All For Money

All For Money - Chapter Seventeen

School is starting soon.

UGH.

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Chapter One

Lexi

"I hate this suit."

"Don't say that. You look absolutely dashing," I assured Jared. He still had a frown on his face, and I knew he didn't want to go. "But will you go for me? It'll be embarrassing if I don't show up to my dad's wedding without a date."

He sighed. "Fine. But I better get something in return for being in this monkey suit."

"You have me. Isn't that enough?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course it is. When does this thing start, anyway?"

I looked at the analog clock on the wall. "In about...an hour."

We were Jared's house, which was a couple blocks from the church where my parent's were having the wedding. Even though the wedding was inside, the reception was outside in the woods behind the church.

Jared looked very handsome in his black suit with silk blue tie. The colors of the wedding were white and blue, so I had made Jared dress accordingly.

He finished combing his hair and turned to me. "You look beautiful."

"You look...hot."

He laughed. "Way to compliment me modestly," he teased. He held out his arm, and I hooked it with his before walking out of his bedroom and down the stairs.

His mother and father were sitting next to each other on the couch. They heard us come down and his mother stood up and gasped. "Lexi, you look gorgeous!"

I felt my face heat up.

"Jared, you look so handsome in that tux!" she cooed. "I need to take pictures!"

Jared groaned. "Mom, this isn't prom. We're just going to her dad's wedding. There is no need for pictures," he assured her.

"Honey, let's face it, you probably won't be in a suit for a long time." She disappeared up the stairs and Jared turned to me, a look of sympathy on his face. "I'm sorry. She's pretty stubborn when it comes to this stuff."

"It's fine. Carmen likes to take pictures a lot because she claims 'we might not all be here one of these days, let's make it count.' It's stupid," I sighed.

"Everybody has that compulsive picture taker in their family. I have more than one, and, honestly, I hate it. I used to like it, but then i had a photographer for a girlfriend. Oh God. She made me pose while we were at Wal-Mart."

"Why were you at Wal-Mart?"

"That's not the point."

Seconds later we heard clumping down the stairs and Mrs. Richie had a camera in her hand. She made us pose, most of them us being kissing. Not like it bothered me.

"Mom, Mom, Mom, we have to go," Jared groaned.

She face-palmed. "Right. Sorry. You two go have one. Oh, and tell your parents congratulations and good luck in their marraige," she said to me.

"Sure thing," I promised.

The sun was shining and a slight breeze was blowing through the air. The ride there was quiet, which left me to think to myself.

It felt odd to realize that the relationship between my dad and Carmen was being finalized. Today. Today. Today, there was no turning back with my mom's replacement.