WORDS: a journal

oct. 6, 2014

[A/N: I am trying something a bit different this time. This is the beginning to a potential story. Please let me know if you'd like to see more of this, and I will consider trying to turn it into something longer. Thanks in advance for the feedback on this one!]

October Jayn Douglass was late again. She tried to push through the thick rush-hour crowd, but her petite frame made that an ambitious project.

“Excuse me,” she said as firmly as she could without feeling rude. Then, when no one listened, she bellowed in classic October form, “EXCUSE ME!” Immediately, a few people moved away, shooting her distasteful glances over their shoulders. Tobi didn’t mind; at this point, a few rude looks were a small price to pay for a quicker step.

Exhausted, she jogged up the steps to the church. As soon as she entered, she was surrounded by two tearful bridesmaids and a frantic best friend. “Where have you been, Tobi?!” Elle asked semi-rhetorically, shoving a gown and bouquet into her maid-of-honor’s arms. “Quick, get changed. There’s no time to do your hair, you’ll have to go down as you are…oh, but it’s such a disaster. ANNA!” Elle suddenly shouted for her hairdresser, who came scurrying over from pinning someone else’s locks into place. “Please just…fix her,” Elle ordered, waving a hand at her friend. “I have to finish buttoning this dress.” One of the other bridesmaids bustled over and resumed doing up the myriad buttons that ran all the way up the back of her sumptuous white gown.

Tobi meekly submitted to the hairdresser’s ministrations, focusing instead on scraping off the last of her chipping nail polish. She hadn’t had the heart to tell her friend that the reason she was late was because her divorce hearing ran past schedule. It seemed wrong to bring up her own marital drama on Elle’s big day.

Once Anna was finished working miracles on Tobi’s nest of chocolate colored hair, someone else helped her into her dress. Honestly, I should be thankful, Tobi reasoned as she watched her assistant zip up her gown. It really isn’t bad, as bridesmaid’s dresses go. But before she had much time to admire the view, she was being shoved towards Elle to join the flock of fussing ladies that were adjusting this and smoothing that. The train of Elle’s dress was very long, and it was twisted in the middle, which somehow no one had noticed. Tobi smoothed it out, checked that all the buttons were correctly fastened, and then took her best friend’s hand. “You look beautiful,” she said with a smile.

Elle grinned nervously back at her, smoothing her russet hair with her free hand. “You think so?”

October nodded. “Well I mean, you always look beautiful, but right now you look like a bride.”

Elle beamed. “Thank you. I’m glad you’re here, Tobi.”

Tobi squeezed her hand. “Me too. Now let’s go get you hitched.”

With that, the doors opened, and the wedding began.

Several glasses of champagne and many dances later, Elle flopped down next to October at the wedding party table. “Oh, my feet,” she moaned, slipping off her shoes and rubbing the blisters that were forming.

Tobi smirked and shook her head. “I told you to wear lower heels. We both knew you’d be dancing.”

Elle wrinkled her nose and glared, first at her feet and then at her friend. “I don’t care. I look fabulous. You do too, by the way – I forgot to mention that earlier. Elfin – you look elfin.” She giggled. “October the Elf.” It was true – Tobi’s features naturally lent themselves to a certain amount of elfin-ness. She had high cheekbones, a heart-shaped face, and a slightly upturned nose that all looked very ethereal, especially with the flower crown and braided up-do that accompanied her gold bridesmaid’s gown.