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  A guy with short brown hair walks up to me. I notice his green eyes right away. He offers me a smile. “Hey.”

  I frown a bit. “Hey.” I look in another direction, hoping he’d get the hint that I don’t want to talk to him. But he doesn’t.

  “Do you want a drink?” he asked.

  I don’t look at him. “My friend went to get me one.” I lie.

  “Are you sure?” he asks.

  I squint my eyes at him. “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “So what’s your name, cutie?”

  Oh God, please help me.

  “Riley,” I answer simply.

  He holds out his hand. “I’m Lucas.”

  I stare at his hand before reluctantly taking it.

  “So, are you having a good time?” he asks me. Trying to make conversation, are we?

  “Oh yeah. I’m having a great time,” I say sarcastically. I suddenly have a boost of confidence in me, and I turn my whole body towards him.

  He chuckles. “You’re not like most girls, are you?”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, getting caught off guard.

  “You aren’t drinking anything. You aren’t dressed like a slut, and you are definitely trying to get rid of me right now,” he says, smiling at the end of his sentence.

  I turn my head and take in his appearance. He has on a dark green t-shirt, dark jeans, and black shoes.

  “Checking me out now, are we?” he asks me, smirking.

  “Cocky, are we?” I mimic him. Where did this boost of confidence come from?

  Lucas nods. “Nope. Definitely not like most girls.”

  We fall into an awkward silence. I won’t say it is completely silent, though, with the music and people trying to shout over the music.

  “What did you say your last name was?” Lucas asks me after a while.

  “I didn’t say.” I look at him. “But it’s Summers.”

  He raises his eyebrows. “Is Carol Summers your mom?”

  “Yeah, she is,” I say slowly. How does he know my mom? “Why?”

  “Your mom works with my mom, Catherine Thompson,” he says matter-of-factly.

  I can remember my mom mentioning a friend from work named Catherine. They go out for drinks along with Anna sometimes.

  “I heard your mom saying something about you one time and she said your name.” Lucas shrugs. Then he smiles. “I promise I’m not a stalker or anything.”

  I chuckle. “Well, thanks for letting me know.” Talking to him isn’t as bad now.

  “Hey, your mom is friends with Anna Dixon, right?” he asks me. I nod. “Are you going to her wedding that’s coming up pretty soon?”

  I roll my eyes. “Yeah. I’m actually a bridesmaid.”

  “No shit.” Lucas grins. “Anna actually asked me yesterday to be a groomsman since some other dude got kicked out of the wedding.”

  Wait, is he talking about Aiden?

  “Riley!” someone shouts behind me. I turn and see Kelly making her way towards me. She is giggling with a red cup in her hands. “Riley, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you!”

  She is obviously tipsy already.

  “I’ve been standing right here the whole time,” I tell her, rolling my eyes. I’m going to end up babysitting her tonight.

  Her eyes drift towards Lucas. “Hey! I know you!” She points at him. Then she looks at me. “Have you been talking to him?”

  I nod. “Um, yeah?”

  She grins from ear to ear. “Way to go, Riley! You’re actually socializing with a guy! I’m so proud of you!” she yells. “And with an attractive guy too! I’ll leave you two to continue talking.” She giggles then walks away.

  I smack my forehead and groan. “Oh my gosh.”

  “That wasn’t Anna’s daughter…was it?” Lucas asks slowly.

  I nod. “Yeah, it was. I’ll probably end up taking care of her later on tonight.”

  “Isn’t she only like, sixteen?”

  Once again, I nod.

  “She does know her brother is here, right?”

  “Well, if Ryan sees her, she’s dead meat,” I say to him.

  “You know Ryan?”

  “Vaguely.”

  Lucas looks around and then back at me. “You wanna dance?”

  “Not really.”

  He smiles at me. “You know you do.”

  I shake my head. “I’m fine right here. But if you want to go dance, then don’t let me stop you.”

  He shakes his head. “Nah, I’ll be okay. Besides, I kind of like your company.”

  Is this flirting?

