1(A/N) This is my first story, so reviews would be really nice! Sorry about the summary, I really don't know what to say.
A Wedding
Click. The clasp of my lucky necklace came together. I smiled at my own reflection in the mirror and stared at myself in the maid-of-honor dress. The shiny, silky material came over my shoulders smoothly, its pale green color complementing my eyes well. It was knee-length, pretty, and simple. I refused to wear anything with frills, lace…anything that was too fancy. Even if it was for my sister's wedding. With my perfectly manicured nails, I touched my lucky necklace. It was a simple silver chain with a small crescent moon attached, and my initials were engraved on the moon. My father had given this to me when I was little, and now I wore it pretty much everywhere I went.
Slowly, I turned my head to look at my sister, the soon-to-be married, Audrey. She was trying not to smile at her own reflection in the mirror, with no success. Always a beauty, Audrey was the most outgoing and adventurous in the family. Her golden blond hair and sparkling emerald eyes never failed to attract admirers. I, on the other hand, with my slightly wavy brown hair and green eyes duller than Audrey's, happened to be much more low-key. Audrey had been captain of the cheerleading squad and president of her year in high school, four years in a row. I was merely a someone at school, and nothing more than that.
Audrey turned around and smiled at me, a smile of complete peace and excitement. Her face was glowing with happiness, and I couldn't help but smile back. Truthfully, I had no idea what she saw in John Cornelian, her husband-to-be. Audrey could pick any man in town, and yet she chose John. John was two years older than her, and he worked as a photographer for the local newspaper. He didn't have a great sense of humor, and in my opinion, he was too dull for Audrey's bright aura. Even his name was dull.
John. Wow. How interesting.
But…I couldn't object of the marriage once I saw them look at each other. I know this sounds clichéd, but it was pretty much like love at first sight. They met one night in a bar, and they immediately clicked. I silently sighed to myself, hoping that I would never have to marry anyone as dull as John, but, at the same time, hoping that I would find someone one day who could love me as much as John loved Audrey.
Very carefully, I helped Audrey into her dress. "Oh my gosh, I am so excited for you!" I gushed, meaning every word of it. It was wonderful that Audrey was getting married to the man she loved. Audrey's eyes brimmed with tears.
"Can you believe it? I can finally sleep without the sound of the radio annoying me all night!" I said jokingly. I carefully adjusted the straps of her dress and began to fix the material bunching up around her waist.
Audrey wiped her eyes and smiled. "Thank you so much for being here, Cassie," she sniffled, reaching up and wiping her eyes again.
"Don't cry, don't cry," I murmured, zipping up her dress. "You'll ruin your make-up. Anyways, I'll always be here, no matter what. You're my big sis, after all." I smiled. "Stop crying. The wedding is in an hour."
Audrey grinned. "I'm just so happy. Gosh, I would never have believed before that I could get so emotional!" She sniffled again and composed herself. "How do I look?" she asked me.
I took in a deep breath and looked at Audrey's reflection in the mirror. Her golden blond hair was pulled back into an intricate bun, and she looked fresh and natural, as if she hadn't put on any make-up. She looked like she was ready to become Miss USA.
"Beautiful," I replied. "Absolutely perfectly beautiful."
The wedding seemed to pass by in a flash. John and Audrey said their vows, and then they were married and quickly swept away into the white limousine that would take them to the reception, which was being held in a boat that would circle around in the harbor. I found my mom, who was weeping terribly, and drove her to the harbor.
"C-can y-you be-believe it?" my mother sniffed. "My dear Audrey…g-going, m-married…" She grabbed another tissue, thus pretty much emptying the tissue box that had been full this morning.
"I know, I know, calm down, Mom…." I replied with a sigh. I was a bit sad myself, but my mom was just a little too emotional. My thoughts wandered around, and I sadly thought of how my father was not there today to walk my sister down the aisle, how happy he would have been to see Audrey glowing with joy. However, I quickly stopped my thoughts once I noticed a tear building up in the corner of my eye. I took a deep breath and sighed once more.
