The Bridesmaid

14|Hometown Memories

Natalia and Adriana were just having fun, goofing off in the guest room when Anthony burst through the door.

"Natalia? We could really use your help right now," he said.

"What's going on," Natalia asked as she got up from her spot on the floor.

"Jess is a mess. She's taking it harder than we thought," Anthony explained.

"Okay, let's go then," Natalia said as she followed Anthony to Kris' room.

"You've known Jess the longest, so I figured you'd know how to calm her down," Anthony said as they walked down the hallway.

"Yeah, I do. It's just been a while since I've seen Jess upset. I thought she had gotten it out of her system when she yelled at them," Natalia explained.

"She didn't. She's throwing a fit in the room," Anthony said as he opened the door.

True to his word, Jessie was crying in the middle of the room as Kris desperately tried to comfort her.

"Jess, it's okay. You said yourself we don't need their blessing," Kris tried to say.

"Yeah, b-but who's going t-to walk me do-down the aisle," Jessie cried.

Natalia's heart broke at the sight. Her best friend, one of the kindest people she had ever met, simply didn't deserve the pain.

"Jess," Natalia called.

Jessie looked up from Kris' should and to Natalia expectantly.

"Wipe you tears because they're not worth them. This wedding is about your love. If they don't want to support it, who cares? Because, guess what? You have a whole group of people who do," Natalia said as she gingerly wiped Jessie's tears.

"It'll work out right? It always does," Jessie asked in a mere whisper.

"Absolutely, and you want to know how I know," Natalia asked as she brushed Jessie's hair out of her face.

"Because a few years ago, my smart, courageous, and gorgeous sister told me that. Everything would always work itself out," Natalia said by heart.

And it was true, Jessie had always told her that when all her problems started. It was one of the few things that kept Natalia going when things got hard.

Jessie let out a small laugh as she grabbed Natalia's hand, "Thank you for always being there."

"What kind of maid of honor would I be if I wasn't," Natalia joked, "Now clean yourself up because the day is still young. We can always go do something."

With that, Natalia walked out the door and smiled at Anthony as she passed.

However, Anthony pulled her back when he grabbed her hand, "Hey, Nat?"

"Yeah," Natalia asked as she turned to face him.

"At the dinner, you told Jess' dad that you hadn't seen Chase. How come?"

Natalia sighed as she said, "You're a lot more observant than I thought."

"I notice things," Anthony shrugged,"So what's the deal?"

"Chase's dad does business with Mr. Delp. Before everything, Chase's dad was cool with Mr. Delp. The first night things went south, I ran to their house, and obviously had to explain the bruise on my face. They would never admit it, but I'm the reason the Delp's didn't sign this thousand dollar contract with the McDaniels'. It makes me feel bad enough, so I just like to avoid more problems by not saying anything," Natalia explained.