Small drabble I did while bored at school. The characters are from my old story Slice of Life that probably won't be updated anytime soon. Maybe one day. Enjoy the sibling love. Bonus points to those who can guess who the bridesmaids are. Enjoy. -Sil
Had it not been for her brother, Angela would have run out on her own wedding.
She was seated on a small chair in her dressing room with her head hung in shame and her shaky hands fiddling with the embroidered beads on her snow-white gown. The uncanny similarities between her situation and a child being scolded for disobeying their parent weren't too far off the mark. In fact, that's exactly how she felt in that moment. Except it wasn't her father or mother upset. To her, this was worse then having her parents mad at her. From under the veil connected to the headdress on her head, Angela stole a peek at Kasey. She couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked in the custom tux he wore for the occasion. However, judging from the crossed arms and frown he also wore, he didn't look to be as impressed with his outfit as she was. His brown irises weren't friendly and she abruptly dropped her gaze, the transparent veil swishing around from the sudden jerk of her head. She went back to tugging on the beads.
She wished her brother would say something. Yell at her. Question what on earth was going on through her mind right now. Anything to give her a sign as to what he was thinking while staring down at her disapprovingly. She had a good feeling that he was probably wondering why his sister had been trying to squeeze through the nearby window not but a few seconds ago.
It had happened a few minutes after her bridesmaids had left the room. The maid of honor, Angela's best friend, was styling her almond-colored hair to keep unwanted strands from sticking up with the exception of the one cowlick that refused to lay flat no matter how much hairspray she used. She had long given up on the task and focused on the rest of her hair. Down by Angela's feet her blue haired co-worker was using a needle and thread to fix a loose string on the hem of the dress. Every once in a while, she would look up from her work to quietly say something to her sister or to give the bride a shy smile.
To her right and left, the blond and brunette bridesmaids had been given the job of makeup. While the farmer's daughter didn't have half the experience of the bar maid in this department, they did their best to make Angela's face as vibrant as her dress. They constantly asked her to suck in her cheeks, close her eyes, open them wide again, pucker her lips, and plenty of other orders that left a crick in Angela's neck. When they had stepped aside to let her look in the mirror, she almost couldn't believe that it was the same girl staring back at her.
While all the other women worked fruitfully on the bride to be, Angela's other co-worker and wedding planner had been listing off a number of instructions to follow. Her loud voice rang in Angela's ears as guidelines and tips flew out of the short girls mouth, falling upon closed ears. Angela knew she was only trying to help, or something along those lines, but all she could hear was a huge list of 'don't do this.'
"Keep your back straight at all times. Your eyes need to never leave the alter. Don't look at anyone else except your husband, okay? Hold your chin high and proud, but not too high. Nobody needs to see up your nose or anything. Let your escort set the pace while you're walking. Is he ready yet? Whatever. Oh and, for all that is good and holy: Do. Not. Trip."
"Alright, I think she gets the point." The maid of honor had chuckled, setting aside the comb she had been using. She looked to the clock on the wall shortly before nudging the blond. "Finish up what you're doing. We need to give Ange some time to herself."
The girl in question looked up, which made the blonde tilt her head back down roughly. "You don't need to do that." She said, squeaking afterwards when a eyeliner pen touched her eye. She jerked back from the feeling, making a dark black line across her cheek.
"Oh, c'mon!" The blonde shouted in exasperation. "Ange, stop flinching so much. It's not going to bite you."
"I can't help it..."
Once the mistake had been fixed and they battled again with the eyeliner, all but the bride got to their feet. They insisted that Angela needed to be alone before her escort arrived to take her to the front entrance. She needed to get her thoughts together before the big moment. The group all left with reassuring smiles and words of good luck.
Her time alone had started out pretty calming. Angela stood up slowly before a full-body mirror hanging on the wall. She smoothed down the invisible wrinkles on her dress and flipped the veil to cover her face. She smiled at her reflection. When she had moved away from the mirror, she walked towards the large purple bell that had been moved to the corner of the room for more space. Angela reached forward and pressed her bare hand against the cold metal, tracing the intricate patterns on the side. Her fingers followed the letters that were beginning to fade on the violet carvings. E...D...G...E...
The mindless action caused her mind to wander. Wander to places that it should have never gone to begin with.
And that was when the paranoia set in.
She was about to get married. Her. The clumsiest, most awkward girl on the island. Married. That would mean she would have to support her husband through any endeavor. On any other day, this would have seemed simple enough. But not today. She questioned herself if she would be good enough. If she would be up to the task. Could she handle all the responsibilities marriage brought? What if she was a terrible wife? What then? What if she wasn't what he expected and ended up unhappy like her parents?
Oh, Goddess.
What if she turned out to be just like her parents?
