𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐘 → original

two

Caspar was eating his words. Only a few months earlier, he had said aloud "It's not like they're going to get married" and now he was sat in a crowded reception hall, wondering if he was the comedic relief in some twisted novel. The others, not including Vallie, were sat with him at a small round table placed in the back corner of the room.

Lou was sat next to him, feeling sick to her stomach. Seeing Vallie in a white gown, having her first dance with Tyler, made her imagine herself in the same position. It was her goal, right? She should be excited, imagining herself looking up into Topher's eyes after promising each other forever. Instead, she felt like she might vomit.

Next to Lou was Ophelia, smiling ear to ear. Not because she particularly wanted to be, but because no one else was doing a very good job at hiding their displeasure, and she needed to be the happy one. For Vallie's sake, of course. Vallie had been the one to listen to her when she cried from sadness and screamed from frustration, even though she knew Vallie never knew how to respond in those situations. She was there, and that was enough. So, if Ophelia needed to smile and act like she didn't think Vallie was making a terrible mistake, that's what she would do.

Marc was next to her, his leg bouncing nervously up and down. He didn't like weddings, he decided. Or perhaps he just didn't like his friends having weddings. It felt too grown up, too serious. It was another nail in the coffin, sealing him permanently into adulthood. Life from thus forward would be marriage and babies and law school and the Bar exam and starting his own practice, because that was what was expected of him.

Amory wasn't in much better shape. Over the past few months, he had grown to dislike Tyler even more. Especially since the night that Vallie showed up drunk and crying on his doorstep. Still, somehow, he was at their wedding, forced to pretend he was happy for them. He was drinking, which he rarely did, but he needed something to take the edge off that night.

From beside him, Nadia reached over and squeezed his knee. She could sense his frustration, she would of picked up on it even if he wasn't on his third glass of wine of the night. Normally, if she saw him like this, she would hit him with some flirty quip to make him smile, but she knew that wasn't what he needed tonight. He glanced at her, giving her a small, reserved smile, and she withdrew her hand.

Nadia herself didn't know what to make of the night. Truthfully, she was baffled by all of it. She just kept thinking 'What the fuck is Vallie thinking?' Nadia wouldn't dream of getting married anytime soon, even if she met the person of her dreams. She knew at this stage in her life, there was no dream person. No, she was her own dream person. She needed to worry about herself, and she couldn't fathom how Vallie wouldn't do the same.

"She doesn't even like country music." Amory spoke, breaking the silence and tension. Vallie and Tyler were swaying to some song about love and whiskey, each word enunciated with the singer's deep southern drawl. He felt like he was in some kind of alternate reality.

None of this seemed right. Vallie was in a plain, tight white gown. The hall was simple and understated, the best they could do on a few months notice and with their limited budget. Tyler's sister and Vallie's brother were the only members of the bridal party. None of it matched the fairytale they had expected from her.

"Maybe she does now." Nadia replied flatly. She didn't explicitly say it, but there was an insinuation laced within the word 'now.' Like, perhaps, Vallie was someone new. Someone whose interests they didn't quite know anymore. Someone they didn't quite know anymore.

"She looks beautiful, though." Ophelia tried to interject some positivity into the group. The others hummed in agreement, none of them really concerned with how the girl looked.