Roller Coaster Summer

~Chapter One~

"Where's that veil?!" Aunt Sara, with her greying hair and golden dress, asked frantically as she ran around the bride's room, brushing past many of my cousin's friends who encircled her. Though it was Carrie’s big day, her mother seemed to be more stressed about it than her. Aunt Sara had the tendency to be a control freak and neat freak; everything had to go strictly according her schedule. If one minor thing happened, it was practically the end of the world. Fortunately, there were no bumps in the road that day, and everything was riding smoothly.

Carrie was a beauty even in sweatpants and a baggy old t-shirt. Her smoky, gray eyes accented her brown hair that hung in layers framing her heart-shaped face. Her pearly white smile was so contagious that it would make anyone want to smile along with her. I could not believe that she was getting married at the young age of twenty-two, but love was love. Tuck was good for her, and I believed that they would live a long happy life together.

"Elena!" Her soprano voice entered my distracted thoughts and brought me back to the dressing room. My head turned to her as everyone backed away. It was like being in a Disney movie when she was revealed in her in her breathtaking wedding dress; she was a princess. The ruffles under the dress made the skirt puff out, clear beads created ornate patterns on the upper half and was topped with a sweetheart neckline. "How do I look? Your opinion matters the most to me, well with the exception of mi madre.” She said while looking at her mother adoringly for a moment. When she looked back at me, she bit her lip in anticipation. She may have been four years older than me, but my cousin was like a sister to me.

I smiled and said one word that made her run to me in a hug. "Perfect."

Once everything was ready, all the bridesmaids travelled outside to wait for our last ride with Carrie Hilsonis. Once the limo arrived, we piled into it and there was a sense of excitement that could not be ignored. A few minutes into the ride, Carrie noticed that there was a sun roof. Since it was a beautiful summer afternoon, she pulled me up through the window and yelled, “I’m getting married New York City!” Everyone that was gathered on the sidewalks applauded for her, and one person even let out a loud whistle.

Because of all the hype, I yelled, “Did you hear that? This girl right here is getting married today!” Carrie and I bursted into laughter and went back down into the limo. All Aunt Sara worried about was that our hair would be messed up for the reception. Even though I was only eighteen years old, champagne was passed around to each other and we carefully clinked our glasses together to say, “To Carrie!”

Coincidentally, our limo arrived at the same time the men’s limo arrived. Tuck was not allowed to see Carrie in her wedding dress before the wedding because that was bad luck, so I stuck my head out of the window and said, “Tucker Miller! Get your booty into the church, you can’t see your bride before the wedding or else you’ll be cursed.” All the women below me giggled and I knew that they were all gawking at how handsome the men looked in their tuxes.

“But, Elena, not even one little peek?” Tuck asked as he gave me his best puppy dog eyes, but of course I did not budge. I had the title of Maid of Honor to maintain!

“You’re literally going to see her in ten minutes, now shoo!” All the men laughted and Tuck led them into the beautiful church, the Nave. Before I went back down to join the other lovely women, one blue-eyed groomsmen caught my eye and I felt a slight blush creep onto my cheeks as he smiled at me.

Because I was the Maid of Honor, the Best Man and I had to walk down the aisle right before Carrie would reveal herself with her father. Fortunately for me, the Best Man was Will Sanders, a recent high graduate like myself, and the most attractive one of them all. I did not know Will that much, but he was Tuck’s step-brother and if Tuck chose him to be his Best Man, then he had to have been a great person. Will had dark, brown hair with blue eyes that could pierce into your soul. The other bridesmaids would fawn over him whenever he would pass and they kept telling me to make my move. I understood that summers were meant for flings, but that summer was meant for getting ready for college and helping out around the house and store as much as possible before I had to leave. There was absolutely no time left in my schedule for boys, not even the good looking ones.