song was over, they finally spotted Chris standing alone in a corner.
"He's so awkward," Jo hissed to Teddy as they walked over to where he was. "Sup, Chris?" She said loudly, getting his attention.
"Hi," he kind of smiled. "Hailee is getting punch or something." He didn't say anything more. He just turned and gazed off again.
Jo clapped her hands together, "Well, this has been fun. See ya."
She walked off and Teddy instantly followed. The line for pictures was getting shorter and Jo was sort of considering getting one done.
"Want to dance again?" Teddy asked.
Jo agreed. It was a dance, after all.
...
Jo and Laurie totally had the best prom picture ever. At least that's what they thought, anyway.
They stood back to back, fingers folded into little guns that they pointed up.
Meg would be horrified. Do doubt their entire behavior at the dance horrified her.
Hailee and Chris didn't dance at all. In fact, Jo hardly saw them the whole time. Perhaps they'd left early.
It was nearing midnight and the party was slowing down. The DJ announced the last dance, some uber cheesy slow song from Titanic or some other movie like that.
Teddy nudged Jo, "Want to dance?" Jo raised a brow. It was hard to tell in the darkness of the room, but she thought he was blushing. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. "I mean," he added, "if you want."
He's just being stupid, Jo told herself. It's late and it's dark. He's not hitting on you. No, there no way Teddy likes like that. Never. No no no never no no. Stop being an idiot, Jo. It's Teddy, he's like your brother.
I know that, she thought, but does he know that?
"Sure thing, bro," Jo said, whacking his arm in something she hoped would come off as sisterly and not flirty. "Do you like this song, dude?"
Teddy smirked, "Why are you suddenly talking like a surfer?" Tentatively, he placed his hands on her waist. He put her's on his shoulders.
She noted how much taller he was than her.
"You grew," she said.
"That tends to happen to people."
She stuck out her tongue, "Shut up. Anyway, Beth told me that you said you'd give her piano lessons."
"Yeah," he said. "She's really good, by the way. She's never had lessons?"
"Nope. She's just a little prodigy. Anyway, she sounded really excited. Amy got all upset and said she wanted piano lessons too."
Teddy chuckled, "Does she have a crush on me?"
"Amy has a crush on anything with a penis."
"Jo!"
"I speak the truth."
The music was nearing the end and all the couples around them were hugging and swaying by now.
Jo popped her lips, "I'm so tired."
"No, you're not," Teddy said. "That's just what you say when you can't think of anything else to say."
"You know me too well," Jo laughed.
His eyes met her for a little longer than she wanted.
Shit. Change the subject. Make it clear that you DON'T LIKE HIM LIKE THAT. It's platonic, at least for me. It needs to be for him.
"By the way, I heard some girls talking about you earlier."
Teddy perked up, "Oh?"
"Yeah," she said, happy to distract him. "They thought you were really hot."
A smug smiled played on his face, "I heard some guys talking about you?"
"Yeah?"
"Yep. They said, 'Who's that weird chick that keeps interpretive dancing to Taylor Swift songs?'." The song ended and they separated. "I'm kidding. A lot of guys thought you were really pretty."
Jo rolled her eyes, "Don't lie to me, boy." She looked accords the room, "Oh, there's Meg and John."
"I'm not lying, Jo," he told her seriously. "You don't give yourself enough credit."
She met his gaze, "And you give yourself too much."
...
"I'll walk you to the door," John said as the pulled up out front the March's house.
Meg simpered, "Okay." With a girly giggle, she took his hand and they walked up to the front door.
Jo gaged, "They're disgusting." She stepped out of the car and into the bitterly cold air. "See ya, Ted." Before she could go anywhere, he grabbed her hand tightly.
He frowned dramatically, "Don't you want me to walk you to the door?" His voice was a pathetic imitation of John's.
Jo laughed heartily, "I think I can make it there myself. Goodnight."
He smiled, "Goodnight, Jo." And shut the car door.
On the porch, Meg and John stood, awkwardly talking and holding hands. Meg was giggling and smiling like she had five brain cells and John turning bright red.
And Jo had to walk through that.
Not on her watch.
"Lovely seeing you, John!" Jo yanked her sisters arm as she unlocked the front door. "Bye!" Jo went inside, taking her older sister with her.
Meg looked ready to smack her, "That was really rude."
"So you didn't get kissed, whatever," Jo set down her bad. "Get over it."
"You're impossible!" Meg bellowed and stormed up the stairwell. Marmee tried to greet her on the stairs but she wasn't having any of it. "UGH!" Meh said as she slammed her bedroom door.
Marmee shrugged, "Well, alright then. Jo, how was the dance?"
"Alright," Jo began up the stairs. "Meg's just mad that Teddy's tutor didn't kiss her."
"Oh," Marmee said with a glance up the stairs. "How about you get into your pajamas and then come down here and tell me all about the dance."
