I'm back! Sorry about that. Also: sorry about this.
FIVE MONTHS LATER
Cindy's POV
"So you're sure about this? You're completely okay with it?"
"Yes, it's fine Libs," I assured my best friend. "I'm alright. I'm doing this for you."
Although I sounded assertive, I knew she still had doubts based on the look on my face.
"It might get awkward," she brought up, as if I hadn't already thought of that myself. Pretending she was upsetting me, I put my hands on my hips.
"Now you sound like you're trying to convince me not to do it."
"I just," she began as she put on one of her earrings, "I want you to be okay."
"I will be." I smiled and, thankfully, she smiled back.
At least, I really hoped I would be.
Getting the news that Libby and Sheen were getting married was exciting and yet surprising. The surprise wasn't really at the action of getting married, since anyone could see that was going to happen eventually. It was the timing and setting that threw everyone for a loop.
With Libby and I both getting summer internships in New York and spending most of the season here and Sheen getting his paperwork ready so he can start working in the Army Reserve, it aligned well enough for them to take the, admittedly, very large step.
Libby always saw herself getting married somewhere other than Texas and yet still surrounded by family and friends. With both sets of parents' arrivals this morning, we were all good to go.
Due to the haste of it, and of course, it being a very short engagement, this will be the farthest thing from a formal event. We're all just dressing up and going to city hall, which, considering it's Libby, who has been planning her wedding since she learned what one is, has been another big shock.
All of her concerns, though, seem to be about me, her bridesmaid/maid of honor. And she's got every right to worry too seeing that the sole groomsman/best man is my now ex-boyfriend.
I know it wasn't done to hurt me. Just like on the other end, it wasn't done to hurt him. Since it was so last minute, there was no way Carl, who was somewhere in India right now, could have made it. Sheen has an Army buddy coming to the wedding but since Sheen and Jimmy have been friends their whole lives, there was no competition for who would be his best man.
"When was the last time you spoke to him?" Libby interrupted my thoughts.
"The breakup," I sighed. "It's also the last time I saw him. But I'm pretty used to not seeing him for long periods of time," I ended bitterly. Libby frowned and I knew she regretted asking. "It's fine," I shook my head as I walked up to the mirror we were sharing in our hotel room, courtesy of Sheen's parents. Making sure to spread out my hair so the curls were even on each side, I spoke again. "I'm over it."
A brisk knock on the door drew my attention away from the mirror.
"Come in," Libby allowed.
"Oh, you girls look beautiful!" I easily recognized Mrs. Folfax's voice and turned to look at her, smiling my thanks,
"Thanks mom," she sounded as if she were exhaling a deep breath, like her mom's confirmation made any negative thoughts or energy fade away. In a few short steps, they met in the middle and embraced. I was tempted to turn away as to not to intrude.
"So everything is ready to go. We're waiting on you two."
"Is Sheen really ready?" Libby asked anxiously. "He overslept this morning and I know he's probably running behi-."
"Yes, he is," Mrs. Folfax put her hands on her daughter's shoulders, calming her with just three words. "He and Jimmy are both- Oh, I'm sorry Cindy."
Even though my back was to them, I still could hear every word that was exchanged. And I knew what Libby's mom was apologizing about.
"It's okay," I turned to them. "You can talk about him," I shook my head like it was no big deal, which I suppose it isn't. It's not like I can expect everyone to forget about Jimmy just because I'm trying to.
Instead of saying anything, she just nodded and gave a small smile.
"Well, we're ready whenever you are."
"Alright," Libby nodded as well. "We'll be out in a few."
At hearing her words, I suddenly felt a whole lot more nervous than I'm sure she did.
With a trembling hand, I picked up the phone. As I sat on the bed and waited for the call to be answered, I took a couple of deep breaths, hoping my voice wouldn't shake as much as the rest of my body.
"Hey girl! What's up?" spoke Libby's ever cheerful voice after a few seconds. As much as I hated interrupting her shopping trip with her mom, I really felt that this couldn't wait.
