Chapter 19

                “Honey, are you ready?” my mother asked, knocking gently on my door before opening it. Her hands were occupied, as she tried to fasten her pearl earrings on. “We need to leave in five minutes, or otherwise we’ll be late for the banquet.”

                I smothered out my dress, before nodding. “I’ll be downstairs in a few.” I reassured my mother, who seemed to be in a state or tremor from all over her nervousness.

                My mother finally seemed to get her earring on after what seemed like minutes, as she nodded hastily. “Alright, be quick, okay?” she said, before her fingers flew up to her lips. She began dabbing her lips gently, before cursing under her breath. “Crap, I forgot my lipstick.”

                My mother hurried out of my room, as I heard the sound of her drawers opening and slamming shut. I turned to my full length mirror, examining myself in my pale yellow dress, which I bought in the dress boutique last minute with Maria. The dress itself was strapless, but it didn’t come off as inappropriate due to the sweetheart neckline. The bottom of the dress flared down just above my knees in a sheer chiffon fabric. My hair was in loose waves, courtesy of my mother’s hairstyling skills. I wore minimal makeup, because after all, I wasn’t trying to steal the attention away from Mrs. Lopez- the bride.

                The wedding was set to date for another two weeks, but Mrs. Lopez and Mr. Rosenfeld wanted all of their closest friends and family to come together at a wedding banquet. After three uneventful weeks of wedding preparations and rehearsals, everyone was just overwhelmed and exhausted. Being a bridesmaid meant that I was required to spend endless hours practicing for the wedding. If I even did something as far as standing at the altar with incorrect posture, everyone had to redo it from the beginning.

                “Riley!” I heard my mother calling from downstairs, as I quickly grabbed my white purse from my bed. “We’re leaving!”

                I slipped on my matching, pale yellow flats quickly, as I skipped down the stairs. My mother was waiting at the end of the staircase, looking impatient. I followed her out of the house, as we hurried inside her car. She glanced over at the time written on the dashboard, letting out a deep breath of air. “Okay, I think we’ll make it on time.” She muttered, before starting up the engine.

                Nevertheless, my mother was an absolute perfectionist. She liked everything to be organized, and she hated it with a passion when someone was late. That’s why she would hate to be late for the wedding banquet, especially since Mrs. Lopez and Mr. Rosenfeld played such important roles in her life.

                “Mom, don’t worry.” I said. “I think they would understand if you’re a few minutes late.”

                My mother shook her head, as she stepped down on the pedal. “But Riley, it’s a sign of disrespect if you arrive late. It would seem as if I don’t care, which I do.”

                I nodded slowly, before leaning my back against the seat. “Right.” I muttered, before staring out the window.

                We arrived at the wedding banquet just a minute before the listed time. My mother let out a deep breath of air when she saw that no one had noticed that we were on the brink of being late. “Put your best smile forward.” She nudged my elbow, plastering a smile across her face when she saw Mrs. Lopez and Mr. Rosenfeld approaching towards us with grins spread wide across their lips.

                I noticed that Mr. Rosenfeld seemed to be wearing a casual, buttoned down shirt with a pair of slacks, while Mrs. Lopez was completely decked out in a traditional Spanish red dress. “Audra and Riley, I’m so glad you two made it!” she gushed, as she gave us both tight embraces.

                “I’m glad that the two of us were here!” my mother chuckled lightly. “My Lord, you two look amazing!”

                Mrs. Lopez smiled, as she stared down at her extravagant red dress. “This was my mother’s dress that she wore on her wedding day. I thought I’d be nice if I carried down the tradition by wearing this to my wedding banquet.”

                The two women continued to talk, as I noticed that Mr. Rosenfeld had drifted off minutes ago to talk to an elderly Spanish couple, who had similarities to both Maria and Mrs. Lopez. I quickly assumed that he was speaking to his in-laws.

