• 'He's a boogie woogie bugle boy of company b'


    "Moiraaaa. I don't want to go. It's just a dance.." I whined, though I knew it would never do any good. Her hand was clutching mine so tight it was painful, some of my fingers were turning blue. As much as I protested, she gripped only harder and pulled more. To her, I couldn't walk into the makeshift dance studio fast enough. She left me for a minute, not long enough for me to get away, to turn up the stereo. The music from the 1920s blared at me.

    "You want to be prepared for the dance, don'tcha Jackie-Legs?" Moira's grin was positively sadistic. I wasn't even planning on going to the stupid 1920s-themed Gaiaversary Ball. Ever since, however, Moira discovered my little crush on Edmund, she was using every oppertunity she had to force us together. Even though Vanessa, fellow Duremite and resident hairdresser (and Edmund's current girl), was her friend. Her patronizing my name, Jacklyn, made the torture worse. One stupid kangaroo movie and now no one wants to call me Jack anymore.

    "Look, Edmund won't even ask me to dance, you know that. He's dating Vanessa. They're going to dance together. And I already know how to dance." I finished my sentence in mumbles, since Moira had appeared to have stopped paying attention at 'Vanessa.' I think the tension between them, though it appeared Moira still wanted to be friends, started when Vanessa had misdyed Moira's hair. A red streak had turned to a bright shade of fushia. Which faded green.

    "Shush, once Edmund sees you, he won't resist." Moira was strutting toward me now. I started to protest again, but she put her hand over my mouth.
    "I said shush." Moira said, pulling my hand onto her hip before continueing: "Now, put your hand here, and step like so......."


    He's the boogie woogie bugle boy of company B


    "Dear gaian gold rush, my bob do is a bob don't." I took one glance at the mirror before being dragged out the car. Moira had finally fixed her make-up, turned the radio off, and was ready to go in.
    "Trust me, dollface, that wig looks so much better than any hack job Vanessa could pull off." Moira grinned, like it was a big joke, but she couldn't mask the malice behind her words.

    "Speak of the devil." Moira mumbled under her breath, and I looked up. "Hunh?" But it didn't take long for me to see Vanessa rushing out in tears.
    My head wipped around to follow her as she ran past, causing the beads on my dress to jingle jangle.

    "Don't mind her." Moira said, pulling me away and into the Ballroom were trumpets were blaring. I started to say 'but' but Moira had shut the door behind us. "Let's find Edmund..." She was saying. I couldn't believe she was trying to force me on him under the circumstance, and I didn't even have time to voice this opinion before he was spotted and she pushed me toward him.

    "Go. He's available now. Ask him to dance. Look social, for Heaven's sake. And show some leg!" She was pushing me through the crowd, and her advice was getting softer and softer. Finally, her voice was gone, and I was standing in front of Edmund. It appeared he'd made his home at the punch table, and wasn't moving. Something was obviously wrong with him, and there was something horrible about this whole situation. It was moving too fast.

    "I'm sorry.." I mumbled, and turned away from him.

    "Miss Scarlett?" His voice hit me, so rough and calloused.

    I turned back to him. He was looking at me, like he expected something of me. Or was daring me to do something wrong. I glanced around, uncertaintly. Moira was watching, from a safe distance. Gino and Ian were sitting together, both watching Sasha push Liam away. No one was comming to my rescue.
    "Would you like to dance?" I'm not sure how I found the words, I hadn't even looked at him when I said it.

    "I do not believe now is the time. Besides, I don't think a shy, quiet girl like you can keep up with me, even under the most emotionally straining circumstances."
    His voice was mocking me. Mocking. Me.
    I spun to face him. The weight of the situation was gone, and I'd deal with his girlfriend baggage later. I had to jump at this, now, before I lost my courage, and with it, my chance.

    "I can keep up with you. Can you keep up with me? I don't think so."
    I found his hand within mine, and we were heading to the dance floor.
    "Remember, Scarlett, this is just a dance."

    He's the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B


    Edmund spun and twirled me, and it was really hard to keep up with him. He was making me do the types of moves I'd use to watch on television and make groans of pain at. The song about the Bugle Boy who got drafted was slowly ending. Edmund's facial features looked like they were softening, and the way he was pulling me close to him had me getting my hopes up. It was hard to remember what he had said to me moments before when his hands were on my hips and he was whispering "Jack, we're going to spin now." In my ear.
    First name. It wasn't 'Scarlett, can you keep up with this spin?' it was 'Jack, I'm going to twirl you backwords, step to your left, good girl.' It really felt like he was enjoying himself, and not patronizing the problems I had keeping up with him.

    Then the song's last note was drawling out, and his voice was at me again. 'Jack, can you dip backwards?' He did it before he finished saying it. 'Jack....'
    I waited for what he was going to say next. I was dipped, the song was almost over, and his face was pressed close to mine. Then I felt his lips, hovering. "Moira told me..." And then he kissed me.

    And then I heard a scream.
    Vanessa.

    Edmund startled up, dropping me to the ground. "Just a dance, my word.." He seethed at me, like I'd casted some curse on him. I'd barely heard him anyway, the pain from my head hitting the tile drowning out the words around me.
    I felt like crying, but how could I? He'd told me before hand. It was just a dance.

    Well, I might as well help the situation. I didn't want to hurt it in the first place. It was all Moira's idea.

    I found Vanessa easily, and convinced her to go back and wait while I talk to Edmund. When I found Edmund, he glared at me like I was the last person he wanted to see.
    "Scarlett..."
    I was really disappointed at his use of my last name, but he didn't stop there.
    "Look what you did to my relationship. I knew not telling you off was a bad idea."

    "Telling me off...?" I whispered, pulling off a tangled bead from my dress.

    "For that stupid crush. Moira said it was nothing to worry about, but you had to shove yourself at me. Demand I dance with you. You are far too young, far too anti-social. Far too..everything I hate. Why are you so dimwitted? Why can't you see what Vanessa and I had? What you ruined?

    I stared at him. He was so angry with me, for something I'd never intended. I glanced around again, still no rescuers. I tried to find my voice, and spoke.
    "Look, Edmund. It was Moira's idea for me to dance with you. Moira's idea for me to go to the dance in the first place. I don't care if you don't like me. I don't care if you hate that I have a crush on you. I don't care at all, I'm not in the business of ruinning relationships. You wanted to dance, even if you didn't outright say it. I get that you needed some sort of reaffirmation after fighting with Vanessa. But I didn't kiss you. You kissed me. And speaking of Vanessa, I found her. Talked to her. She's waiting for you."

    I spun to walk away, realizing that I cared less and less about this man than I thought I did.
    "Jack..."
    I turned back him, lashing out one last time.

    "Forget it, Edmund. It was just a dance."