"Jimmy just broke up with me," I blurted out, saying it much too fast and yet completely understandable.
Not entirely sure if she heard me, there was a heavy pause before she spoke again.
"I'll be over in twenty minutes."
It was a set of twenty minutes that seemed to last twenty years.
With neither parent home at the moment and having just arrived from a supposedly romantic walk through the park, I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold on before Libby arrived. Luckily, in a shorter amount of time than promised, I heard the sound of the front door opening and rapid steps up the stairs. With my bedroom door being slightly ajar, she only had to give it a small push to open it all the way.
The second I saw her, the first sob escaped.
"Oh Cindy," she approached me as she took my hands in hers and sat next to me on the bed. "What happened?"
He's standing, at most, thirty feet away. Our biggest barrier is the large wooden door separating the hallway and the room in which Libby and Sheen will be married in momentarily.
Libby, wanting to make it seem as much like a 'real' wedding as possible, insisted on walking into the room as the wedding march played on Sheen's Bluetooth speaker. While there was no delay on that end, Libby nervously stood outside the closed doors. I knew, both as her best friend and maid of honor, that I had to do or say something before we missed our appointment window.
"Are you alright?"
"You- you don't think I'm making a mistake, do you?"
Oh, boy.
Truthfully, she's not.
This isn't some drunken decision made after a night out in Vegas with a guy she only met hours ago. It's not one of those Romeo and Juliet type of marriages where she's doing it behind their feuding families backs.
She's also not pregnant. That was the first thing I asked when she told me they were getting married, much to her displeasure,
But, as supportive as I may be, I can't say I one hundred percent agree with the idea of them tying the knot.
They're only twenty-one. They're each other first real serious relationship. And even though they have been seeing more of each other lately, since Sheen has been serving and Libby's been in school these past two years, I still can't help but feel as if they are rushing into this.
Besides all that, how often is that high school sweethearts successfully end up and stay together?
Instead of saying any of that though, and not wanting to ruin her big day, I said what I knew she wanted to hear.
Standing in front of her, grabbing the hand that wasn't holding onto her bouquet, I spoke.
"Do you remember what you said when I asked how you knew you were in love with Sheen?"
It may not have been the wisest thing for me to say, considering I used her answer to help me figure out my feelings for Jimmy back in high school. But now, I knew she would need a reminder.
She smiled slightly.
"You said," I began paraphrasing, "he's all you think about. And he makes you feel every emotion possible, but you love him for it. That you two," I paused, realizing that I actually related to what I was going to say next, "share something that no one will ever understand."
Libby smiled wider.
"And the two of you deserve to feel that way forever. With each other, of course." Because while I don't consider the friendship I have with Sheen to be close, I don't think there's any doubt that the way he feels about Libby is the same that she feels about him.
That was enough for tears to start forming in her eyes, which she quickly blinked away so she wouldn't ruin her makeup.
"Thank you," she let out before pulling me in for a tight hug.
With all these emotions, I nearly forgot that I was going to be seeing Jimmy in a few seconds.
Turning back around, I noticed that Libby's dad was now standing by our side, waiting to walk her down the aisle. I knocked on the door, signaling to Libby's mom on the other side that we were ready and to start the music.
This would be a lot easier if he didn't look so good.
I mean, I know he's the best man at a wedding. But still.
Maintaining my composure, I walked slowly ahead of Libby and her dad. I tried to keep my eyes on the wall behind the town officiant with the smallest of smiles on my face, if only to not have a stone-cold face. I figured if I stared at it long and hard enough, I could resist the temptation to look around at the other people in the room.
My expression completely changed however, once I turned around and saw her walking towards us.
I'd never seen anyone look so unabashedly happy. Based on how she looked right now, on her way to marry the love of her life, no one could have ever known how much of nervous wreck she was up until moments ago.
