“There’s a little product buildup,” she murmurs to herself, I think. “But we can work with this.”
I knew I should’ve gone against her advice and just washed it this morning. I would feel so much more refreshed if I had.
Tiff taps my knee as she settles into the chair beside me so that the makeup artist can work on her.
“So,” Tiff says casually, even though it feels anything but. “How was the flight?”
“Good,” I squeak out. “Sorry I couldn't get here sooner. There were barely any flights.”
“From Atlanta?” Madison asks in a deadpan voice. “There weren't any flightsfrom Atlanta?The busiest airport in the country didn’t have any earlier flights to Indiana?”
“Madison...” Tiff drawls in what I think is a warning.
I don’t defend myself. I deserve the questions. I’ve been a terrible friend.
“Yeah, my best friend Olivia is pregnant, so I've been down there helping her get ready.”
“Ah, that's one way to find yourself,” Madison says with a hint of sarcasm.
“She’s been fighting her dad for a year because of me, Mads. Cut her some slack and let her have a little time with her friend.”
I glance up at the mirror, wanting to thank Tiff, but when I accidentally make eye contact with myself, I glance back down.
“Wait, Olivia? Do you mean the pregnant girl who was at the rehearsal dinner last night?”
Silence.
“The one with the husband who’s best friends with Zach?”
More silence.
“How did they get here before you if they were also coming from Atlanta?”
I meet Cara’s eyes in the mirror, and she winces for me.
I lied, and now it’s catching up to me. I was here. I could’ve gone to the rehearsal dinner, but I didn’t have the guts.
“Madison,” Tiff warns.
“What?” She raises her hands, looking between the two of us. “Are we really going to ignore the fact that Honey is avoiding the shit out of this wedding? If I hadn’t met her at one of Zach’s senior games, I literally would not know what she looks like.”
“Madison!” Tiff's tone is sharper now. Since she's getting fake lashes applied, she can't look at her.
“What? We’ve been skirting around this topic every time we see each other, and I’m tired of pretending there isn’t a giant elephant in the room. I’m talking bigger than Dash, and Dash is—” Her eyes widen. “—huge.”
“Please just stop,” Tiff says. “I hear enough Dash innuendos as it is. I would like to be free of them on my wedding day?”
“I'm sorry but are you really expecting me to walk down that aisle, feel all that tension, and pretend to not know what’s going on?”
The room goes quiet. The only sound is the faint music leaking from Ella's headphones. She’s listening to Mr. Nibbles and Me from theIced Outsoundtrack. I’ve heard it enough times to know the song by heart.
Cara shifts uncomfortably, suddenly very focused on a small section of my hair.
“You don’t need to talk about Zach, Honey,” Tiff says.
“Yes, you do,” Madison interrupts. “Did you know I had to sit next to him yesterday at the rehearsal dinner, and that dude...” She huffs out a breath and shakes her head. “Well, frankly, he needs to get laid.”
“Ugh. Madison. He’s my cousin,” Tiff finally backs away from the makeup and turns to look at her.