The reception was perfect. All the guests flowed into the boat perfectly, and everyone was served a fantastic meal. Once dinner was over, Audrey and John walked out toward the dance floor. Many couples soon followed. I just resigned myself to watching the boat glide smoothly through the water. Unfortunately, my two best friends, Rena and Ethan, each had other plans, so they both couldn't attend.
"Cassie!" my mom called in a shrill voice. Apparently she had no reason to be sad anymore. In fact, she looked very happy and ready to celebrate. I turned my head to look at her, then turned away, embarrassed. "Cassie! Come over here! You must meet this charming young man!" I sighed. This wasn't the first time she tried to set me up with one of her friends' sons. Plus, she seemed a bit drunk. "Cassie!" my mom called demandingly. I shrugged and stood up.
"I guess I can amuse her," I muttered under my breath. I walked over to her, glancing over at the young man next to her. He looked very prim and proper, and he wasn't smiling. "Oh gosh," I thought to myself. "Another old one." My mom seemed to like matchmaking me with older men…much older men. In fact, this man looked at least ten years older. I suppose that the age difference wasn't that drastic, it was just that I couldn't imagine dating someone that looked so stiff.
After a few dances with him, I managed to escape, mumbling my usual excuse of needing to use the restroom. I rushed, nearly tripping myself, to the nearest "hiding spot" that I could find, which happened to be behind the bar.
Once I hid myself behind the counter, I let out a breath and closed my eyes. A chuckle that I did not expect came out of nowhere. Startled, I looked up to see a guy my age. He had messed up light brown hair, with bright hazel eyes. The guy seemed pretty tall, but it might just have been due to the fact that I was kneeling on the ground. "Is the big bad wolf out there?" he asked, still laughing.
I stiffened and sat up a little straighter, trying to regain my dignity. But, I still didn't stand up. "Aren't you a little young to be a bartender?" I snapped, subtly trying to brush dirt off of my dress.
The guy made a face. "My uncle owns this boat, I'm just helping out. Do you know how many bottles of wine and champagne were ordered for this reception?" He shook his head and continued. My eyes followed the movements of his head and shoulders. "I owe my uncle a few weekends of work. How about you? What connection do you have to the married couple?"
"I'm the maid of honor, in fact." The young bartender stared back. "You know, the maid of honor, the girl who-"
"I know what the maid of honor is," he replied, cutting me off.
"Well, I assumed that you didn't since you were just staring at me bl-"
"No, I was just...surprised, that's all." I was beginning to get annoyed because of all of the times he was cutting me off. Once more, just as I opened my mouth to ask him why he was surprised, he cut me off. "What's your name?"
"Cassidy." I blurted out. Then I corrected myself. "No, I mean Cassie. I hate the name Cassidy." It was true, I did. It was what my father had always called me, while others called me by my nickname. Now I just stuck to my nickname. "You?"
He quickly opened his mouth and shut it immediately once he heard my mom calling. "Cassie! Where are you sweetie?" I heard my companion begin to snicker. With a sigh, I slowly began to stand up.
"So, that's who you were hiding from. Ah, it makes sense now."
I didn't like the expression on his face, so I replied sharply, "You didn't answer my question."
"And you didn't really ask one. All you said was 'you'." I glared. "Fine. I'm Derek. Nice to meet you, Cassidy." He stuck out a hand, and I frowned, took his hand, and gave him a firm handshake, which he returned.
"Cassidy Naomi Wilkins, WHERE ARE YOU?!" my mother screeched. I sighed, and Derek nodded.
"Talk to you soon, then," he murmured. I nodded and rushed away to find my mother.
It was only after we had gotten home that I realized that I didn't have Derek's number.
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Copyright 2008 bookhugger (FictionPress ID: 625970)