“Blythe!” Sabin bear-hugs me, and I spill rum punch down his back.
“Would you like a mini plastic sword?” I ask.
“I would! I would!” He lifts me up, and I am eye level with Chris.
Chris is handsome beyond words. Flushed cheeks, bright eyes, and a smile that nearly makes me weep. When Sabin finally puts me down, I shuffle backward until I am sitting on the bumper in front of the luggage. I get hugs from the group, except from Chris, who stays awkwardly where he is. I hear James introducing himself to everyone but Sabin, who he’s already met a few times. I am too busy trying to get my eyes to transmit information properly to my brain to deal with normal social graces.
“What are you doing here?” Estelle asks, her eyes shining with excitement. “I can’t believe this!”
I start giggling and can’t stop. James is rolling his eyes and finally answers for me. “We’re heading up to our parents’ vacation house for the summer. We made a… pit stop. Um, to say congratulations.”
“Noooooo.” I sneer at my brother. “That is entirely inaccurate.” I point at Chris. “I totally did not want to come to your horrible wedding, but I felt an obligation to tell you what an ass you are, and that you should definitely, definitely not be getting married. Under any circumstances. But now you look so cute and everything in your suit, and that makes me feel awful.” I assess the others. “Actually, all of you look cute. But Chris looks the cutest. You, my friend, look like a fucking god in that tuxedo.”
Chris smiles at me. “Are you drunk?”
“Yes, I’m fucking drunk,” I snarl at him. “Why wouldn’t I be drunk? Everyone gets drunk at a wedding. Especially your wedding. So screw this. Go off and get married. Have fun. I hope the appetizers give you food poisoning.”
Sabin laughs and takes the thermos from my hand. “Now things are really getting fun.”
“We can toast to you just graduating. Oh. Happy graduation! Yay!” I then lean forward with a wobble. “Watch out. There are mini plastic swords floating in there.”
He takes a swig. “They add a nice flavor.”
“I know, right? I think it’s the green ones that do that. Green swords have superpowers.”
James clears his throat. “I’m sorry. I tried to tell her this wasn’t a good idea.”
“That’s correct!” I shout. “He did. He did do that.” I hiccup violently. “But now I recognize that it’s stupendously tasteless and tacky to break up a wedding.” I turn to my brother. “James. Psst! James. I’m feeling very embarrassed. I’d like to depart this venue.”
“We’re going to get on the road,” he tells the group. “So very sorry about this. Really.”
“There was no wedding,” Eric says quickly. “It’s not going to happen.”
“What?” This information does, in fact, reach my brain.
“She never showed up. In fact, Chris almost didn’t show up! She called him and they talked and decided not to get married.” Eric is doing a shitty job hiding his happiness.
“She said that she knows he doesn’t love her. And she’s been banging Jim Lancaster for the past six months.” Estelle can hardly talk fast enough to get the words out. “Supposedly she was holding out on sex until she was married, but obviously that wasn’t exactly the case, and she’s been fucking this guy’s brains out.”
“Estelle!” Chris clamps a hand to his forehead.
“Well, it’s true. Good thing you weren’t fucking her, or she might’ve thought you actually loved her.”
“Seriously? The details are not necessary.” Chris is quite clearly mortified.
“Wait a minute. What? I like details. The details are fascinating.” I start laughing again. The alcohol is really doing a number on me. “You haven’t… I mean, all year… Like,nothingbetween you and her?”
“Tell her the rest,” Estelle says smugly.
Chris looks embarrassed. “Not now, okay?”
We are interrupted by barking from the car. “Ohmigod. Jonah!”
“You have a dog?” Zach asks.
“I do indeed have a dog. And he’s awwwwwesome. You have to meet him.” I shuffle to the side door and let him out. Jonah jumps up and licks my face and then bounds over to meet the new people. Sabin is immediately taken with Jonah and kneels down to pet him.
“So, you’re going up to the house? The one you’ve never been to?” Sabe asks us.
