"Ugh, what?" Justin mumbled, waking up to the sound of his phone ringing. It was 9 o'clock in the morning on a Saturday. He usually never expected anyone to call this early on a weekend like this.
However, he saw the caller ID, 'Vinnie'. He answered it, wondering what his Brazilian friend needed as early as it was.
"Hello?" he answered, rubbing his eyes and still trying to wake up.
"JD? Where are you at?" Vinnie asked.
The 24 year old was confused, unsure of what he meant. "What are you talking about, Vin? I'm at home."
"My wedding's gonna start in an hour and I can't do it without my best man here."
...!
"Oh FUCK!" he yelled, springing out of bed, realizing he had completely forgotten what day it was.
"You forgot my wedding day, didn't you?" he asked, sounding slightly disappointed.
Justin, now quickly getting himself together, felt bad. "Sorry, Vin. I didn't realize today was the 21st."
The Brazilian man sighed. "It's fine, Justin. Just make sure you get here as soon as possible. And be sure to wear a suit. Don't want you looking like shit at the reception."
"Already on it, Vin." he replied, putting on a pair of black suit pants, a white button-up shirt and black bow tie, accompanied by a cream-colored jacket.
"I'll be there soon." he said, hanging up, now rushing to get prepared for his best friend's special day. I can't believe I almost forgot.
Justin later arrived at Glenberry First-Baptist Church, greeted by many familiar, masculine faces who were attending the wedding.
"Hey, buddy." the Brazilian man greeted, looking as happy as he could ever be.
"Hi, Vin. Sorry I'm late."
He shook his head. "No. You're just in time. The ceremony's about to start in a few minutes."
JD sighed in relief, thankful that he wasn't too late.
Pablo, who was also there for the wedding, came over to greet the best man.
"Well, look at you." he said, acknowledging the tan man, who recently turned a new leaf.
"What do you mean look at me? Is there a bug on my face?"
Everyone laughed, still thinking his stupidity was charming yet funny. At least he's not being toxic anymore.
"How have you been, Pablo?" JD asked.
"I've been great, Justin. How about you? I haven't seen you since..."
"Blackwing?"
The tan man nodded. "Yeah. God, that place performed miracles on me."
Same with me. Wonder what they did to fix him?
"So, how have you been lately?" Pablo asked.
JD shrugged, trying not to think about the mess he had been in ever since he discharged from the hospital. "I'm making it."
Pablo nodded. "Well, okay then."
He looked at the two brothers. They once never wanted to speak to one another. But now, they've formed a friendlier bond than ever before.
"I never thought I'd see you around your brother ever again."
"Yeah, me neither." Vinnie said, not believing it himself.
"Believe it, buddy!" Pablo shouted. "I'm here for you and Kyanna's wedding and you're gonna like it."
The Brazilian sighed, still getting used to his annoyingly erratic behavior.
Suddenly, a man walked up to them. He looked to be older and of Hispanic descent. He wore a white suit with a yellow shirt and light-red, almost pink, necktie. It was pretty obvious that he was not from Commotion City.
"Well, Mr. Gilrio. Looks like you never introduced me to your best man here." he stated, having a heavy South American accent, as well as sounding a little ominous.
The 24 year old glanced at him. "Gilrio?"
Vinnie shrugged, also remembering that he neglected to tell his best man about his last name change.
"Y-Yeah." he said. "I actually changed my last name before I scheduled the wedding. Vinnie Gill is no more. My last name is Gilrio to accommodate Kyanna."
He nodded, sort of understanding the sudden change of his last name, as well as never being too fond of the last name Gill. Honestly, I think that was really nice of him to legally change his last name just for Kyanna. He really is loyal to her if he's willing to go that far. That's dedication.
Justin turned back to the new face. "So, who's this guy?"
The Hispanic man smiled, giving off a creepy vibe. "I should ask you the same."
He turned his head to the Brazilian, making him look a tad uncomfortable. "Vin, who is this best man?"
"Um... His name is Justin. He's my friend. He's the one who helped me plan this wedding."
The Hispanic man reached his hand out for a shake. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, friend. My name is, uh... Alejandro. Alejandro, Salsa? Yeah."
He uncomfortably shook his hand, getting strange vibes from this weird man. JD could tell he was very suspicious. Just him trying to think of his name raised so many questions, as well as the slight discomfort on his Brazilian friend's face when he approached them.
"This is my f-friend from Palm Ocean City." Vinnie added, sounding to be on edge.
"Ah," he replied. "Now I know you. You're the guy who REALLY wanted to come to the wedding."
Alejandro nodded, intensely eyeing Vinnie's direction.
"I'm glad you and him could work things out. I'm happy to have you here for his special day."
"Yes, it is quite lovely." he replied, not seeming interested in the positive talk.
This was a very strange, but the mood suddenly changed when a car pulled up. Vin wasn't expecting any other guests to arrive at his wedding. "Huh? Who's this?"
Suddenly, the blonde pizza boy stepped out of the vehicle. He was wearing a fancy blue sparkling suit, as well as having his hair slicked back, which was very rare to see. A far cry from his usual dreadlocks.
"Damn, Connor." he said, impressed with his fancy-looking appearance.
"Yeah, sorry I'm late. JD invited me. Hope that's cool with you."
"Sure," he replied, still admiring the suit he was wearing. "Trying to upstage the groom on his wedding day, I see?"
Connor laughed. "Nah, man. I just didn't wanna look like a greaseball on your wedding day. I'm happy you finally getting married and shit."
