Page 1 of Buzzer Beater

1

Lucy

This was a terrible mistake. Gorgeous women surrounded me. Laughing. Talking. Giddy about where they would be by sundown.

I closed my eyes and reminded myself I was doing this for Amber. I could survive eight days with these people.

“Are you excited, Lucy? A whole week of sun, sand, and sangria.” Amber, my best friend and the bride-to-be, leaned against me and rested her head on my shoulder. “Thanks for coming. I know it was a lot to ask, but I couldn’t imagine my bachelorette trip without you.”

“I would never miss this.” I’d thought up a list of excuses, but in the end, I knew it meant too much to Amber. I couldn’t let my best friend down.

She squeezed my arm. “I know. That’s why you’re my best friend.”

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Flight eight-thirty-four with services to Cancun. We’ll be starting the boarding process soon. At this time, we’d like to invite those that will need extra time to board now.”

“It’s time!” Riley, Amber’s cousin, jumped up and soon the other women followed.

I sighed and stayed in my seat. There was no point in rushing. They hadn’t started boarding yet, and we were all sitting in first class. We didn’t have to worry about finding space for our carry-ons, so why stress?

I dropped my phone in my purse and counted to three. I needed to calm down. This was supposed to be fun. I was supposed to let loose. Getting frustrated before we even left would lead to an awful week.

Traveling with strangers, well practically strangers, wasn’t a good idea. Even with Amber around. We didn’t understand each other’s personalities and preferences, yet. I couldn’t get frustrated so easily.

I stood and forced a smile. Fake it ‘til you make it, Lucy.

The announcer’s voice boomed. “We’d like to invite our priority one guests now.”

Amber clapped her hands. “Are you ladies ready?”

The other girls cheered as they grabbed their bags and walked toward the door. I followed behind the line of supermodel-worthy women I’d be surrounded by for the next week.

I shouldn’t compare myself to them. Everybody is different and I’m sure under the perfect exterior they all had their own struggles.

I smoothed my shirt over my less-than flat stomach. Who cares if I wore tummy control bathing suits while they strutted around in their bikinis? Not me. Good for them.

Once we got on the plane, they scurried to claim a seat. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. We all had tickets. There was a spot for each of us, it’s not like musical chairs where someone will get kicked out.

“Hey Lucy, this spot is open if you want.” Elena, Amber’s college roommate, patted the seat next to her.

“Thanks.” I dropped into the plush chair. It felt like I was sinking into my own bed, only better. No wonder people paid for first class. This was so much better than coach. I wasn’t normally one to splurge but Amber insisted everyone else had bought first class tickets, so I should. She offered to help me pay for it, but I couldn’t let her. I had the money, I just didn’t like to spend it. We settled on calling this my wedding gift to her.

Frugal parents left their mark. I saved more than I spent and paid off my cards at the end of every month.

I could break my rule for my best friend though. Fifteen years of friendship had yielded much greater sacrifices. Like the time she didn’t want to try spray tans for the first time alone. The day before prom. We looked like a pair of tangerines. Or that time she tried to prank the principal, and I had to be her alibi. I’m a terrible liar, but I pulled it off for her.

“I’m glad there’s a familiar face,” Elena blinked her thick, false lashes. “ I was worried I wouldn’t know anyone.”

I smiled at her. We’d met a few times back when she and Amber lived together in college. “Me too. I know who they are from helping with wedding planning by email, but I’ve never really met any of them.”

“We all love Amber. At least we have one thing in common.”

Amber’s cousin Riley was sitting in front of me, bouncing. Like a child. “Can you guys believe how nice this is?” Her voice could probably be heard in the very back row.

I met Elena’s eyes and winced. “We’ll survive this week, right?”

Elena laughed. “We’ll stick together.”

It was comforting knowing I’d have a partner through this. We were Amber’s bridal party. I was the maid of honor, and Elena was a bridesmaid with Riley. Riley was a few years younger than us and by far the most excited to get to Mexico.