  “You’re funny.” I scoff. I wonder if Aiden cares that this guy is replacing him. “So, you’re going to be in Anna’s wedding too?”

  He nods. “Yeah. Apparently, the groom’s son got kicked out of the wedding and Ryan is now the best man.”

  Ryan didn’t tell me that when we talked. “Interesting,” I say simply.

  ***

  It’s close to midnight and I decide to look around for Kelly. I have no idea how we will get home since one of her friends drove us here. We really should have thought this through a little better.

  Lucas has stayed by my side this whole time. I even let him get me a drink, but I had to watch him do it. I told him no alcohol, and he followed through with it. He’s now helping me look for her.

  “I have no idea where she is, or how we’ll get home…” I am already frustrated.

  Lucas puts his arm around me. “We’ll find her soon. Don’t worry.”

  I wiggle out from his grasp and look around. If something happens to Kelly, I’ll never forgive myself.

  “Led Zeppelin girl?”

  I whirl around and find Aiden leaning against the wall with a red cup in his hands. He eyes me suspiciously. “What the hell are you doing here? This definitely isn’t your scene.”

  “Maybe I wanted a change of scenery.” I snap at him. I still remember when he was very rude to me when we talked on the phone that one time.

  He smirks, then his eyes land on Lucas. “And who’s this? Your boyfriend?”

  “He is not my boyfriend. He is a friend.” I frown at Aiden. “What are you doing here? I thought you were cowering away from your dad.” Once I say that, I instantly regret it. I didn’t mean for it to come out as harshly as it did.

  “Cowering?” he asked, taking a step towards me. “Princess, I am not a coward. I’m fucking amazing.”

  That makes no sense.

  “Aiden? What are you doing here?” Ryan asks. I look at him and he acknowledges me.

  “I’m here to party.” Aiden puts his hands up. “Seems to be the only thing I can do nowadays.”

  “Your dad has been worried about you,” Ryan tells Aiden.

  “I told him,” I say to Ryan. “He doesn’t want to listen to anybody.”

  Aiden looks angrily at me. “How about you mind your own fucking business?”

  “Hey, man, she didn’t do anything to you.” Lucas comes to my defense, even though I don’t need his input.

  Aiden looks at Lucas. “Was I talking to you, bitch?”

  Ryan steps in front of Aiden. “Aiden, you need to calm down.”

  “No! This piece of shit needs to keep his fucking mouth shut!” Aiden exclaims.

  “Do you have to be so dramatic?” I ask Aiden as I roll my eyes.

  “Shut the fuck up, Riley.” Aiden snaps at me.

  Lucas steps in front of me this time. “I suggest you back off, man. You don’t need to be talking like that in front of a girl.”

  Aiden shoves Ryan out of the way and swings at Lucas. Before I can register what is going on, Lucas and Aiden are punching each other right and left on the floor. Ryan and another guy try to pry them off each other.

  I feel someone tug on my arm and find that it’s Kelly. She looks seriously drunk.

  Ryan finally manages to get Lucas off Aiden, and he puts some distance between them. Once Kelly sees Ryan, she hides behind me. But I know that won’t work. Ryan yells
at Aiden, who has a black eye, a cut above his eyebrow, and red knuckles. As for Lucas, he only has a small cut under his eye.

  “Aiden, you’re coming with me,” Ryan says with authority in his voice. He notices Kelly standing behind me. “Kelly, I can see you.”

  “No, you can’t,” she mutters into my shirt.

  Ryan rolls his eyes then looks at me. “You two are coming with me too.”

  Lucas speaks up. “I can take them home.”

  “You’ve done enough for tonight,” Ryan says to Lucas. “I’ll take them.”

  ***

  It’s decided that Ryan will take Kelly home so she won’t get into any more trouble and I must take Aiden in. I am completely against the idea, but I lose in the end. My mom texts me saying that I probably won’t see her until about eight in the morning.

  And that is how we end up here with Aiden holding ice to his face while I argue with him.