                “Riley!” I turned my head to wear the voice was coming from. I spotted Maria wearing the cream dress we had bought together, as she waved me over. “I got so scared that you wouldn’t be coming!”

                 I raised an eyebrow, noticing that Maria looked nervous and frantic. A coat of sweat was forming on her forehead, as I wiped it away with a napkin that had been placed on the table. “Maria, calm down.” I soothed, once I heard her voice beginning to heave. “Why are you so stressed?”

                “My dad!” Maria hissed under her breath, looking around to see if her mother had heard. “He’s coming with his family!”

                My eyes widened, as my facial expression quickly morphed into a mortified one. “What?” I gasped. “What the hell is he going to do here with his family?”

                Maria’s eyes began to water, as I let out a groan. I quickly went to grab a few more napkins, as I dabbed her eyes sensitively. “I might’ve accidentally let it slip through the phone, and he took it as an invitation, because the next thing I knew, he was telling me that he would come!” Maria cried. “Riley, what am I going to do? My mother doesn’t know that he’s coming!”

                “You’re so stupid.” I snapped, without meaning it intentionally. “You need to tell your mother before she gets the impression that her ex-husband is crashing her party.”

                Maria’s eyes widened with fear, as she quickly shook her head. “Riley, I can’t do that!”

                “Maria, you need to suck it up!” I hissed. “Your mother will be more pissed at your for not telling her than-“

                “Shit.” Maria cut me off, as her eyes went past my shoulder, fixated by the front entrance. I turned around, noticing that there was a family of three standing by the door, looking around the place. I immediately recognized Maria’s father from the way she would describe him. Standing beside him was a fairly young, Spanish woman, holding the hand of a little girl who didn’t look any older than six.

                I saw Mr. Rosenfeld immediately rushing over to Mrs. Lopez, who had dropped her glass of champagne, making all of the glass pieces shatter across the wooden floor. Everyone hushed down, noticing that Mrs. Lopez’s ex-husband had the audacity to show up to her wedding banquet. “What the hell is he doing here?” everyone hushed, not daring to speak up loudly.

                Mrs. Lopez’s head immediately turned towards her daughter, as she shot her a murderous glare. “Maria.” She seethed through her teeth, her nails digging into Maria’s flesh. “What is your father doing here?”

                Maria looked helpless, as she bit in the insides of her cheeks. “Mom, I can explain.” She assured, but her eyes widened when she noticed that her father was approaching us. “But, I don’t think I can right now.”

                “Maria Clarissa Lopez, you speak up now or I will-“

                “Linda!” Mr. Lopez spoke up, making Mrs. Lopez jump. “Thank you for the invite. Congratulations on the wedding by the way!”

                Mrs. Lopez forced a smile upon her face, making her lip coated lips stretch into a wide grin. “Oh, Richard.” She let out a bitter laugh. “It’s a pleasure to have you and your family here.”

                Richard’s wife stuck her hand out for Mrs. Lopez to shake. “I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced yet. My name is Lucille and this is my daughter Bella.”

                Mrs. Lopez plastered a smile on her face, before turning to Maria and I. “Don’t you think that you’re off the hook yet, Maria.” She hissed into her ear, before pulling away. “Why don’t you and Riley go find a seat at the table? We’ll be starting dinner soon.”

                Maria let out a breath of relief, as she made a dash away from her parents. “I thought I was going to die.” She panted, as we chose seats beside each other. The table was an extremely long one, but it had enough space and seats for twenty guests. There weren’t many people at the banquet, so everyone should be able to fit. “How mad do you think she’ll be when we get home?”

                I snorted. “Pissed.”

                Once everyone was seated, I noticed that Mrs. Lopez and Mr. Rosenfeld sat at the head of the table together. My mother was near the front along with some of her friends, and Mr. Lopez and his family were sitting at the rear back. I noticed how out of place they looked, and I kept glancing over at Mrs. Lopez just to see her nervous stares.