The room was on fire. Everything was way too hot. Even though Angela could feel sweat streak her skin, a shudder shook her entire body. The freezing chill started at her shoulders all the way down to her toes. Her beautiful wedding dress suddenly wasn't as comfortable as it had been a few minutes ago. Instead it felt more like a straitjacket, and no matter how much she tugged on the fabric, it didn't help to relieve the tightness she felt. The pearls the maid of honor's twin had gathered for her were choking her, cutting off all air to her lungs. She felt dizzy. She felt nauseous. She felt-
A warm spring breeze billowed the curtains and caressed Angela's cheek. The single window in the room was open with midday sunlight pouring into the room. For a split second, she was distracted by how graceful the curtain swayed before the wind reminded her just how damp she had gotten in the past few seconds. Gathering up the five layers of dress in her hands, Angela took cautious steps towards the opened window. She drew the lavender drapes back and stared outside.
The church district looked like it had exploded with pastel. Nearly every square inch was decorated extravagantly thanks to the loud wedding planner. It was safe to say that she did her job very well. The small area had never looked this pretty even on festival days. Angela took a moment to smile to herself when thinking about how the church grounds were usually used for the seasonal circus that came around, not nearly as appealing as a wedding. Circuses had their charms, but it also had animals and all the unattractive qualities they brought, such as smell and waste. Angela never would have thought the cute little reception set up just for her could look so clean, considering. She momentarily thought how adorable it would be to have the ringmaster's pig with those flowers dangling out it's nose attending the party, decked out in its own little tux. But she had a feeling that her bridesmaids would strongly disagree.
She wished her carefree thoughts would have lasted longer before the panic came back to unsettle her again.
Escape. A tiny voice began chanting in her head. Escape. That's your only option. Go. Run. You can't do this. You're going to make an idiot out of yourself like you do all the time. You'll fail and disappoint everyone. Go. Run. Escape.
Blood started pumping so hard through her that her ears throbbed. Her hands released the curtain so she could hold the side of her head, gritting her teeth together. Angela became less aware of where she was and what she was doing as she attempted to make the negative thoughts running through her to just stop.
It wasn't until her feet were dangling through the window did she finally come to her senses. Her feet had somehow moved on their own to have her seated on the window itself, half in and out the church. She swallowed hard, discovering that her mouth had gone dry. Would this hurt? If she jumped? Sure she was on the second floor, but it didn't look that bad a distance. No, wait, it would definitely hurt. But humiliating herself and her future husband in front of friends and family would hurt worse. This just might be her only option. Maybe that voice was on to something.
Angela closed her eyes and started to take deep shallow breaths to calm her nerves. She felt one of the fake nails that had been glued to all her fingers crack due to the tight grip she had on the window under her. Deep breath. Inhale. Another breeze blew by and ruffled her choppy almond hair. The veil flapped behind her like a cape. Exhale. Inhale. Fingers loose. Worries forgotten. Numbness setting in. Escape...
"Ange!"
A hand clamped on Angela's shoulder so fast that she had barely enough time to figure out what was happening before she was being yanked back inside. A yelp of surprise was caught in her throat when she hit the ground much harder than anticipated. All the deep breaths she had taken were useless now when all the wind was knocked out of her. When she was falling, her dress had flipped up to bury the bride underneath layers of satin and cotton. She coughed a few times once air filled her again. Angela pushed her dress out of her face and sat up, shaking her head side to side. When she was able to focus, a hand came into view right in front of her. She followed the arm up to find it connected to her older brother. And he didn't look too happy.
And that was how she found herself sitting before Kasey's burning gaze.
She almost wished her bridesmaids were the ones to find her in the window. At least they would have spoken more than one word like her brother refused to do. And she wouldn't have felt so bad for her action if it had been any one of them to catch her. All Angela could do was fidget with a guilty look on her face, too scared to speak up herself.
Finally after what seemed like hours of silence, Kasey numbly dropped his arms to his side and exhaled heavily. He dragged over a stool that Angela had to stand on earlier to adjust the dress to the correct size on her bony body. He positioned the seat in front of his sister and sat down with his elbows on his knees. Kasey joined his hands together just as the two siblings made eye contact again. Brown to brown.
"I'm not going to yell at you if that's what you were expecting," Kasey reassured with a blank look. "I just want to know why."
Angela looked down again to stare at her brother's slightly scarred interlocked hands. Years of fishing had taken a surprising toll on his fingers, no doubt from fish hooks and the like. "I...was scared." She confessed quietly, still not looking up.
"You were scared? Think about how I felt when I see my kid sister about to break her leg jumping out a-"
"Scared that I'll screw everything up." Angela blurted. Her brother paused mid-sentence to blink, waiting for her to elaborate. "I'm scared...terrified...that I won't be good enough. That he'll be expecting more than what I can offer and...think he made some big mistake marrying me. I'm scared to lose him." She bit down on her lower lip until the coppery taste of blood mixed with the lip gloss she wore spilled on her tongue. She was worried that she would start crying and mess up her makeup again.
