Weight

Part Two

The sun peeked through my curtains. The light bothered my eyes and I groaned. I was officially woken up.

My eyes snapped open as the events of last night came rushing back to me. I'm getting married. Willingly. Crazy. I shut my eyes and reopened them, hoping it was still sleeping. I wasn't; I knew that. Yet, it all felt too strange to be real life and not some wild dream.

I sighed as I thought of my mom's and Mrs. Keller's faces as I relented, giving in to their plan. Shock, happiness, relief. The same emotions streaked across Mr. Keller's, my dad's, and Nate's face when we told them. Our sisters didn't carry the same happiness and relief, as they didn't quite feel the extent of the situation, but they certainly were shocked.

The parents began making plans. They decided the courthouse was best, as they didn't have the time to plan a big wedding, nor did I want to make a big deal out of this sham of a marriage. It wasn't true love. Only a business move. No need to make a big fuss when we'd be divorced once the lawyers found a loophole.

In the whirlwind of it all, I barely got to talk to Nate, which I so desperately wanted. Thinking of Nate, I grabbed my phone to shoot him a text, only to see that I already had received one from him.

hey, evie. i didn't get the chance to say this to you last night but...thank you so much. you don't know how much this means to me and my family. was hoping we could talk soon?

I was pondering over how to respond when my mother came in. I sat up in bed and smiled at her lazily, still a little groggy from my sleep. "Morning," I murmured.

"Hey, Cupcake," Mom said. "Thinking about last night?" She crossed the room and sat at the end of my bed.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's all just so. . .wild."

My mother agreed as she patted my leg. "I know, but this means to much to the Kellers. They're gonna come over later for dinner, so we can talk more. That's okay right?"

I told my mom I was fine with the Kellers coming over and she got up to leave with one more pat on the leg. I picked up my phone and typed out a response to Nate.

i'm happy to help. talking sounds good. your family is coming over later so we can talk just us then?

Nate's reply was short.

yes

I hopped out of bed and trailed downstairs to make myself a cup of tea. I mixed a little sugar into the mug and stirred a squeeze of honey in before taking it to the front porch. This was my Sunday morning routine. I always started my Sundays with a cup of tea. No breakfast, just tea.

I enjoyed the fresh air and watching the neighborhood come to life. People coming and going to church, kids getting ready for a fall-ball game, the mailman driving by and filling up the boxes at the end of every driveway. When my mug was empty and the morning started to warm up, I went inside and changed into my workout clothes.

After another run, I showered and pulled on shorts and a tank top. My stomach rumbled so I made myself a sandwich for lunch. And then returned to my room to do my homework before the Kellers got here. I didn't have a lot of homework, as it was still early in the school year, so I finished quickly and was left with spare time.

I quickly learned spare time was no good for my mind right now. It wandered back to this marriage. I began pacing my room. I couldn't get over it. Marriage. I mean, really?

To keep my mind busy and off of the marriage, I reorganized my bookshelf. Three times. And then I went through the kitchen cabinet and organized that too. I went in search of another project to keep me busy when the doorbell rang. I sighed. The Kellers were here, so there was no avoiding this now.