                Suddenly, I saw the chair across from me being pulled back, as I looked upward. Everett was smiling down softly at me, as he sat down. “Hey.” He said.

                He was wearing a pair of fitted khaki pants, and a buttoned down, black shirt. His hair was naturally tousled, as if he had put no effort into making it look so incredibly perfect. “Hey.” I pathetically said, feeling my cheeks go warm.

                “Whipped.” I heard Maria muttered under her breath sarcastically, as she took a gulp of her water. I shoved my elbow against hers, making her choke on her water. She shot me a glare from the corner of her eye, as I gave her a sickly sweet smile.

                The first entrée was served, a nice heap of fried potatoes with tomato sauce. Maria told me that it was a traditional Spanish dish, widely acclaimed throughout her mother’s home country, Spain. Throughout our meal, more and more plates were being served with exotic foreign food. Everyone was raving about the food, and I particularly enjoyed it, as well. During our last entrée, before dessert was served, everyone decided that it was time to make toasts.

                It was Mr. Rosenfeld’s father who stood up first, raising his glass of champagne to the air. “I would like to make a toast to Jeremy and Linda; after tragedy that impacted us all two years ago, I hope this marriage will bring happiness to everyone.”

                Everyone raised their glass at that, while a couple of more people stood up. Finally, there was one more toast left to do, and it was Mrs. Lopez’s. She stood up from her chair at the head of the table, smoothing out her long, red dress. Raising her glass in the air, she spoke, “I would like to make a toast to Colette Rosenfeld.” She started off, making everyone go silent. My eyes narrowed over to Everett’s, noticing that his full attention was on her. I could tell that he was waiting for her to say something- anything about his mother. “I’ve never met you personally, but from everything I’ve heard, you were an amazing, strong woman. I will never be able to replace you in your loved one’s souls, but I hope I fulfill the duty to protect Everett and be a devoted wife to Jeremy.”

                There was silence among us all, until everyone slowly raised their glasses. When Mrs. Lopez sat back down, Mr. Rosenfeld leaned over to give her a quick peck.

                I nervously glanced over at Everett, who had always been sensitive when it came to the subject of his mother. He stared down at the glass that he just put back down on the table hazily, before abruptly standing up. “Excuse me.” He muttered, before rushing out of the restaurant.

                Everyone stared back at Everett, who had disappeared through the glass doors. I wasted no time in getting out of my seat and chasing after him.

                When I reached outside, the cold wind was pinching my cheeks, giving me no mercy. I immediately began to shiver, as I scanned around to find Everett. I saw that he was by the far end, leaning over the balcony’s rails. He was staring out at the dark with an impassive face. It wasn’t until I stood beside him that he noticed my presence. “Why did you follow me out here?” he asked lowly.

                “I wanted to see if you were alright.” I said, moving closer to him as our arms brushed.

                “Well, as you can see, I’m fine.” Everett mumbled. “You can go back inside now.”

                I was tired of Everett pushing me away. It always brought back terrible memories of him knocking me down for the past two years. It felt as if all these months that we spent together meant nothing to him anymore. He just wanted to go back to ignoring me. “I don’t understand you, Everett.” I whispered, barely recognizing my voice. “It’s like one step forward, five steps back with you.”

                Everett stayed deadly quiet, making my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. I suddenly felt numb, as I pushed away the tears that were threatening to spill from my eyes. “Did I ever mean anything to you?” my voice shook, as I gripped onto the railings as if they were my only life support.

                Everett finally looked at me for the first time since we’ve been out here. “You’ve always meant something to me, Riley.” He paused, swiping a tongue over his bottom lip. “You still do.”