"So...jumping out a window it going to fix everything?" Kasey deadpanned.
"I'm being serious, Kasey."
"So am I. I don't think running -or rather falling- away from your problems is going to help anything."
Angela balled her hands into fists, glaring at their shoes. "I-I didn't know what else to do!"
He leaned back on the stool a little, crossing his legs and raising an eyebrow. "Have you talked to him about this? About what you've been thinking?"
She shook her head. "He might think I don't trust him."
"And do you?"
"Of course I do, more then anyone."
"So, why are you doubting yourself?"
Angela opened her mouth to reply, but to her surprise nothing came out. Her lips drew into a thin line as she processed his words.
"...Are you having second thoughts about being with him?"
His next sentence came as a shock, and she visibly flinched when she heard. "N-No! I love him!" She exclaimed, raising her head finally. When she saw his face, she noticed that he had a soft and almost amused look on his face.
"All the more reason to not run away."
He had a point, which was almost strange coming from her brother. And it was a really good point at that. But...
"There's more to it than just love and trust, Kasey. I'm..." The next few words were a struggle to get out. She didn't know how he'd react to what she was going to say, but she needed to tell him or it would eat her alive. Kasey was patient enough to wait until she was ready to talk again. "I'm...scared things will turn out like how it did for Mom and Dad..." Angela whispered so faintly, she was sure he didn't hear. The furrowed brow he had proved otherwise.
"Okay, first of all, I seriously don't believe that. And secondly, I'm confused as to why you would even think that to begin with. You are nothing like our parents, and that is a blessing. The only way I can picture you like them is if this was some kind of alternate universe or something." He frowned.
"But-"
"But nothing. You and me both know that the only reason they were together was...well because of me, and they were never really meant for each other in the first place. You and your husband actually care about each other, so you're already doing a better job then them and you haven't even said 'I do' yet." Kasey stopped to chuckle when he saw tears well up in his sister's eyes. He swiped one mascara stained drop that slid down her cheek with his thumb. "Hey, I know I'm not good at these kinds of talks, but is it really worth crying over?"
Angela hiccupped, and it made her brother laugh again. "I-I'm sorry. I'm being stupid. You are right. I was just letting all my nerves get to me." She carefully dabbed the corners of her eyes with a tissue Kasey handed her. "Thank you, Kasey."
He grinned and playfully patted her head. "I'd mess up your hair like I always do, but I'm scared Lils would kill me. She was complaining about how uncooperative it was earlier." He flicked the stubborn cowlick on her head a few times, finally getting his sister to smile a little herself. They shared a small peaceful moment together before they both heard a few wraps on the door, a signal that it was time for the bride to get ready for the wedding. Instantly, Angela's eyes went wide which didn't go unnoticed by her brother. He took her shoulders in his hands and peered down at her. "Hey, it's alright. I'll be right beside you."
"Until you have to give me away." Angela sniffed and gave a cheeky grin. "You okay with giving up your little sis?"
Kasey sighed. "I'm not some overprotective beast, Ange."
"Oh really? I can vividly remember you punching my third grade 'boyfriend' for pushing me over on the playground years ago."
"Yeah, well, I hadn't had my nap that day and he was closest target."
She snorted. "And that guy in Muffy's bar? The one who put his arm around me and tried to buy me a drink?"
"...I'm not apologizing."
Angela giggled and Kasey huffed, batting at her cowlick again. "I just worry about you, Ange. I had to spend everyday protecting you and making sure you were okay back in The City and... old habits die hard, I suppose." He shrugged. "I'll get over it eventually."
She looked up at his face, her brown eyes shining happily. "I know, and I'm very grateful." She reached out and pulled her brother into a hug. The two used to bicker regularly like most siblings do, but Angela appreciated everything he did regardless. He hugged her back and she inhaled the scent that was so uniquely her brother's. It reminded her of her childhood, all the good times she had with him. When they pulled apart, her eyes found the wall clock. She read the time, and released a shaky breath. "We should probably get going."
Kasey looked over his shoulder and nodded in agreement after a quick check of the time himself. He picked up her bouquet and passed it to her. The flowers arranged in the paper tunnel matched the small one protruding out of the breast pocket of Kasey's jacket. After he opened the door, he held out his arm for his sister to loop hers around. Angela let him guide her down the stairs and out the back entrance, back straight and chin held high. But not too high.
They worked their way around to the front entrance of the church. The doors were closed and wouldn't open until the organ played. The siblings didn't share any more words in the meantime, and Angela didn't need to hear him talk to know that he was there for her. She momentarily thought to regular wedding traditions, where the father would walk his daughter down the aisle to hand her off to her husband. But for them, she would have much preferred Kasey.
Her arm tightened around his, the action making him peer down at her. Angela's eyes were set ahead, another dark line streaking down her cheek. Despite the tears, she was smiling joyfully. "Thank you..." She said quietly.
"For what?"
"...For everything."