  “This is your fault,” I say to him angrily. “We were all doing fine until you decided to show up and ruin things by getting into a petty fight.” I was actually enjoying myself with Lucas. He wasn’t trying too hard to flirt with me, and when he did, it was mild. He was good company.

  “Seems like the story of my life right now. Life is a party for me until I go and fuck things up.” He shakes his head.

  I sigh. “I understand that you’re going through a rough time right now, but you don’t need to—”

  “To what? Mess everything up for everyone?” he asks angrily. “Somehow I always do. And I don’t need your sympathy. How do you know I’m going through a rough time right now?”

  “Why else would you run away from home?” I ask him. “In all honesty, Aiden, that is a cowardly thing to do. You’re basically running from whatever it is that is upsetting you instead of facing it.”

  He gives me a cold, hard stare. I know I am right and he knows it too. “This is how I deal with it,” he says lowly. “I’m not a coward.”

  “Whatever,” I say, getting up from the couch. I walk to our linen closet and grab two blankets and a pillow. I set them down on the couch next to him. “Here. Just so you know, my mom will be here about eight in the morning. And if you need any Band-Aids for your injuries, they’re in the hall bathroom right there. There’s a box on the counter of them.”

  I run upstairs and change into my pajamas. Once my head hits the pillow, I fall into a deep sleep.

  ***

  I wake up with a start the next morning. I repeatedly blink until I can read the time on the clock near my bed.

  It’s seven thirty in the morning.

  I yawn then stretch and sit up in bed. I definitely need more sleep considering I didn’t go to sleep until about one in the morning.

  Events from last night come rushing back into my mind and I get out of bed. I walk to my dresser and find a small folded white piece of paper sitting by my brush. I grab the paper and open it slowly.

  Thanks for the help last night. —A

  A small smile breaks out on my lips when I read this and what is also below it.

  P.S. you look cute when you sleep.

  Chapter 8

  Saturday morning, my mom and I are sitting on the couch watching Steel Magnolias. We each have a bowl of cereal in our hands.

  “I don’t know why we watch this movie. It always makes me cry in the end,” my mom says as she eats her cereal.

  I smile. “That’s what makes it a good movie.”

  Personally, I’m not paying attention. I’m a little worried about Kelly. I wonder if her mom knows she got drunk last night at the party. Ryan probably got a hold of her.

  “So I thought you were going to stay at Kelly’s house,” my mom spoke up. “What happened?”

  Oh! I haven’t thought this through yet! “Um…Kelly got sick and you know how I am around sick people.” Seriously? That’s all I could think of?

  “Oh,” she says. “Poor Kelly. I wonder how she’s doing this morning.”

  My mom is actually buying it. Victory dance! “Yeah. I’m going to go call her real quick.” I stand up. I walk into the kitchen and put my empty cereal bowl in the sink. I run upstairs to my room, grab my phone, and call Kelly.

  “Hello?” she answers sleepily.

  “Did I wake you up?” I ask.

  “Kind of.” She groans. “My head feels like it weighs a ton.”

  I smirk. If I drank as much as she did last night, I would feel the same way. But I was smarter. “I bet it does.”

  “And I got an earful from Ryan last night. He promised not to tell Mom though.”

  “That’s good,” I say. I don’t want her to get into too much trouble.

  She sighs. “Yeah. I’ll talk to you later Riley. I need medicine.”

  I hang up with her and sit on my bed for a minute. My thoughts drift to Aiden then. Did he go back home to see his dad after he left this morning?

  There’s a knock at my door, then it opens. My mom walks in and smiles at me.

  “Riley, Anna just called me—”

  “And she wants us all to meet at her house.” I finish for her.

  She nods. “They want everyone there by ten o’clock to discuss some things.”

  “Okay.” I look at the clock by my bed. It’s going to be nine thirty.

  My mom leaves my room to let me get ready. I gather up some clothes and take a shower.

  ***

  “How is everything going?” my mom asks me as she drives.

  “With what?”

  She glances at me then back at the road. “With the wedding, Riley. How’s it going?”

  “Oh,” I say. “It’s going fine I guess.”

