Between Us

chapter two

02

I look absolutely, completely and utterly ridiculous.

I'm wearing a peach colored dress that's floor length. That's not the bad part. The bad part is the giant ruffles and the sparkly five-inch heels.

It'll be fun, they said.

They lied.

They never said it would be hideous.

"You girls look fabulous!" Whitney says, clapping her hands joyfully.

It takes all of the power within me not to rip the dress off and refuse it. I plaster a fake smile on my face. All the other bridesmaids seem to truly love it though, so either they're good actresses or they genuinely like the dresses.

My makeup has been done, heavily caked on by the makeup artist. It looks pretty good, but way too much. My hair is curled, half of it pulled back into a bun, the other half flowing down my back. The other bridesmaids look the same as I do, smiling happily.

"Time for the dress!"

Whitney nearly squeals with excitement as Katie brings a black bag out, hanger sticking out of the top. She unzips it and the most sparkly dress I've ever seen is unveiled.

It's pretty for Whitney, sure, but very sparkly. The strapless bodice is covered in sparkly gem-like pieces, the rest of it puffy with sparkling swirls.

Katie gently brings it over, unzipping the back of it. She holds it open while the rest of us help Whitney into it. I stand there, not knowing what to do until Whitney's hand clamps down on my shoulder for balance. I nearly topple over, the unbalanced force of her hand on my shoulder and my dangerously unstable heels not a good match.

The bride nearly cries with joy when she sees herself in the mirror. "Don't cry now, you don't want to ruin your makeup," Larissa says, frowning. I roll my eyes.

"I'm just so happy," she says, grinning in the mirror. "Today's the day!"

Whitney looks gorgeous. Her tan skin is almost glowing with happiness, offset by the pure white dress and her naturally blonde hair, which is pulled up into a fancy bun with loose strands framing her face. Her bright green eyes seem brighter than usual. I smile slightly. She really does look happy.

"You looks so gorgeous!" Beth says, hugging her best friend. The other bridesmaids join in, except for me because I'm awkward like that.

"Get over here, Taryn!" Whitney says, gesturing for me to partake in the hugging.

I cringe inside, because I typically don't like hugging, but I make my way over anyways. It's her day, after all.

A woman, Whitney's mom, comes walking up the stairs. She's smiling in excitement. "Ladies, it's time to go!"

Everyone, me being the exception, squeal. All the girls hustle down the stairs as fast as they can, but I take my time. I'm clinging to the railing on the stair case as I walk down the stairs in these five inch heels.

Screw it, I think to myself. I sit down on a step and slide the death traps off my feet. I hold onto them with one and and hike my dress up with the other, quickly getting down the stairs. I go outside, where everyone else is crowded by a limo.