Stupid imprint. Stupid Sam. Stupid Emily. Stupid weddings. That was my brilliant mantra as I thrummed my perfectly manicured nails against the marble counter while trying to block out the wedding planner's (name is Suzy) excruciating chatter. Emily was sitting only a few inches away from me looking bored and anxious as she listened to Suzy's excruciating chatter. I could only hear the buzz of her too high-pitched voice as I heaved a big sigh and tried to distract myself by looking throughout Suzy's little office/house. Everything was white and sparkly; I think the only dark spot in this place was sitting on one of her stools, trying hard to distract herself from the inevitable. Yes, I'm talking about me. My blonde hair hung loosely around my bare brown shoulders. My wardrobe consisted of black: black tank-top, black worn-out boots, black eyeliner. . . .my nails were black, but I just got them done to match my, I must say, gorgeous bright red maid-of-honor dress. Yes, I did just say maid-of-honor. Suzy just started talking about caterers and my chest ached again for about the millionth time, but it did not hurt as much as it use too. Now it was just an annoyance I wish would go away; a numbness that prevented me from feeling any emotion at all. Why the hell was I here again? Oh, yeah, being a good sport about things really does suck, especially when the man you thought you were going to marry ends up marrying your cousin. Talk about a heartache. Preferably the main reason I was here with Emily and the fact that Sam was not was because first of all I'm the maid-of-honor I have to be here and second is that Sam was at their house getting the house ready for his Aunt Maggie and her family. They were staying there for the wedding. Distracting myself was suddenly not helping like I knew it wouldn't. My throat was turning sore, but I tried hard to ignore it. I sighed again and it earned me an annoyed glare from Suzy. Ugh, I hate weddings. I casually stuck my middle finger at her with a fake smile plastered on my face. I looked over at Emily who appeared to be listening intently, but I knew she was paying attention to me, probably making sure I did not start crying out of no where again. Confirming my thoughts, she reached over and gave my hand a tight squeeze. Even though I wished desperately that the roles in this situation were switched, Emily and I had been planning our weddings since we were twelve. She would be my maid-of-honor and I would be hers. She was still my best friend, sometimes, only when no one else was around and it was just me and her. When she and Sam were together the harpy bitch came back; the harpy bitch came back anytime Sam was involved in some way. I gave up the thrumming attempt and started braiding a piece of my hair. Suzy started pulling out what looked like pamphlets and placed them in front of Emily, pointing out various pictures. It was only then that I had caught sight of the small diamond on Emily's left hand; it glittered, brightly, sending rainbows in all directions each time she moved her hand. I felt the nausea of my situation creep up into my stomach. Oh, God, how I especially hate this wedding. I saw the rainbows flitter across my line of vision and I had to suppress a sob. Damn it! I hated when this happened! I was slowly losing control. I had to get out of this small bright room. The rainbows appeared again, I'm not sure if this was my imagination this time or real. Everything was getting fuzzy, quick too. I was so used to these breakdowns that I knew how to control my voice from reacting like my body.
"I need some air." I said smoothly, even though the nausea was swelling and the lump in my throat was starting to burn. I calmly removed myself from the stool and made my way towards the door, not waiting for a reply. Once the door was shut behind me, I ran down the stone steps. By now my body was trembling. I ran out of the gate and straight over to the bushes that lined the gate. Okay, I know this is beyond pathetic. I threw-up. That's not the worst part; my stomach was still heaving when there was nothing else to retch. That's when he found me.
"Are you okay?" a voice asked me from behind. The voice had every hair on my body stand on end. It had my already tattered heart beating much too fast for it to handle. I quickly wiped my mouth and face with my shaking hands.
"I'm fine." I replied, hoarsely.
"Can you stand up-right?" he asked. When I nodded my head, my eyes shut from the ground, two big hands grabbed my forearms pulling me slowly back until I was leaning against him. My heart was beating erratically inside my chest. My breathing was coming out in uneven gasps. "Are you sure you're alright? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?" his voice, I could tell now, was slightly panicked and concerned. I shook my head still not opening my eyes,
"No. I said I was fine. I'm just. . . ." I hesitated; I was not going to tell my stranger my problems. Even though getting at least a little bit off my shoulders would probably make me feel better. Shit, it would make me feel a lot better. Maybe I was. ". . . .Disgusted, heartbroken, revolted, confused . . . . stop me anytime you're satisfied." I told him, my eyes still closed. He slowly turned me around so I was facing him, but of course I couldn't see him; I couldn't see anything. He kept a good grip on me, maybe thinking if he let go I would topple back over.
"Heartbroken, huh?" he said, I hint of relief and amusement in his voice. I nodded. And I felt one of his hands release me and gently brush something off my face. The contact left my cheeks burning where he had touched, maybe because of the embarrassment I was just starting to leak through. I trembled. "Not sick, then?" his voice asked.
"No. You can let me go now." I told him. I felt him hesitate than he slowly released me and since my eyes were closed I could not tell if he was still there or not. I heard a very familiar voice scream my name and I whirled towards the sound, away from the stranger. I opened my eyes to see Emily running towards me, face anxious.
"Hey, Leah, are you okay? Did you throw-up again?" she asked me, frantically. Some might think this strange: openly talking about your best friend's problems about men when you're the one who started the problems in the first place. But like I reminded myself all the time, it wasn't Emily's fault. I knew Emily would always be there for me; even in odd situations like these. I just wish I knew how to make her at least enjoy her wedding day. She loved him. I knew that. She wouldn't have put me through all this trouble if she didn't. I knew that, too. I just had to learn to suck it up and be a good maid-of-honor for Emily. Not Sam. Never Sam. Never again. Ha! I should call up Kelly Clarkson and tell her we are almost in the same predicament. "Leah! Are you okay?" Emily's voice broke through my thoughts,
"Yea, Em. I'm fine. I needed fresh air that's all." Emily eyed me warily before replying,
"Why don't you go back to my place and take a nap or something. You look like crap, honey. I'll meet you there in an hour or so, okay?" I nodded. Taking a nap sounded like a brilliant idea. Emily gave me hug and than hurried off back inside the wedding planner's office. It was just when I was alone again that I remembered the stranger.