SAM's POV

~Saturday~

"...and maybe you could have your reception in the basement. It has large floor space for dancing, and we can have some of the ushers and kitchen staff prepare the meals for you free of charge!"

Pastor Palmer smiles while trying to persuade my mama and Antonio to use the church's space for the wedding and reception. I stare at the stain-glass windows that line the sanctuary walls as the sunshine fills up the church. Our church is kinda old, but the remodeling it went under a few years ago helps to brighten up the space.

"Oh, Pastor Palmer, that's so generous of you," Mama replies, smiling.

"Well, it's nothing for a committed church-goer like yourself. We take care of our members here at Church of God in Christ. You know the congregation is so thrilled to see you married again, Martha!" Pastor Palmer enthuses.

"Oh, thank you so much, Pastor." Mama pauses before continuing. "We'd definitely love to have the wedding here and have you be our officiant."

Antonio grins at the Pastor. I sigh, still looking around the church.

"That sounds great," Pastor Palmer says.

"We'll think about the reception being here, too. We just want to check all of our options."

"Of course. No problem."

Antonio speaks up. "We're thankful for all that you've done to help us with this ceremony, Pastor Palmer."

Pastor waves him off and smiles, rubbing his gray beard. "Listen. It's no problem. Especially when the man and woman-to-be are such great children of God and clearly have a deep connection. I want y'all to know that I'm rooting for you. There's gonna be a lot of demons coming after you and your family, but that's what happens when the devil sees that you're growing closer to God. Growing stronger." Pastor Palmer takes their hands in his, having an intimate moment.

I sigh, more audible than planned. Mama glares at me, but not too much, before shaking the pastor's hand.

"Ain't that the truth? Well, we should go... gotta look at other venues. Have a nice day, Pastor," Mama says. Her and Antonio share another embrace with the pastor and say their goodbyes. I start walking towards the exit, but the pastor calls me back.

"Miss Samantha. You're not gonna leave without giving ya pastor a hug, are you?" He opens his arms wide with a grin.

I plaster on a smile and give him a small hug.

"That's my girl. You're growing up so fast! Gosh. I can't believe you're graduating this year."

Ugh. Not this talk. I wanna leave.

"Me neither," I respond, which gets a laugh out of everyone.

"Haha. Well, hang in there. I'll see you tomorrow, I hope?"

I look to my mother. She just smiles and nods.

"We'll see you later, Pastor." Mama waves and starts walking towards the exit, practically running me over.

We walk outside and hop into Antonio's vehicle. There are lots of people outside and on the streets, despite the chilly temperature and piles of snow lining the curb.

"Where we going next?" I ask from the backseat.

"Central Park, honey."

Antonio pulls away from the curb.

***

~15 minutes later~

We're walking through the Central Park garden - a big open green area (well, now a snowy white area) - where usually a handful of folks are playing frisbee, picnicking, or chasing small children. But only three families play in the snow with their children. We avoid walking onto the green space since none of us have boots, as the park worker leads us around the perimeter of the park.

"...and of course with the current conditions, it can be hard to see the beauty. But hopefully, at the time of your ceremony there will be blue skies and sunshine," the park worker laughs.

Mama grins, holding hands with Antonio. I walk three steps behind them, not really paying attention but watching the kids play in the snow, remembering how fun it used to be when I was their age. Time flies.

"Of course!" Mama replies.

"When is your wedding date?" The female park worker asks, pushing her glasses up.

Mama looks at Antonio before responding: "February 14th."

"Ooh - Valentine's Day! How cute!"

"Yeah. It's actually a tradition in my family. My parents got married on that day and my siblings and I swore we would, too," Antonio explains.

The lady smiles and gasps very dramatically. "How wonderful! Ooooh!"

