•Part 30•
So the weather was improving, which was weird. At this time of year it should be getting colder, I mean, what was the sun thinking waking me up at 7am with is freakin sun rays for the second day in a row now?
School was off today, due to some kind of teachers meeting and I knew I had two plans for today so I actually decided to dress up, jumping into a denim skater dress with a leather belt at the waist and a white lace collar, and a pair of brown leather multi strap sandal heels.
First thing on my agenda were my best friends who I had decided to meet at the local cafe for a morning coffee.
////
"Well well well, something tells me you didn't dress up like that for us." Poppy grinned as I took my seat.
I laughed. "I'm meeting Rachel for lunch."
"Oh yeah." Melissa gasped. "How did the rehearsal go?"
"Don't even..." I shook my head.
"Why?" Poppy asked confused. "What happened?"
"More like, who happened." I told them as the waiter brought me my coffee. "Thank you."
"Wait, it's not Liam is it?" Poppy asked.
"Well who else could it be?" I shrugged.
Melissa looked at me with total confusion. "But how--why was he there?"
"He's one of the groomsmen." I forced a smile.
"Please tell me you're joking."
"Trust me, I really wish I was." I sighed.
"Well did you guys speak?" Poppy asked. "Did he say anything?"
I nodded. "He tried making conversation."
"And how did that turn out?"
I took another sip of my coffee. "In me crying."
"Why?!" Poppy demanded. "What did he do?"
I laughed, trying to calm her down. "Nothing, it was my fault. I just kind of was thinking of the wedding and I just got upset." I regret breaking down in front of Liam. It was embarrassing and it made me look weak. On the other hand, I had told him everything I was thinking. Exactly how I was feeling. And maybe he could finally understand how much he hurt me.
"Luce," Melissa spoke up. "Don't ever let a guy make you feel like you will never be as happy as Rachel is. Believe me, one day that will be you, and the guy waiting for you at the end of the aisle will be a man that loves you, respects you and appreciates you in every way."
"I'm sorry for everything I said about him the other day." Poppy said. "I take everything back. You deserve so much better."
"Thank you guys." I smiled. "I love you both."
"Love you too." They both said, making us all erupt into laugher.
/////
"I'm sorry I'm late." Rachel panted as she took her seat opposite me.
I laughed. "Don't worry. I haven't been here long."
"I'm so glad we could meet up like this." She smiled. "I've been meaning to call you for a while now but with the wedding and everything it's been busy."
"Don't worry." I dismissed. "It's understandable."
"I must say though, after the events of yesterday, I'd ditch all my plans for a catch up."
I hide my face in my hands. "Oh god."
"Luce! Don't get all shy on me now!" She exclaimed. "I'm pretty sure you didn't get those two hotties with your shyness."
I laughed at her with a roll of the eyes. "Firstly, I haven't gotten them-"
"Er, yeah you do." She remarked. "Babe, the Sean guy was smiling every time you even looked his way and Liam, his eyes lit up as soon as he heard your name."
I looked at her blankly. Was she being serious? Part of me didn't want to believe what she was saying. I didn't want to get my hopes up again, especially considering I was trying the reject one of them with every nerve in my body and the other was a good friend of mine. However, the other part of me wanted to smile and bit my lip at the thought that the schools bad boy reacted that way purely at the sound of my name.
"I must say though, I never knew you were that much of a bitch." She laughed, regaining my attention.
I looked at her confused. "What do you mean?"
She shrugged, with a smirk. "Well, I just never knew my little cousin was the type of girl that would play two mates against each other."
I laughed at her. "It's not like that."
She arched an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yeah. Trust me, it's far from that."
"Okay," she said, looking straight at me. "Please just start from the beginning."
"Do you have enough time?" I joked.
"Whoa there--"
"I joke!" I defended with a laugh. "I'll shorten it for you."
Once we ordered and our meals came Rachel looked me straight in the eye. "You may begin."
I sighed. Where was I going to begin? I mean, summer holidays may have been only a few months ago but I felt like with everything that had happened, it was years ago.
"Do you remember Patrick?" The question, although coming out of my own mouth, surprised me.
"Oh my god. Yeah, what happened to that? You guys were in a relationship for two--"
"Three." I corrected.
Rachel nodded. "Three years. That's a long time. I'm so sorry, the wedding had been so much stress I forgot about your boyfriend--"
"Ex- boyfriend." I smiled politely, not really wanting to go back that far in memory. Unfortunately, Liam was part of it, so I had to.
"Ex, sorry. What happened?"
I took a deep breathe. "During the holidays we had an argument, he turned violent and pushed me, resulting in a broken leg and arm."
"Both?!" She asked.
I nodded. "Luckily, Liam was there. He kind of saved me." Rachel munched on her food, while looking at me in awe. "After that he looked after me for the whole summer and I guess we became a couple."
"But..."
I sighed. "When we started school he wanted to keep me a secret. He ignored me in school and at one point when Patrick came back and tries humiliating me, Liam stood up for me again but denied even knowing me."
Rachel gasped. "What a prick! And have you not spoken since?"
I laughed humourlessly. "I wish." Rachel gave me a questioning look. "We made up and then," Rachel was only three years older than me and I had always been very close to her. And yet I felt awkward telling her about my sex life. "Er, we--"
"You slept together." She smirked.
I looked at her and laughed. "Basically yeah."
"I'm guessing it was good." She winked.
"Oh my god Rachel." I laughed.
"You're not denying it!" She pointed out.
I nodded, biting my lip. "Yeah it was good."
"I knew it!" She laughed. "What happened after that though?"
"He basically said that he won't take me to prom because it's too much of a statement and too serious, at that point I was sure that I had enough and I broke up with him." I told her.
"Are you serious?!" She exclaimed. "He pulled you into bed and then ditched you?!"
I nodded. "I had met Sean a few weeks back at a party but he was in a relationship. But just before prom, he too had broken up with his girlfriend, and considering how close we had gotten as friends by then, he asked me out to prom."
Rachel raised a suspicious eyebrow. "As friends ey?"
"It's nothing more. I swear." I told her. "But the other day I found out that they're both really close apparently and I kind of went mental, and had a fight with Liam about it. Hence the awkwardness at the rehearsal."
My cousin nodded, swallowing her bite. "Babe, I don't blame you one bit. If my boyfriend had even done half of the things Liam has done to you I would cut the assholes dick off with a blunt butter knife!"
I burst into laughter. "Oh my god." I said clutching my stomach.
"What?! I'm being serious. No guy has the right to make you feel that way! No one." She told me. "Why did you never call me?"
I shrugged. "During this whole thing I generally didn't talk to anyone about it. My best friends would just force it out of me but I tended to just keep it all to myself. And even if I was to talk to anyone, to someone I knew you were busy with the wedding and you didn't need any more problems."
Rachel shook her head. "Luce, I'll always have time for you. Always you understand? Next time just give me a call and I'll be there's ripping that assholes hair out and stuffing it down his throat!"
Her words made me choke on my own food before bursting into laugher again. "Oh my god."
"What?" She asked innocently with a shrug. "How do you think I tamed Tom?"
"Does he know what he's getting himself into?" I asked with a laugh.
Rachel shook her head with a sly grin. "He hasn't got a clue."
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