Ugly Girl

Chapter Twenty-Four: Epilogue

Chapter Twenty-Four (Epilogue): Riley

                Ten years later

                I stare at the white card in my hand. I can literally feel my heart squeeze as it brings back a whole flood of memories; the wedding of Johnny Ricci and Ally Marsh. I knew it would happen one day but I didn’t think I would be invited. I haven’t seen them in ten years. My heart clenches again. The last time I saw them, Zoey broke my heart.

Am I really going to travel all the way to California? Yes. Ally and Johnny were great to me and I owe them to go their wedding. But who else would be there? Lizzy? Mace? Zoey?

~Zoey~

I can’t believe this! I’m actually nervous because an old flame may be at this wedding. I shook my head; I should be excited for seeing Ally and Johnny for the first time in five years! I smoothed my purple dress and nervously walked into the large church. It was already crowded, I’m assuming it was about to start.

Deciding on a seat in the back, I slid in next to a plain looking red head with a face full of freckles. I caught her staring at me, quizzically, as if she was trying to place me. It then dawned on me who I was sitting next to.

“Lizzy?”

“Oh my god it is you!” She threw her arms around, “You look so different! You’re gorgeous!”

“Look who’s talking!” I lie. Although it has been five years, Lizzy hasn’t changed at all. “What do you do?”

“I’m a teacher back at our old high school!”

I smile, “You always wanted to be one! I’m a fashion designer in New York.”

                Lizzy’s mouth gapes open, “Oh my god, Zoey! That’s amazing!” something else suddenly catches her attention. “Oh my gosh there’s Johnny!”

                I follow her gaze to a tall man dressed in a sharp looking tux and his hair freshly cut. His facial features are unmistakable; it’s the Johnny we knew and loved. Even five years since I’ve seen him, he still looks as cute as ever.

                After we had graduated, we all went to separate colleges, aside from Ally and Johnny. I’m assuming the only two that kept in contact were Johnny and Mace; he was the best man after all. I couldn’t help but wonder what Lizzy was thinking as she saw a more mature looking Mace standing tall. They had broken up a few weeks before graduation. I’m guessing they haven’t talked much since.

                Lizzy’s grip suddenly tightened on my arm. She pointed at the giant doors leading into the church. None other than Ally walked in; if possible, more beautiful than the last time I saw her. I smiled as I remembered the old Ally, the one that hated men and was never going to get married. Now, she was walking down the aisle in a gorgeous white wedding dress that trailed behind her. Her blonde hair was done perfectly and her makeup had been expertly done. She looked like a goddess. Tears threatened to fall at the corner of my eyes, “Oh Lizzy, remember when we went to see that chick flick and we had teased Ally about Johnny?”

                “Yes!”

                “I totally knew this would happen when we did. Just saying,”

                “Come on, Lizzy!” I called as we fought our way through the crowd of people trying to chit-chat with the bride and groom. Too bad for them! I had to talk to them!

                Ally had been talking to an older lady, making her chuckle and early spit her dentures out, when she saw us. “Oh I know! Trust- Oh my god! Zoey?” Ally squealed. She literally shoved the old lady out of the way and threw her arms around me. “Oh my god I have missed you so much!” She suddenly released me and took a step back. “Holy shit, you are gorgeous.”

                “Puh-lease! If I’m gorgeous, then you’re a Greek goddess!”

                Ally let out a laugh then turned in the opposite direction, “Johnny! Mace! Look who I found!”

                “Hey Lizzy,” Mace says when he finally makes his way over. “Hey Zoey.” Man, Mace has seriously mellowed out!

                Johnny on the other hand, is the exact same.

                “Zoey!” He practically screams, “Man girl, the years have been good to you!” He reaches over and squeezes the heck out of me. Same old Johnny.

                He opens his mouth to say something but something behind me catches him off guard. His mouth drops while Ally’s curves up in a devilish smile. “Riley!” she cries. “You made it!”

                Riley, not recognizing me, politely squeezes in between Lizzy and I and hugs the bride and groom.

                “Riley, there’s someone I want you to meet,” Ally says, the same evil smile on her red lips. She wheels him around to face me, “Meet Zoey. Zoey this is Riley.”

                Riley, who still looks as handsome as ever, looks totally mystified, “Zoey, is that you?”

                I watch as everyone else slowly walks away, leaving the two of us to converse. “Yeah! It’s great to see you again!”

                “You-you look great.”

                We stand in an awkward silence, neither of us sure of what to say. I finally break the silence by blurting out a completely idiotic statement: “You know I liked you back in high school. I didn’t have a chance to tell you because you moved so suddenly.”

                Instead of giving me a weird look for bringing up something so stupid, he only looks shocked, “Really?”

                I nod, “I did.”

                A silence falls over us as I watch Riley’s facial expression go from happy to angry to happy again, “Then Zoey, since it didn’t work out so great the first time, would you like to get a cup of coffee with me?”

                “I’d love to.” I giggle just as Johnny and Ally walk over.

                Johnny points to a couple in the corner, the girl enormously fat with a few kids following and the man bald with a beer gut overflowing his pants. Ally lets out a snicker, “That’s Beth Jones and Ryan. We invited them as a joke!”

                We all stare in shock at them, once beautiful people, now trashy shmucks.

                “Karma really does exist.” Riley says, grinning at me happily.

                I smile back, not just because I was finally going to be with Riley but because I changed something. I changed the fact that the ugly girl doesn’t get a guy and that the pretty girl gets the guy. I proved to a whole high school, my friends, Riley, and myself that sometimes, the ugly girls do win.

THE END