                My mind was spinning, it felt as if my head was going to explode any minute now. I closed my eyes tightly, refusing to let a single tear shed. “I don’t fucking understand.” My voice trembled. “You’re giving me all these mixed signals, Everett. One minute you can’t even look me in the eye, and then the next you’re telling me-“

                With one swift motion, Everett’s hands were locked around my waist, pulling me towards him. He dipped his head lower to my face, pressing his lips against mine gently. The kiss was so sweet and innocent, sending a wave of shock down my spine. Memories immediately flooded through my mind, making me remember that this was exactly how we first kissed when we were fourteen. Everything was so smooth and easy, and the pieces fell right in the puzzle perfectly. I tightened my grip around his neck, finally kissing him back.

                “Guys, the parents are getting worried so I think you should come back-“

                Everett and I immediately sprang apart, my face going red. Maria stood by the doorway of the balcony door, her eyes wide and her lips parted. I noticed that she was trying her very hardest to hold back a grin, as she clamped a hand over her mouth. “I-I mean, take all the time you guys need!” she said, looking baffled. She began to walk back inside, but not before she poked her head back out. “And, sorry, by the way!”

                Once she left, I took a glance over to Everett, whose lips were red from kissing. The color almost matched the tint that was on his cheeks, as he ran a hand through his hair shyly. “I think we should go back inside.” He muttered, looking off to the side.

                I licked my lips, nodding. I could still feel the feeling of his lips on mine, as I followed him back inside. My fingers flew up, as I touched my warm lips.

*

               “Riley,” I heard someone calling my name from down the hall. I recognized the voice immediately, as I kept walking, much faster, “Riley, can we please talk?”

                “Sorry, I don’t know where Cassandra is.” I snapped, as I kept walking down the corridors.

                I felt an arm pull my wrist back, turning me around. Max was standing before me, looking impatient, as he let out a sigh. “Riley, I know I messed up, but when are we going to talk to each other again? We are best friends.”

                “Correction, were.” I hissed. “I think your new best friend and girlfriend is Cassandra. It’s a two in one deal!”

                Max groaned, throwing his head back. “I’m sorry, Riley. Can you please hear me out?”

                To be honest, I did miss having Max around all the time. But, it didn’t change the fact that he didn’t want to be around, just because he had Cassandra now. I was afraid to get too attached to him, because I didn’t to feel replaced once he didn’t want to be around me anymore. “Five minutes, Max.” I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. “You’ve got five minutes, starting now.”

                Max took in a deep breath of air, before starting. “I do admit that I haven’t been as good as a friend, and Cassandra helped me realize it yesterday. She told me how I can’t let our friendship fall out-“

                “Wait.” I cut him off, raising an eyebrow. “If it weren’t for Cassandra, you wouldn’t even be talking to me right now?”

                Max closed his eyes, before sighing. “That’s not the point, Riley. The point is that she knocked some sense into me, and I realize that what I did to you was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

                Max looked genuinely desperate and in need of his best friend. I groaned, before opening me arms for him to give me a tight embrace. “Come here, you big fat idiot.” Immediately, Max leapt into my arms, giving me a tight bear hug. I would’ve been lying if I said that I didn’t miss Max’s hugs. “I forgive you.”

                “I see that you two have made up now.” We looked behind us, as Cassandra grinned. She paced towards us, as Max and I pulled apart. “It’s about time!”

                “I couldn’t have done it without you, babe.” Max smiled, giving Cassandra a peck on the lips.

                I cringed, as I glared at the two of the playfully. “Guys, let’s set some ground rules here,” I said, smiling, “please keep the PDA to a minimum while I’m around.

                Max wrapped an arm around the two of us, as we began walking towards the lunch room. “If that means keeping my girlfriend and best friend, then you can count on it.”

I didn't win the Watty's with Don't Give Up, but I really appreciate all of the love and support I got from you guys. It was a great experience, so it was a win-win situation for me. Anyways, a bonus chapter will be promised for Don't Give Up!

Thoughts on this chapter? THEY FINALLY KISSED.

Anyways, I'm hoping that this story will have at least 30 or more chapters, depending on how many ideas I have. So, it's not over yet, guys!

Love you all,

Vanessa