Hey guys! I would've updated last night but the wifi where I was staying was horrible. I'll try to update as much as I can up to the eighth. I don't think I'll have wifi after that.
MyOwnEndings- You'll find out in a few chapters... Mwahaha!
Thanks for reading! Enjoy! -ReadLikeYouMeanIt
The wedding's in a week. We're having all the parties now since all of the guests are getting here. Marlee has been so helpful with all of the preparations. Sarah's been doing an excellent job of keeping Mom out of my way. Don't get me wrong, I love my mother, but sometimes she just isn't helpful during high pressure situations.
"No, I only had one bridesmaid." Mom says to one of my little cousins, Lacey. We've been entertaining for hours now while all of the parents settle in.
"Was my mommy in your wedding?" Lacey asks.
"No, I only had one bridesmaid and that was Marlee."
"Wait, Aunt May wasn't in your wedding?" My older cousin, Astra, asks.
"No. You should know, you were there!" Mom fake-scolds.
Astra laughs. "I was only a few months old!"
"Excuses, excuses." Mom says. She winks at Astra.
"Tag! You're it!" My little cousin, Zachary, says to Matthew.
Matthew has been playing with the boys all day and not has his hands on his knees and is panting like crazy. "I think I need a break." He manages.
"Tag! You're it!" Zachary says to Nathan, whose in the same shape as Matthew.
"Alright, new game. Rock, Paper, Scissors... That is if I can lift my hand up." Nathan says.
"You know what," I take charge. "You boys have been running around all day, and I'll bet the girls are tired too. Why don't we go to the gardens for tea, then go swimming in the palace's pool?"
All the kids buzz in excitement.
"To the gardens!" Astra points to the door.
Matthew puts his arm around me. "Thanks." He pants.
"No problem. You look like you're about to have a heart attack." I say.
"Yeah, I need energy. Can I have coffee instead of tea?"
"Of course."
"But can there be about twenty shots of espresso in it?"
I giggle. "Definitely."
After tea, we all change and go to the indoor pool. All of the little kids play in the shallow part, while all of the teenagers take the deep end, and all of the grown ups either go to the hot tub or lounge beside the pool. I decide to just lounge next to Madeline and Astra. Matthew, Nathan, and my cousin Garret are messing around in the pool. Crystal and my cousins Kate, Justine, and Lily are in the deep end as well.
"Only a week left," Astra says. "Then you'll be a married woman."
"I know," I say with a smile. "I just want it to be official already. I want the world to know that I love him."
"That's how I felt when I married Jonathan." Astra says.
Astra's been married for three years now. She's a year older than Lance. She hasn't had any kids yet, but she did have one miscarriage about a year ago. She has a pretty good attitude about having kids. She said that if it's meant to be, it'll happen. If it's not meant to happen, she can always adopt. I admire her for that. If it was me, I'd be pretty mad at the world.
"I'm so glad you found the one." Astra says.
"Me too. I'm still searching." Madeline says.
"Trust me, you'll find the one for you." I assure her.
"I hope so." She says.
"You will. Don't worry. After I broke up with Tyler, I didn't think I'd ever find anyone as good as him. But I found someone just as good if not better than him." Astra says.
"How's Crystal doing in the dating department?" Madeline asks.
"Ugh," I sigh and roll my eyes. "She's dating basically anyone who asks."
"Really?" Astra says. "She strikes me as the kind of girl who wouldn't be that way."
"Nope, she is." I say.
"Who's she dating now?" Madeline asks.
"I don't think she's dating anyone right now. But then again, it's really hard to keep up."
"There's a guy I know that I think would be really interested in dating her." Astra says.
"Would she be interested in dating him?" I ask.
"I think she would. He's funny, smart, and handsome."
"That's my type of guy." Madeline says. We all laugh.
Matthew, Nathan, and Garret walk up to us.
"Ladies, may we enlist you for your help?" Matthew asks.
"What is it?" I ask.
"We need to look for something near the pool. We think it fell in." Garret says.
"What fell in?" Madeline asks.
"Someone left a bracelet by the pool, and we think we may have knocked it in." Nathan says.
"Okay," I say as I get up. I head to where they were earlier. "Where do you think it fell?"
"About here." Matthew says.
"Where did you—" I can't even finish before he pushes me in. When I surface, all of the guys are laughing.
"Very funny." I say.
"What's going on?" Astra asks sternly.
"Nothing, I just tried to be helpful and look for the bracelet." I say.
"Well where is it?" She asks, looking in the pool.
"About right there." Nathan says as he pushes her in as well. She shrieks as she hits the water.
The guys all laugh. I try to suppress a smile.
"Ha ha, so funny." She says as she surfaces.
"Alright, Jake," Matthew says to my cousin. "You owe me ten dollars exactly."
"You were betting on if you could get us in the pool?" I say.
"Well yeah." Matthew says.
I splash him. "You jerk."
"Here, I'll help you out." He says, reaching out his hands to pull me out. I grab his hands, push my feet off the wall, and pull him in.
"Hey! I was trying to be nice!" He says.
"I wasn't!" I say. Astra, Nathan, Garret, and I all laugh at this.
It's nice to be getting older, but sometimes it's fun to be a kid.
Btw, who's excited for TFIOS? I AM!