  I know she isn’t satisfied with my answer. But she knows I don’t give her details even when she wants them. My mom and I talk to each other, but we aren’t very close. Like I’ve said before, she wanted a peppy, popular cheerleader for a daughter but she got me instead.

  We pull up to Anna’s house right at ten o’clock, and I open the passenger door.

  “Behave, Riley. And have fun,” my mom says to me as I get out.

  “Will do.” I nod. I walk up to the front door, and before I can ring the doorbell, someone opens it.

  That someone is Kelly.

  She smiles at me and opens her arms. “There you are.” She gives me a hug.

  I walk inside and Kelly shuts the door behind me. We walk into the living room and I see the girls sitting there with a few other guys I’m assuming are the groomsmen. A few look older than me. Ryan gives me a small wave, which I return.

  Not too long after I get there, two other guys walk in. One of which is Lucas. He sits down with the guy he came with, and Anna enters the room with Robert at her side.

  She smiles at all of us. “I’m glad everyone could make it today. We just have to discuss a few matters that need to be taken care of.”

  I happen to glance at Lucas and he looks in my direction also. He smiles at me and I smile back. The cut he had gotten last night is still slightly visible on his cheek.

  “With less than two weeks left until the wedding, our first rehearsal will be next Thursday at six o’clock in the evening. It will be held at the church down the road. We will let you know when the next rehearsal after that will be later on,” Anna says to all of us. Then she starts talking to one of the other groomsmen personally.

  Lucas stands up from his seat and makes his way in my direction. Kelly elbows me, and when I turn to scowl at her, she just winks at me.

  “Hey, Riley,” Lucas greets.

  “Lucas,” I acknowledge him. “How’s your face?”

  He chuckles. “It’s doing alright. How’s your friend’s face?”

  “Aiden is not my friend. But he seemed fine,” I tell him.

  “Okay!” Anna exclaims. “I almost forgot to mention this, but we will be taking pictures next Friday. So I want all of you to have your dresses and tuxes by Thursday. Maybe before the rehearsal, you can all get those,” she suggests. “And the rehearsal dinner wil
l be held sometime not next week, but the week after.”

  Someone asks Anna something and she walks over to them real quick.

  “So you’re the only brunette out of all five bridesmaids?” Lucas asks me.

  I nod. “Which means I’m going to stand out in front of everyone.”

  “Isn’t that a good thing?” he asks.

  “No.” I shake my head. “I prefer to stay invisible, if that’s possible.”

  Lucas laughs a bit. “Well, good luck with that.”

  “One more thing, ladies and gentlemen!” Anna says. “When we take the pictures, we will have one group picture, one of myself and Robert, singles of the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and also the couple pictures of the groomsmen and bridesmaids. Which means I have to assign you to a partner.” She says something to Robert and he leaves her side for a moment.

  Robert comes back with a small notepad and a pen, which he hands to her. “Okay. Jenna and Ryan will be partners since they are the maid of honor and the best man.” She writes it down on the notepad. “Then we will have Kelly with Drew, Halle with Max, Holly with Lucas, and Riley with Steven.”

  “Hey, Mom,” Kelly speaks up. “Don’t you think Riley and Lucas should be paired together, since they’re closer in age?”

  What is Kelly doing?

  Anna hesitates for a moment. “I suppose you’re right. Riley will be paired with Lucas, and Holly will be paired with Steven.”

  Lucas grins at me when Anna finishes talking.

  “Okay,” Anna says as she finishes writing. “Now that’s done and over with—” she hands the notepad and pen back to Robert “—Robert is going to be making lunch soon, so you’re all welcome to stay and eat.” She smiles at us.

  Well, I have nothing else to do today, so might as well stay.

  A door slams somewhere in the house and we all look around confused. My eyes widen a bit when I see Aiden walking in with his leather jacket hanging off his shoulder.

  “Sorry I’m late, everyone. Just wasn’t in a hurry to get here,” he says as he plops himself onto a chair. He notices me and offers me a smile and a wave.

  Robert walks up to him and crosses his arms. “Aiden, I need to talk to you outside.”