Between Us

chapter one

01

"Ready for the big day?" Beth, my older, twenty-year-old sister asks, plopping down on my bed. "Whitney is getting married, and we're the bridesmaids!"

I groan, pulling my pillow over my head. Does she understand how important sleep is to me? Beth talks to me like she's my age (seventeen), as she always has, but she never understands common concepts such as sleep and personal space.

"Taryn, get up!" My sister says, grabbing my pillow off my head and beating me with it. "We have a big day, and we have to be at Whitney's house in an hour!"

I sit up sleepily, rubbing my eyes. Beth starts jabbering on about something I can't understand because I'm too busy yawning. I stretch out, hearing my shoulders and back let out loud pops.

"-and it's going to be so magical, Don't you think?"

I just nod. "Yeah, so magical."

I toss the fluffy sheets and comforter off my legs, which are silky smooth because Beth and Whitney made me go with them and the other bridesmaids to get their legs waxed and nails done yesterday. My toenails and fingernails are painted a shimmery gold, like the rest of the bridesmaids.

I swing my legs off my bed and stand up, my long legs bare because I only sleep in a t-shirt and underwear. Beth doesn't seem to care nor notice because she's already yapping about some other topic I couldn't care less about.

I just hum and nod in all the right places as I walk in to my closet. I shimmy into a pair of tight ripped jeans and put on a black bra with a random hoodie I stole from my brother last week.

I have my own bathroom attached to my room, so I go in there and brush my long tangled brown waves out as Beth still chatters on and on. She doesn't stop talking.

"Aren't you excited?"

I step out of the bathroom and look at her, confused. "What?"

Beth sighs. "Did you hear anything I said?"

I avoid her gaze. "Um..."

She rolls her eyes. "Typical Taryn," Beth says. "Anyways, I was asking if you were excited to be a bridesmaid."

"Oh, yeah I guess. I don't know why she wanted me of all people to be a bridesmaid," I say, shrugging.

"Because you're like her little sister, duh."

"Because that's what I was going for."

Beth smiles at me. "Come on, baby sis. Let's eat something before we go."

Together, my sister and I head down the stairs, me yawning every five seconds. As soon as we reach the kitchen, I head straight for the coffee pot. I pour a cup of coffee for myself, in my favorite mug that has Grumpy Cat on it.

I drink it black, cringing at the bitter taste for a second before relishing it. "Good morning, girls," Dad says, reading the newspaper in his red bathrobe, glasses low on his nose.

"Morning Dad," we chime, Beth's voice slightly cheerier than mine.

Mom comes walking down the stairs, still dressed in her nightgown. I move out of her way as she heads straight for the coffee pot, knowing that we're exactly the same in that aspect. Coffee first, pleasantries second.

Once she has a couple gulps of coffee mixed with her favorite hazelnut creamer down, she greets us. Reed, my twin brother (who is unfortunately ten minutes older than me and never lets me forget) is probably still asleep, because he doesn't have to be awake until six o'clock this evening for Whitney's wedding. My five-year-old sister, Sophie, is currently at her friends house for a sleepover.

I glance at the clock on the stove, a constant reminder that it's eight o'clock in the morning. Way too early, if you ask me.

I set my half empty coffee mug on the counter and pull a loaf of cinnamon-swirl bread out of a cabinet, twisting the bag. I pull out two pieces and slide them in the toaster, pushing the lever down all the way.

"So Taryn, how do you feel about wearing your bridesmaid dress?" Mom asks, trying to hide her grin behind her coffee mug.

I look at her blankly. "1. I don't like wearing dresses and 2. It's way too early for this shit," I say, waiting for my toast to finish. Everyone laughs at my expense, knowing I am nowhere near a morning person.

I pull the tub of butter out of the fridge and get a knife for when my toast is done. I down the rest of my coffee, feeling slightly more awake than I was.

My cinnamon-swirl bread pops up with a ding, so I grab it quickly with my fingertips. I drop it into the counter, cussing as it burns my skin.

I carefully spread butter onto the bread, putting extra on the edge where it burned slightly. "Tare-Bear, you're going to have to eat in the car. We have to be at Whitney's in twenty minutes," Beth says.

"Don't call me that," I grumble, stacking the two pieces of toast together. I take a bite out of them, leaving the kitchen to get a pair of shoes from my room. As I walk up the stairs, I nearly trip up the stairs because my toe gets caught in a pair of my brother's jeans that are haphazardly laying on the stairs.

I take another bite and grab the pants, continuing my way up the stairs. I slide on a pair of socks and some converse, then open the door to Reed's room and throw the jeans at his body on the bed.

"Your jeans almost killed me," I say loudly. "And I'm wearing your favorite hoodie."

"Okay," he mumbles, turning his head to the other side.

I roll my eyes and leave, knowing that Beth is probably panicking about how we need to leave. I finish my toast on the way down the stairs, managing not to trip over anything this time.

"Finally!" Beth exclaims, grabbing my arm. "Bye Mom! Bye Dad!"

I yell my goodbyes as Beth pulls me out the door, into the chilly November air. We get into her car and buckle up, blasting the heater to warm up the freezing air around us.

Beth starts down the road, making turns and stops at the right places. We end up at Whitney's house, which is a basically a mansion. It's huge, with like nine bedrooms, five bathrooms, two living rooms, among other things. It's not actually Whitney's house, it's her parent's house, but it's where Whitney is getting ready.

We get out of the car and I brace myself for the squeals and smell of hair spray and expensive perfumes. Beth and I walk right in, heading to the second floor where Whitney said she'd be. I hear music blaring loudly and girls laughing.

We find all of them in the second floor living room, Whitney sitting in a chair wearing a white robe, getting her hair curled. The other bridesmaids, who are all twenty or twenty-one, are standing around, laughing at something.

There's Katie, a nice brunette who's Whitney's younger, twenty-year-old sister, Larissa, a slightly bitchy twenty-one-year-old blonde, and Sylvia, a very smart twenty-year-old redhead with black glasses.

"Hey girls!" Whitney calls out, waving excitedly.

Beth waves back, just as excited, but I just stand there awkwardly. I'm the only one who's a minor, so I don't exactly fit in.

This is going to be fun.

* * *

edited june 19, 2018