AN: I was upset when I came up with the idea for this, can you tell? Opinions and rotten tomatoes are both greatly appreciated. This is dedicated to my friend Lauren as a late birthday present. On the off chance she sees this, hey Remmy!
Prologue/Epilogue
I was first. She wasn't there before me. I loved him first. Well, I guess it wasn't him I wanted at the beginning. It's just everyone around me was suddenly boy crazy, and even though I wasn't interested in anyone yet, admitting that would have been social suicide. As usual, I had to be better than everyone else, so I faked a crush on Shane Gray, the rising star of Connect Three. I had to do some research, of course, so if anyone asked me his favorite color or something, I wouldn't be exposed for the liar I was. But the more I found out about him, the more I found myself interested in him. And then I went to my first Connect Three concert.
He was cheerful, gorgeous, and he talked to me like I was the only one who mattered to him. To this day, Shane is the only person who can make me feel like that. That night, I was so happy that Joanne, my housekeeper, who is much closer to me than my mother has ever been, put all of her effort into keeping my good mood. She knew I had never been this happy before, and cared about me. My mother didn't come home soon enough to even notice. I gave Joanne a present the next morning out of gratitude. She was one of the constants in my life, and maybe if she was still here, I wouldn't be doing what I'm going to do soon. She would have given me the strength to get through it. And I need as much strength as I can get, because I don't think it's possible to torture me more than this. Today is Shane's wedding. He's marrying this nice, beautiful, smart, epitome of perfect girl named Lauren. And he deserves that. If I force myself to be honest, I know I'm not right for him. I don't think he's ever liked me, even more so after I sabotaged Mitchie and Caitlyn at camp. So I can sit through this ceremony with a forced smile, congratulate the bride and groom, then leave. He doesn't have to know how I feel. Nobody does. And nobody needs to know that I have several bottles of the best champagne waiting at home. I'm doing this in honor of him, after all. He deserves the best. Maybe once he's out of the picture, I can find an angel and forget.
AN: Please know, before you start flaming me, that I love Smitchie as a pairing, but seeing as this was dedicated to a friend, I felt I should put her name in the story. Otherwise, Shane would be marrying Mitchie, not an OC. Also, in case it wasn't clear enough, Tess is planning to commit suicide by alcohol poisoning after she leaves the wedding. She is willing to let him go because she can see that he isn't able to love her, and she wants him to be happy, even if it is with someone else. I may or may not put up a second chapter from Shane's POV and what he thinks about Tess. And then maybe another after that, but I can't see this progressing beyond a threeshot. Let me know if you want this to be continued.