In the few short minutes that consisted of the ceremony, my eyes unwillingly darted towards Jimmy and I mentally cursed myself when I thought I saw his head turn the slightest amount in my direction. I was suddenly extremely thankful that Libby and Sheen chose to have this sort of ceremony instead. I don't know how I would have been able to handle a full blown out, traditional wedding and have to stand in close proximity to him for a longer amount of time.
The only thing that brought me out of my self-induced funk was hearing the cheers and applause that came from Sheen and Libby's first kiss as husband and wife. Not wanting to seem like I wasn't paying attention, I clapped as well and smiled a genuine, ear-to-ear smile. Even though I was going through my own issues, there was no excuse to not be happy on my best friend's big day.
I grinned triumphantly, knowing I had the last word as my strawberry smoothie landed onto his hair and started dripping down from his shoulders. With an angry huff and a high level of embarrassment, Neutron turned and stormed out the doors of the Candy Bar, followed by Carl and Sheen.
I sat back down, reaching for the curly fries Libby and I were sharing, trying to ignore the look she was giving me.
"What?" I spoke innocently after swallowing, no longer able to avoid her glare.
"Why are you so mean to Jimmy?" she asked in a tone that didn't at all match her expression from seconds ago. The main indicator of that being the smirk on her face.
"I am not mean to Neutron," I spoke, knowing that we're about to start the conversation we've had more often than I would like. Due to its frequency, I know exactly what's going to happen next.
Libby is about to shake her head with a playful smile and make some badly disguised comment on the feelings for Jimmy that she suspects I have.
So I was surprised to see her purse her lips and take a deep breath in through her nose.
"You know," she used a serious tone that I wasn't really prepared for. "We are starting high school in a couple of weeks. Time for a fresh, new start…." She trailed off as I stared at her, chewing on another fry while missing and slightly regretting dumping my smoothie onto Neutron's head.
"Yeah. And?" I only spoke because I realized she was waiting for me to say something.
"And," she paused to take a sip of her cookies and cream milkshake although I knew she was really just thinking of how to gather her thoughts. "It wouldn't kill you to… ease up on… things."
"What are you talking about?" I did, of course, know exactly what she was talking about. Before she could answer though, I spoke again. "If this is about Jimmy-."
"Yeah, like him, for example," I could see the relief on her face that I was the one who brought him up and not her.
"Did you not see how much he was bragging?! You'd think he's the first ninth grader in history to ever get into pre-calc. And then that little comment about me not getting into the class? He's lucky I didn't do anything worse."
Libby shrugged in response, probably not really listening to my defense.
"I'm just saying," she spoke as she dipped her fry in ketchup. "Maybe you should stop being so angry towards him and start showing a… different kind of feeling."
Now I was the one glaring at her.
"Oh, come on Cindy," she pleaded. "Don't you think it's time to let go of this little rivalry? You never know what could come out of it."
"If you're referring to what I think you're referring to…."
"I'm not saying anything in particular, but really? Not even a little bit?"
"For the hundredth time, I do not have feelings for Nerdtron." I said it loud enough so only she could hear. "Haven't you seen the way he treats me? I deserve so much better than that." I added even though I knew that was a bit dramatic.
"I'm not saying you don't, but just think about what I said, okay? You two could be really good friends if you tried." I raised my eyebrows in a skeptical way but looked away from her. "You don't trust me now," she began in a teasing tone I knew all too well, "but in a few years, we're all going to be gathered at your wedding. Mark my words."
Okay, so: this is a two-parter. Next chapter, we're finally going to catch up with Jimmy and since we haven't heard from him in a while, hopefully that chapter will be LONG and answer some questions you undoubtedly have. A question for you guys: when I write flashbacks, are the italics enough for you guys to distinguish it from the rest of the story? Or do you think I should I put in some sort of signal at the beginning and end so it's clearer? Let me know.
Please PLEASE don't hate me for what's happened! I know this chapter took a long time and believe me, it was difficult. This is not the end though, I assure you. I really would appreciate your reviews in this one in particular since I need to know what you think. So please review!