We walk toward the end of the garden where the grand fountain is as the park worker looks through her papers. For another ten minutes, we walk around and hear about how a wedding is typically set up in the garden, how many people are allowed to attend, what's prohibited, and more. Surprisingly, there were a lot more rules than my mama had expected. First of all, only half of the garden could be used for the wedding, because people visiting the park would be mad if there's no green space to relax at. Second, mama would have to provide the food, which is reasonable. But get this: there was no alcohol allowed, no loud music or musical instruments, no bands, no tents, podiums, or balloons. So pretty much no wedding.

Mama places her hand on her chest, blinking. "I'm sorry... I understand no tents - maybe it won't be rainy or hot enough for there to be tents - but no balloons? Really? No flowers or decorations or nothing?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. We just don't want things hanging on our structures or risk littering if a balloon flies away," the park worker explains, not very persuasive.

"Mkay. But no music? I mean how are we supposed to do the wedding march? It's- it's tradition."

"I know. But music will distract others who may want a more peaceful experience at the park. We have to make sure everyone is happy," the lady responds, smirking.

Mama frowns but nods and looks away. I have a feeling we won't be coming back here anytime soon.

***

~10 minutes later~

Back in the car, nothing but complaints came outta my mama's mouth.

"Can you believe that?! No music?! At a wedding? Or... or flowers? No decorations period! What's the point?"

Her almost hoarse voice bounced against the walls of the car. Antonio, in the driver's seat, shakes his head and replies in a calmer voice, "I guess the garden is for smaller, simpler weddings."

"Ours is small and simple!" Mama argues back.

I get a text from my phone.

"Yes, love, but maybe more smaller than ours. Have you seen those casual weddings? Where the guests are in jeans and nice tops--?"

"No! Who does that?" Mama replies with much judgment in her voice.

"Google it. I've seen pictures."

"I ain't googling that..." she sucks her teeth. Through the side view mirror, since I'm sitting directly behind her, I can see her pouting like a little kid. I shake my head and grin, turning my attention back to my phone. Becca texted me.

"Why are you acting like that, Martha?" Antonio chuckles.

ME: Hey! Wassup? :)

BECCA: So me and Khalil were gonna go to D&B for lunch. Wanna come?

"I really wanted the park. It would've been amazing," she replies.

"It'll still be amazing. You know what I was thinking? The beach!"

ME: And be a third wheeler? I'll pass

BECCA: You won't have to be. Bring Jake!

ME: He's working :(

"The beach? For what?"

"Our wedding!" Antonio smiles. "It would be romantic. The wind in our hair, the sound of the ocean in the background..." He grins at her.

"The sand in my shoes and the smell of salt water? No thank you. Plus, it'll be cold, and I hate water."

Antonio chuckles as he makes a right turn. "Oh, I forgot. Samantha told me that."

BECCA: Please come, it'll be fun! Think of it as my early birthday gift!

ME: It's just gonna be us three?

BECCA: .... and Diggy. You guys really need to get to being friends already. It sucks that our crew is apart.

ME: -___-

"And you know what I was thinking? What about Embassy Suites for the reception? With my connections, we can get free catering," Antonio suggests.

"You got connections?" Mama looks at him mysteriously.

He chuckles. "Yes, and don't worry about it. I got it like that."

"Oh, you do? Mm, okay."

The car stops at a red light. They look at each other and hold hands.

BECCA: It's not like you got something better to do... please!

I look up and they're kissing, no, practically making out in the front seat. Gross!

"Mom! Gross! Chill!" I yell while shielding my eyes.

"Oh, shut up, girl. If I gotta see you and your little boyfriend kiss, then you can handle this." She continues kissing Antonio more forcefully. 

I'm sick. I quickly text back.

ME: Count me in! Anything is better than watching two old people stick their tongues down each other's throats! >:(

***

~Later that day~

I arrive at Dave & Busters meeting the group near the front of the restaurant. Becca and Khalil are hugged up and smile as they see me. I smile back and walk up to them.

"Hey! You made it!" Becca exclaims.

