𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓
Chapter Two||Apologies All Around
"Amy, I will not hesitate to throw you across the room if you mention that again!"
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"𝐎𝐇, 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍'𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐄!" 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐇𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃. Of course, she had to go and knock down a painting which Amy had poured her life and soul into. "CORA!" Marmee exclaimed, going over to help her daughter, but before she could the unfamiliar gentleman held out his hand to her.
Cora quickly took it gratefully and stood up, too embarrassed to look at the face of the boy she had knocked into. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry for bumping into you! I didn't even notice you there, and I hope I haven't hurt you, are you hurt? Do you need ice? Heavens, I am so sorry! And oh! Amy! I've been such a klutz that I've knocked over your painting! I'm really sorry! Oh! And-" Cora continued to ramble on with apologies before she got stopped by the boy.
"It's no worries honestly, I didn't fall over unlike you, so I'm quite fine," He said smiling. Cora decided to finally look at the boy who she had bumped into. And lo and be hold it was none other than Theodore Laurence. Of course, he had to be there when she was just talking about him! But so saying Cora continued to look at him taking in his features, he had definitely matured over the year, and he looked as handsome as ever.
And no, Cora didn't have a crush anymore she was just admiring the Laurence boy's beauty. Cora immediately went beet root red when she realised who he was and started apologising all over again before Jo came in and saved her. Mostly for her own benefit, as she was quite tired of hearing her apologies.
"Yes we get it Cora, you're sorry," Jo sighed walking up to her sister. "Laurie this is my sister Cora, Cora this is Laurie," She introduced, pointing at Cora and then Laurie. "Pleasure to meet you," Laurie greeted, holding out his hand for Cora to shake.
Laurie already knew who Cora was. Ever since that fateful day, he went to watch her performance. He had seen her many times and used to look at her through the window, as creepy as that seemed. He thought she was beautiful, as a dancer, of course.
"You too," Cora mumbled, still in shock, shaking Laurie's hand. "Cora, come here and help Meg, she's injured her ankle! Hannah called, and Cora hastily turned away from Laurie and went over to help Meg.
"I can't believe you damaged my favourite painting," Amy muttered, glaring at her sister. "I already apologised, and I'm really sorry-" "You know what, please just be quiet my ears hurt from your incessant apologies!" Amy huffed, turning away from her sister and walking over to Marmee.
"I feel really bad," Cora sighed, looking at her older sister, who was sitting down on the couch in pain. "She'll get over it don't worry dear," Meg comforted rubbing her sister's shoulder. "How did the Laurence boy get here?" Cora asked. "And what did you do to your ankle?"
Meg just laughed and waved her hand lazily, "That's a story for another day, maybe ask Jo to tell you it. I'm far too tired and in pain to explain my day."
"If I go to Jo I'll just say I told her so," Cora shrugged, "She did end up making a friend," she stated. "Who is a boy," She added on for extra measure.
"And you bumped into that boy," Meg pointed out. "And I had better go clean up the mess," Cora sighed getting up and going onto the floor to help clean her mess up.
Cora picked up the painting off the floor and placed it on a counter and started picking up glass bits from the floor. She continued to do so until she felt another presence next to her and froze. "Need some help?" Laurie asked, offering his assistance to the girl. "Oh no, I'm fine, you don't need to-"
"Too late, I'm helping," Laurie smiled helping Cora pick up glass bits. "Thank you," Cora said with a small smile, going a bit red after both their hands tried getting a glass piece and ended up with Laurie's hand on top of hers.
"Where's Laurie gone?" Jo shouted, emerging out of the kitchen. "Has he gone home?" "He's over there helping Cora!" Amy shouted back, pointing at the stairs. Jo made a face before approaching the pair, who were in a conversation about ice skating.
"Have you ever gone ice skating before?" Laurie asked looking at Cora, of course he knew she had been before, but he wanted to know more. "I have, what about yourself?" Cora responded with a smile.
