The Hustler Wedding [Alex Gaskarth]

Chapter Seven: The Run

    I'm sure Isobel meant well, I really am. There's absolutely no spiteful reason to invite all of your daughter-in-law-to-be's friends over for a party the first night your son comes home from being away for three months. Not one.

    Not that that means it's always going to turn out okay. Sometimes, the bride-to-be gets home a little too late, because she assumes her fiancé won't be home until the next morning. Sometimes, the fiancé is a little impatient for waiting around for everyone to leave before he starts kissing her like it's been years. And sometimes, the maid of honor's stupid stepmother lets on to the bride's mother that there is a party, and she's not invited.

    Not usually, but I've never known a day in my life that wasn't unusual.

    The first hour of the party was great. Alex and I barely left each other alone, we saw tons of people that neither of us had seen nearly enough of, and there was cake.

    Trish, one of Alex's friends, was noticeably pregnant, and thus, told me I needed to get knocked up, too! We could be baby buddies! Alex loved the idea, and said we would get "right on that". This was also his response when Emmaline, Lucy's mum, mentioned little Airlia's and Alex's running around the house. My responses were never as enthusiastic - I would not be going off the pill any time soon, thank-you very much.

    It was after the cake, when Alex and I were thanking everyone with a toast. He was reiterating for the millionth time that we loved everyone there, how lucky we felt to have such great friends and family, and how much he sucked at speeches, when the doorbell rang.

    Isobel stood to go answer it, but Lucy gestured for her to sit down and muttered something to Delilah, who immediately skipped off into the foyer.

    I turned my attention back to Alex, who had finished cracking a joke about wondering who that could possibly be, and smiled appreciatively, sipping at my champagne. He finished his remarks, then encouraged everyone to continue having a good time.

    Moments later, Delilah, sweet innocent little Delilah, returned with a black-coated woman behind her.

    My champagne glass shattered the moment it hit the floor, scattering into a hundred thousand pieces.

    Alex handed his off to our friend Mark, and protectively wrapped his arm around my waist as we approached.

    "H-hi, m-m-mom," I managed to blurt out.

    She didn't return the greeting. "Well, well, well. Isn't this a darling little party? Where are the bride and groom? Taylor and... Hadley, I believe?"

    "They um... they're right over there," I pointed to Tay and Jack, hoping he looked something like a Hadley.

    Her eyes blazed. "Don't lie to me, Airlia Rose."

    "I'm sorry."

    "No, you're not. You're only sorry you got caught."

    It was partly true, but not completely. I was sorry my mother had had no idea of my pending nuptials, but I wasn't sorry that she hadn't been able to try and boss me around to get what she wanted on everything, like the invitations. I was sorry that she hadn't been there to see me in that beautiful, amazing, perfect dress, but I wasn't sorry that she hadn't been there to criticize me in all the others. And I was also sorry she hadn't met the love of my life, but I wasn't sorry she hadn't had a chance to poison him against me.

    Of course, that was soon remedied.

    "I'll bet you weren't sorry when you lied to your father and I about sleeping with Connor!" She spat. "I'll bet you weren't sorry when you lied to Emmaline about why you left home!"

    "She forgave me for that a long time ago!" I screeched. "Because she actually cared about my well-being!" 

    My mother snorted. "Of course she does. And what about him?" She jerked her thumb in ALex's direction. "Does he know that you were A WHORE?"

    And all of a sudden, I felt it. 'It' being the weight of the entire world, of course. Suddenly, the one person in the entire world that I'd hoped I would never hear about my past, knew. Alex knew everything. I could feel his stare, judgement oozing from every pore.

    And that was when I ran.

    I literally ran away from my own wedding shower. And my own fiancé. And my own home, though that last one was obviously not for the first time.

    I grabbed my jacket off the hook in the front hall, my keys off their hook, and ran outside. The car was in reverse and out of the driveway before I noticed Alex standing, stunned, on the front porch. I kept driving, anyways. There was no way I could face him ever again.

❘❙❚ The Hustler Wedding❚❙❘

Soz it's short. But you, know drama and sexual Oreos and whatnot. 

Ignore me, there's a distinct possibility that I might be high on NyQuil. 

Learn proper dosages, kiddies. 

xKx