"Yeah... I couldn't stand my mom and Antonio sucking face," I reply, feeling like I'm gonna gag from picturing the flashbacks.

Becca scrunches up her face. "Eww."

"Tell me about it." I roll my eyes.

My eyes travel over to the figure standing to my right with a black jacket and red hat. With his hands in his pocket, Diggy's eyes meet mine for only a second. I've sort of forgotten why I was even mad at him all this time. We haven't really talked since Christmas. Things have just been different. But when I look into his eyes, all I can see is the guilt from the other night. I still don't know why I was feeling jealous either... ugh, it's so weird.

"Sam?"

"Huh?" I look at Becca with a blank stare.

She grins. "Can we eat now?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry," I reply. 

We start walking to a table in the restaurant. It's filled as usual with many people.

As we walk to a booth table near the window and take our seats - Khalil next to Becca, and me and Diggy across the table - a waitress hands us our menus with a smile. 

"Your server will be with you very soon," she says before leaving. 

Sigh. What to order?

"So..." Becca begins while looking over the menu. "What's the plan for today?"

"Does there have to be a plan?" Khalil replies, wrapping an arm around his girl.

Becca grins at him and leans in like she's about to kiss. "No... but I don't wanna just walk around all day. We should do something fun."

"Something fun in this weather?" Diggy says, glancing up at her from behind his menu.

"Yeah! I mean it's not that bad. Plus, they have the ice skating rink up at Rockefeller Center. And today's Discount Saturday! Only $10 for a group," Becca replies as her face lights up.

I scan my menu, not looking up. What to get?... Chicken fingers and fries? Or maybe a sandwich.

"Hey, guys..."

I look up at the waitress. The familiar face from last night. My mood suddenly drops and my eye starts to twitch. Here comes drama.

"Dana," Diggy says, sounding surprised to see her.

She smiles and chews on the end of her pen. "Hey, Diggy."

Am I the only one who can feel some weird tension? I glance at Becca from across the table - who looks less than enthused - then at Khalil, who seems interested. My stomach starts to rumble.

Dana laughs and looks at me. "Oh, Sam! Sounds like someone's hungry!"

I rub my stomach and without much energy reply, "Very." I don't wanna start anything, even though I have the urge to snatch her weave out just because. All I can think about is her on top of Diggy...

"I'll be your waitress today. Again. It seems like we always... run into each other somehow," Dana replies, giving hungry eyes to Diggy, which makes me even more sick.

"Yeah... ha," he replies, clearing his throat.

"So what can I get ya?" She asks, raising her pen to her pad.

She takes our orders, surprisingly with no slick talk or sarcastic comments. After taking our menus, she engages us in further conversation, mostly aimed toward Diggy.

"Any fun plans today?

Diggy speaks up. "We were actually thinking of something. You wanna come?"

"No," I whine. Everyone looks at me; Dana looks slightly hurt. I slowly look up, raising my menu and pointing at a random picture in awe. "They have $4.99 burgers? No... way," I reply in an attempt to cover up my whine. I really don't wanna be anywhere near Dana.

"I don't want to intrude--"

"Nah, you won't be," Diggy assures her.

They share a smile as she considers.

                                                                                                     ***

"Diggy and Dana seem awfully close, huh?" Becca quietly says as we rest against the side perimeters of the outdoor skating rink, waiting for Khalil to buy some nachos from the stand, the chilly air biting our cheeks. All the way at the other end of the rink we spot the two between the crowds of other skaters, Dana very handsy and falling all over the place; both of them laughing. 

"A bit too close in my opinion. She's trouble," I reply.

"Yeah... I still can't believe what she did to Julie. Kicking her off the cheer squad for something so... minuscule."

"Yeah, well, it won't be minuscule in nine months." I wrinkle my eyebrows, watching Dana skating behind Diggy with her arms firmly placed on his shoulders as he guides her through the more experienced skaters.