"I've gone too," He replied, "Do your sisters come with you?" "Only sometimes, Amy enjoys it the most, although she doesn't know how to skate properly, Meg always falls, so she doesn't enjoy it, Beth comes with me most of the time but whenever it's too cold she doesn't and Jo-"
"What about me?" Jo asked, interrupting Cora and entering the conversation. "We were just talking about ice skating," Laurie responded, patting the space besides him for Jo to sit on. Cora and him had already finished cleaning up the glass, so there was none left to get pricked on.
"Oh? Ice skating? I love ice skating," Jo said, sitting down next to Laurie with a grin giving Cora a pointed glare to make sure she didn't say anything about her joke becoming correct. "Just as much as I love-"
"Being correct about something-"
"If you say you told me so I swear-"
Ignoring Jo, Cora turned to Laurie. "Do you enjoy ice skating?" She questioned. "Depends on what I'm feeling like," He shrugged.
Cora just hummed in response and got up from the stair she was sitting on, "I'll see you later Laurie," She smiled before removing herself from their conversation.
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Later that night, after Laurie had left, Cora crept up to her bedroom door when she heard sniffles coming from inside it. She opened the door as quietly as she could and saw Amy's figure on her bed huddled in a tight ball crying.
Cora closed the door and walked up to her sister, sitting down beside her. "I'm so sorry, Amy," She whispered, putting her hand round Amy's shoulder and rubbing her back for comfort. "I didn't mean to."
"It was my favourite painting, I painted it for dad," Amy whispered, letting out a few sniffles. "If it helps the painting wasn't damaged it was just the frame," Cora spoke feeling guilty, "I can buy you a new frame, and you can even choose the colour!"
Amy just shook her head and continued sniffling. "Oh come on, Amy, what can I do to fix this?" Cora sighed. "Take me ice skating," She whispered after a few seconds of thought.
"I can do that," Cora responded with a smile, "And you have to do whatever I tell you for three days," Amy added on with another sniffle. Cora elbowed her sister in the ribs, "Make it one day, and I'll do it."
"Okay," Amy sighed, lifting her head out of her hands and laying it on Cora. "And-"
"Go sleep, Amy," Cora laughed, shoving her sister.
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Amy in fact did not end up falling asleep, instead the two continued talking throughout the night.
"Wasn't it such a coincidence Laurie turned up when we were just conversing about him?" Amy grinned, bringing up Laurie. "Yes it was," Cora agreed, hugging her pillow tighter.
"You went so red when you looked at him, it was so funny-" "I did not go red!" Cora gasped, throwing her pillow at Amy. "You so did!" Amy replied, throwing the pillow back at her.
"And how would you know?" "Because I was looking at you!" Amy exclaimed as if it were the most obvious thing ever. "I guarantee you, you still have a crush on him!"
"I don't. I think you have one Amy, you talk so much about him and just today you were saying how good he looks and-" "That's what someone who had a crush would say!" Amy giggled, pointing at Cora. "Wh- How?!"
"You tried changing the topic onto me," Amy sang, swaying back and forth, "Cora has a crush, Cora has a crush, Cora has a crush!" She continued to sing, although Cora threw her pillow at her once again.
"Oh go away Amy," She huffed, covering her ears with her hands to block out Amy's singing. "Cora has a crushhhhhh!" Desperate to change the conversation off of her and her apparent 'crush' Cora quickly asked how Jo and Meg had even met Laurie.
Amy had known how since Meg and Jo had told her. "Oh, Jo didn't want to dance so went into a room..." And Amy carried on her tale until she had got to the end.
Finishing her tale, Amy asked Cora a question. "What were you and Laurie talking about anyways?" "We only started talking about ice skating before Jo came and interrupted us," Cora replied, propping her pillows up.
"He seems nice," Amy commented, "He looks lonely though," Cora added on. "And so do you so maybe-" "Amy, I will not hesitate to throw you across the room if you mention that again," Cora threatened glaring at Amy. "I'll tell Marmee," Amy responded, sticking her tongue out.
"I dare you!" "She would agree with me!" "No she wouldn't!" "Yes she would!" "No she wouldn't!" "Yes she would!"
And that is how the rest of the night went on.
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Authors Note
Ugh I love Amy and Cora. Enjoy!!