Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
And just like that, he’s gone.
I step back into my dorm room and look at whatever it is that I’m now holding in my hand. It’s not too heavy, but it’s covered by a black zip-up covering that goes all around it.
“What is it?” Trish asks as I hang it over the door.
“I…don’t know,” I admit.
“Oh my God, I bet I know!” she says, giving me a little push. I give her a little playful scowl and unzip the outer cover.
Both of us gasp at the same time.
Inside is the most beautiful dress I think either of us has ever seen. It’s a darker shade of pink that looks like it would flow just right, not be too tight and not too loose. It’s not shiny, but it’s also not dull. It’s just right in the middle, and I instantly know what it is.
“A bridesmaids dress,” we both say in unison.
“Yup! She’s really giving you no choice,” Trish laughs.
“I told you she’s tricky, didn’t I?”
I reach out and take a bit of the fabric between my fingers. It’s super delicate and definitely feels nicer than anything I’ve ever put on my body. If this is what she’s bought for the bridesmaids, I can’t imagine what she’s wearing for her dress.
“It’s been seven years, Allie,” Trish says. “You can’t possibly think she’s still trying to pull one over on you.”
“I dunno…”
“Tell you what,” Trish says, stepping in between the dress and me. “If you don’t want to go to the wedding, then I’ll go in your place.”
“Say what?” I ask, nearly cracking up.
“We’re just about the same size. I’m sure this will fit me. I’d love to get all dolled up and go to a wedding. You don’t want to go. It’s a win-win!” She looks at me with her eyebrows raised and a smile on her face, and part of me actually kind of wants to say yes to her ridiculous suggestion.
But another part of me wants to know what in the world McKenzie is up to and why I’ve gotten an invite to this wedding of hers. We stayed friends throughout high school…sort of. Not besties or anything—at least as far as I was concerned. So did she just need more bodies to fill out her wedding party? Or is she just trying to play another cruel trick on me?
“No,” I reply and watch Trish’s face fall. “I’m going to go.”
“Seriously?” she asks.
“Yeah.” I nod, thumbing the fabric of the bridesmaid dress. “I actually want to know why I’ve been invited to this thing. I need to know what it is that McKenzie is up to.”
2
Allie
This is a bad idea. I’ve always been a curious girl, but this is pushing it. Going to be a part of McKenzie’s wedding just to figure out why I’m being invited is kind of ridiculous. There could be another absurd practical joke just waiting for me, and I could be walking right into it.
Or then again, McKenzie could be having one of those life moments where you realize that it’s time to grow up and become a better person and make up for the crappy things you’ve done in your life. She is two years older than me, after all.
So that’s what I choose to believe as I pull up to the incredible venue she’s managed to rent out for her wedding for the next three days. It’s an old, enormous manor that some rich American family owned way back in the day, then at some point one of their dumbass sons blew all their money and was forced to open it up to the public for events like this one.
I pull up and go to park but am greeted by a valet who offers to take my keys and park my car for me. “I can do that for you, miss,” he says with a smile. He’s wearing a black suit and tie, which suddenly has me feeling like a member of the aristocracy. My mom works as a waitress and my dad in construction and landscaping, so I’m already feeling out of place.
“Oh, um…okay,” I say as I grab my purse and step out. I grab my suitcase and the dress from the back and walk toward the front of the house while he drives off.
I feel like I’ve stepped into another world or something. There are a bunch of people all milling around as I walk in through the front doors. I don’t recognize any of them at first glance—except McKenzie, and she’s the center of attention with a glass of champagne in her hand looking like she’s having the time of her life.
She doesn’t notice me right away, and I have to lug my dress and the bag over to the circle surrounding her and do my best to get her attention.