Becca hits my arm with the back of her hand. "Stop. I'm serious. I was thinking..." -- her voice trails off as Dana and Diggy skate past us mid-laughter. Becca waves before continuing her sentence. "I was thinking... you think I should say something to Dana?"

My forehead wrinkles even more - so much that I could pass as a grandma - as I watch them skate. "Say what?"

"I feel like she should cut Julie some slack. Like, sure she's--" Becca whispers, "Having a baby, but it's not like she's showing. She'll be able to do some cheer moves, right? I mean, instead of kicking her to the curb, how about just modifying the dance routines to be conducive to her? Work with her, ya know? She was the best cheerleader on the squad. Is Dana really gonna risk going to Nationals over this thing?"

I exhale and look at Becca. "I hear you... but first of all, maybe Dana did this because she was more concerned about the health of the baby than winning some competition. And second, no matter how good Julie was, she had a bad attitude. Don't forget all the drama she caused us," I say matter-of-factly. "Maybe taking her off the squad was like karma for being such a B word." I shrug and stare through the mass of skating coat-wearers to find them again.

"I know Julie had her bad days, but... I don't know. I'm willing to see the good in all people. I think she deserves a second chance. And I'm going to tell Dana that."

"Good luck with that."

"Here are your nachos. Extra vegan and sweet, like my baby," Khalil says while appearing behind us. He hands Becca a bowl of plain nachos; she thanks him.

"And here are your spicy chicken nachos." He hands me my snack.

"Thanks, Khalil. You're good for something," I joke.

"Ha..." Khalil replies, ignoring my jab and stuffing his face with loaded nachos.

We eat our warm, crunchy, salty appetizers while watching the skaters dance around the rink...

~One hour later~

Diggy and Dana were finally tired from skating. We were all ready to head out and go home. Or at least I was.

Diggy and Dana literally were joined at the hip all afternoon - we barely got to see either of them. Not that I need to or want to see them. But dang, I thought this was a group event, not a couples event. I was like the fifth wheel all day... makes me miss Jake.

"Jake?" Becca's voice rings out.

I look up from my phone and see Jake standing outside the rink entrance just as we're leaving. He's wearing a leather jacket and that cute smile of his.

"Jake!" I perk up, walking around the couples to greet my boo.

"Hey," he says with a grin as I embrace him, wrapping my arms around his waist as he hugs me.

"Yo, Jake!" Khalil gives him some dap. "We were just about to leave."

"I see. I'm glad I caught you guys in time," Jake replies. His eyes roam to silently acknowledge everyone; fixing on Diggy, he gives a smooth head nod. "Wassup, Diggy."

"Wassup," Diggy replies with stern eyes.

I look up at Jake, his arms still around me. "How'd you know we were here?"

"Becca's endless Instagram photos," he grins.

"Well, why are you here?" I ask.

"Well, I was going to take my girlfriend out for a milkshake, but I'll just leave if you don't want me here--"

"Nooo!" I laugh a little and shake him. "I want a milkshake."

"You want a milkshake?" He repeats with a smirk.

"Yes."

"Then let's get you a milkshake. Hope you guys don't mind if I steal Sam from you."

"Please, take her," Khalil replies, shooting me a look of faux disgust.

"Shut up." I glare at him.

"Actually, I thought we were gonna go to the movies," Becca says, looking slightly sad.

"When did we say that?" I ask with all seriousness. I must've been tuning them out real good because they never mentioned the movies.

Becca rolls her eyes. "Literally five minutes ago."

"Oh..."

"Let Sam go with her boyfriend. I'm sure she's sick of us," Dana chimed in. 

Who gave her permission to speak? And why is she all on Diggy's arm like some--

"FINE. Go have your fun. Text me when you're home," Becca commands before pulling Khalil toward the parking lot. Dana and Diggy follow.

"Off we go?" Jake looks down at me.

I nod and he kisses my forehead, leading us to his car.