"Sounds good," yawned Jo. "I think I'll work on my new story a bit too. I had a really good idea."
Beth was asleep when Jo got up to her room. She gave her a kiss on the forehead before getting into her pajamas.
Then Jo found her binder of stories and a pen and settled on to her bed to write some more.
Only none of the pages were there.
Torn out.
As if by a-
"Amy," Jo said in a bitter whisper. She couldn't have. Amy was bad, but not that bad. "Amy." Her voice was louder as she rose out of her bed.
"Jo?" Beth pushed herself off of her pillow.
"AMY!" Jo shrieked, clutching her manuscript so tight that she lost feeling of her fingers.
"Jo, what's wrong?" Meg said as Jo barged into her bedroom.
Amy, wide-eyed, sat in her bed with her blankets tucked around her.
"Amy," Jo's voice was murderous. "What did you do with my stories?"
"N-nothing," she muttered, slowly rising from her bed. Jo followed her closely. "I just..."
"You what?" Jo said fiercely as she followed Amy down the stairs.
Marmee stood, "Girls, what's wrong?"
Amy, suddenly full of fire, turned to face her sister, "I burned them!"
"YOU WHAT?!"
"I tossed them in the fire!" She mimed it for extra measure. "They're gone now! I told you you'd regret being so mean to me!"
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
And no one in the March family doubted that as Jo tackled the small Amy to the ground, yanking at her precious blonde curls.
"Jo, stop it!" Meg shrieked.
Jo didn't even hear. She would've kept going if Mamree didn't yank Jo off of her.
"Back to bed, now," she hissed to Meg and Beth who quickly followed their orders. Her fierce gaze turned to the other daughters, "What has gotten into you both?!"
Amy, still crying, pointed at Jo, "She started it!"
Jo gave her daggers, "You burned my stories!"
Marmee's eyes grew large, "Did you burn her stories, Amy Curtis March?" She said in the voice reserved only for times when you were in big, big trouble.
Amy sobbed, "Jo was mean to me, Marmee! She bullies me all the time-"
"I do not-"
"Quiet, Jo," Marmee instructed. "Yes, Amy?"
Amy wiped her nose with her hand, "Jo never takes me seriously. She never let's me hang out with her and Teddy or even hang out with her at all! She's selfish and mean and I hate her!"
Marmee shook her head, "You do not hate your sister."
"I don't know," Jo spat, "I kind of hate her too."
Marmee exhaled heavily, "Amy, get to bed. We'll discuss your punishment in the morning but just know that you'll be grounded for several weeks, miss."
"But Marmee..." Amy said with another pathetic sob.
"Bed now, young lady." She scampered up the stairs and silence hung in the room for a while.
Gone. Her stories were gone. All that hard work just vanished into the fire.
Marmee lowered herself and sat next to Jo. In her hands she held the pathetic looking empty binder. "I'd bring them back if I could, Jo. I'm so sorry they're gone."
Jo shrugged, not showing the monster eating up her insides, "It's okay. You didn't burn them. I've got part of them saved on my laptop, unless the little demon deleted those too. But my manuscripts. My original copies..."
Marmee ran her hands through Jo's hair, "I'm sorry she did that to you, Jo. I know you're mad at her and I know I can't force you two to love each other. Just know that if you never make amends, you'll hurt yourself just as much as you hurt her."
Jo pulled her knees to her chest, "I'll never forgive her."
Marmee nodded, knowing there wasn't much else to say on it. "Well, I don't want you going to bed full of anger. Let's talk of happier things. How was the dance?"
"Alright," Jo sniffed. "It was fun, I guess. Teddy acted kind of weird, though."
"Oh?" Marmee asked trying to give a smile.
Jo wasn't anywhere near smiling. Or anywhere near happy. "Yeah. It's nothing. I don't want to talk now, Marmee. I want to go to sleep."
"Okay," she gave Jo a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Jo."
Jo grabbed her empty manuscript as started up the stairs. From the other bedroom she could here Meg consoling a crying Amy.
Cry all you want, Jo thought. I'm not forgiving you.
Beth was awake as well, but knew Jo well enough to know she should avoid the topic.
"How's Laurie?" Beth asked sweetly.
Jo tossed down her binder, "He's an idiot. I think he was flirting with me. I don't know. How can you tell if a boy is flirting with you?"
Beth laughed a bit, "I'm not the girl to ask. Do you want him to flirt with you?"
"Dear God, no," Jo said. "He's my brother, Bethy. I don't think of him like that. I just don't want to hurt him."
"I'm sure he'll get over it," Beth noted. "He's a teenaged boy, Jo. He'll get over it."
"I hope so," Jo yawned and fell back into her pillow. She clenched her jaw, "I want my stories back."
"You'll write more. And they'll be the best ones you've ever written."
Jo nearly cried, "Beth, have I told you lately that you're my favorite?"
