A Hundred Weddings [PUBLISHED]

Chapter Ten: Marriage Contract

CHAPTER TEN: MARRIAGE CONTRACT

I told my best friend everything.

From the day my dad announced my supposed engagement to our Math teacher up to the night I met Lance in the mall where I saw Hailey dating our History teacher. Now it's 6 P.M. of a cool Monday evening and we're sitting on my bed while Ella is gaping at me as if I've just told her I discovered the secrets of immortality.

"Say something." I snap my fingers at her.

She blinks, closes her mouth then opens it again to speak. "So, you're telling me, you're currently engaged to our extremely hot teacher and you became friends with a British singer whom you simply met in a parking lot?" She shakes my shoulders. "Kim, I want your life."

I roll my eyes at how silly her reaction is. "Trust me, if I can trade my life with yours, I will." Then she unexpectedly slaps me. Hard.

"Shut up. You have two hot guys wrapped around your finger! What's not to like?"

I slap her back. "One, Sir Jeremy hates me because of my poor performance in his class and I don't like him very much either. Two, Lance is probably just a playboy who treats every girl he finds interesting as special then throws them away once he's satisfied."

Ella massages her aching cheek but I would not dare apologize. We may hurt each other physically sometimes. Okay, fine, all the time, but that just proves how deep and real our friendship is. We're not one of those girl friends who will compliment you on simple things then stab you in the back while smiling at you.

We won't hold back on telling the truth from each other despite how emotionally or physically hurtful it is.

If the other one has bad breath, we immediately comment something like, "Did you just eat a used diaper?" and that's still being nice. And if the one other one refuses to believe how positive something is about her, we literally slap the truth on each other's faces. That's just how sincerely we love each other.

True friendship right there.

"At least give me Lance since you're already engaged to Sir Jeremy," She requests.

I pause to think about it. "Actually, if I had to choose between those two, I'd have Lance since we're the same age. I don't like to be tied down to some old cranky man like Sir Jeremy."

I fluff my pillow and rest my head on it. Ella follows yet props her elbows so she's at her side and looking at me with questioning eyes.

"Why? Sir Jeremy will die of old age and you'd be a richer widow."

Now that she's mentioned it. "You're right. I choose Jeremy now."

"You're such a gold digger." She laughs and lies flat on my bed.

I jab a finger on her ribs. "I'm already a rich gold digger."

We binge watched Supernatural for five hours straight until Ella's mom called her to bring her ass back home. My best friend asks for an hour more but Mrs. Summers threatened to lock the gates if she's still not home in ten minutes.

I think Ella just gave The Flash a run for his money by how quick she dashed off my room; she didn't even say goodbye. The drive to her house is 20 minutes and I have no idea how she'll be able to reach it in 10. But given her speed a while ago, I think she might make it.

Good thing she brought her car this time or else she'll still be waiting for an Uber outside.

Now it's 12:30 P.M and I still can't sleep so I grab my iPhone and was about to watch a funny video of puppies when an unknown number appears. I reluctantly swipe the screen and wait for the caller to speak first but all I can hear is multiple whispers of cussing and a bit of shuffling on the other line.

Finally, he speaks, "Kim?" I know that voice.

"Sir Jeremy, hey." Why in the world would he call at this hour?

More shuffling of papers. "Have you read our suggested marriage contract already?"

"Dad hasn't given it to me yet. Why?" Now I'm more curious about his sudden call.

He cusses again then breathes out. "Well you should ask for it. I don't think you'll like it either." Why is he acting like a nervous douchebag right now?

I roll my eyes although he can't see me. "It's just a marriage contract. I'll read it once my dad lets me."

"It's a weird marriage contract." He's probably just being overly dramatic again.

"Weird in what way?" I probe. For all we know the contract possibly just contains how long, or perhaps, how short we'll be married.

"For instance, once clause says that we can't divorce. Ever. Or else we have to give up more than half of our inheritance from our parents."

I almost drop my phone. "No way!"

"I know! And another clause state that we can't have kids until you're 25." He adds "I'll be 32 that time and I want kids before I hit 30."

This time, I really drop my phone on the bed as if it has an infectious disease. I turn on the loud speaker just so I won't put my phone close to my ear.

"Sir, are you high?" I genuinely ask because what other reason would there be for him to say a stupid comment like that.

He scoffs. "I'm just being practical. The least they can do is change it into after your college graduation" Okay. Wow. Just wow.

"Okay, hold up just a second here." I place my hands on my hips because I can't believe what I'm hearing right now. "First, you're against not having the right to divorce which implies you're planning to divorce me anytime soon, but you're also complaining that we can't have kids before you're 30?" If only I can strangle him right now. "So, what, like, you're gonna leave the kids for me to raise on my own?"

"I never said I was going to divorce you anytime soon. But what if we can't stand each other more than we can't right now?"

This is ridiculous. "So you are planning to leave me with the kids"

He groans in annoyance. "You're not getting my point. I'm just thinking of the inevitable here. We're merely discussing unavoidable instances in our situation"

I sarcastically laugh. "We're still not married and you're already thinking of the possibilities of getting a divorce" Can he hear how nonsensical he sounds right now?

"You're childish for not trying to see my point." He spits bitterly.

My hands form in a fist and I want to reach inside my phone and punch him. "And you're a potato for not realizing how outlandish your point is."

He pauses as if utterly confused. "What does a potato have to do with this?"

I am speechless for a while because honestly, I don't have any idea either. But it sounded harsh rolling down my tongue earlier. Yet now that I've think about, it does sound trivial.

"Goodbye, Jeremy." And I hang up.

Un—freaking—believable.

Am I really going to marry that conceited nincompoop?

What have I ever done to deserve the ire of the universe? I was simply living my life as a 17-year-old senior student who fangirls over boybands.

I don't do drugs, alcohol or smoking.

I'm a decent daughter to say the least; yet now I'm suddenly plunged in this idiocy that will surely take away my sanity, especially with a fiancé as self-centered as Jeremy Lincoln.

Oh well, at least he'll die first.