"Thanks, buddy. It's been a long time coming."
The pizza boy looked towards the Palm Ocean City resident, thinking he looked familiar.
"Hey, have we met before?" he asked.
The man shook his head. "Not at all, Sir. You must have me mistaken for someone else."
He brushed it off, thinking he was being paranoid.
Suddenly, a pastor stepped out from the building. However, it was someone that Justin didn't expect: Ruben Wagner, the genderfluid director from Germany he had met the previous year.
"Ruby?" he said, surprised to see them.
The genderfluid director's jaw dropped.
"OOOOH, DARLING!" they said, tightly squeezing JD a little too close for comfort,
"Woah, woah." he said, not expecting such a close reunion.
They let go, "Oh, sorry darling. Got a little excited, you know?"
He dusted his suit off, not mad at Ruby. "It's fine. Say, how did Lust of the Dead turn out?"
"Oh, it turned out TERRIBLE, darling. Nobody wanted to see it." they said, admitting to the failure of their low-budget Z movie they filmed.
"That sucks." he said, disappointed with the outcome.
Vinnie, still very eager to get married, wanted to speed things along. "Alright, you two. This is my wedding day so I don't think zombie movies are exactly what we need to talk about today, comprende?"
They both nodded. "Oh, sorry darling. We have been rude. Let's get ze ceremony on the road!"
Inside of the church, Justin and Vin slowly walked over to the stage, as well as Ruby, who would be doing the honors of pronouncing the newly-wedded couple. There, he waited for everyone to be in place. Vin joined them, excited to finally be a married man.
"You ready, Vin?" he asked his Brazilian friend.
He looked at him. "I've been ready."
Looking over at the seats, it was made very obvious that everyone was invited to this wedding. Nora, Candace, Marlena, and Jessie were chosen as the bridesmaids. They each looked very stunning in their elegant wedding dresses.
"I think I look real pretty in a wedding dress." Candace stated, usually being a fan of more open-spaced clothing.
"Yeah, you do, girl." Nora replied, agreeing with her short-minded stripper friend.
As for the Groomsmen, Vin chose Mr. Goggles, who looked pretty decent in a tuxedo, Biggie, Earl, Jacques, and even Pablo.
"Hey, man. I look great in a suit." Earl said, liking his appearance.
"Earl, man. This suit is suffocating me." Biggie replied, not being a fan of the tuxedo.
"You chubby motherfucker. Lose some weight then." he replied, thinking that his brother was being too dramatic.
Of course, JD was the best man accompanying them. Over in the seats were Tiffany, Audrey, Nikki, Connor, Ashley, Milla, and Aiko, all wearing fancy dresses/tuxedos much like the rest of the members. Then there was Alejandro, sitting on the far side looking a little out of place.
I dunno what this guy's problem is, but something tells me he's no good.
They all stood on stage, waiting for the bride to arrive.
"Hey, Vin?" Pablo said.
"Yes, brother?"
"I... I just wanted to say congratulations. I'm happy that you and Kyanna are getting married, you know?"
He smiled. "Thanks, Pablo."
"I'm jealous." he interrupted, ruining the mood.
Vinnie rolled his eyes, knowing that overshadowing him was a recurring problem during their childhood.
The wedding suddenly began and the sight of 4 year old Phillip as the ring barer and Momo as the flower girl was very wholesome.
Wow, this is actually amazing.
Then, there she was: the lucky woman who would finally be getting married after so many years. Kyanna, who was covered in mostly white, slowly walked her way up the aisle with the classical piece, "Clair De Lune" playing.
The Hispanic woman made her way up, a huge smile on her face. Ruby stood at the podium, admiring the beauty of the bride. She made her way up and stood on the other side of him, ready to finally be married.
"We are gathered here today to celebrate something beautiful." the German director said.
"Zis is truly something spectacular to behold. It is like when two swans swim with each other at ze lake, people looking at zem in aw. It truly is a wonderful thing. A gift from ze heavens."
Ugh, they like to monologue, don't they? Guess I should've expected that from a crazy genderfluid director like Ruby.
"Anyway, enough with my talk. Let me cut right to ze chase: Vincent Gilrio, do you take zis lovely darling, Kyanna, as your wife?"
He smiled. "I do."
Ruby turned to Kyanna, now asking her the same question. "And Kyanna, do you take zis handsome beast, Vincent, as your husband?"
She smiled back, sort of tearing up in the moment. "I-I do."
"Then it is settled: I now pronounce you darling and darling. You may kiss ze bride!"
Vinnie and Kyanna exchanged a long, wet kiss on the lips. Everyone began clapping, happy for the newly-wedded Gilrio couple. They began walking down the aisle, holding each other close and exiting the building, being followed by the rest of the guests, with the exception of Alejandro.. It really was a monumental day, for sure.
After the ceremony, everyone met outside of the church. Some already left to head to the after party, others just left.
It was only Justin, Connor, Tiffany, Phillip, Nora, Vinnie, and his new wife, who were very happy, hugging and shaking the hands of those the friends and family that could make it to their big wedding. Marlena was there too, though she was too busy smoking away from them.
"I'm so happy for you, Kyanna." the blondie said, congratulating her friend on the recent marriage.
"Aw, thanks, Tiffany." she said, giving her a light hug.
Justin stood there, trying keep his distance from Tiffany, despite everything being unusually cheerful on this day. I'm not gonna take any risks.
The Brazilian smiled, overwhelmed with happiness on his special day. Suddenly, the young ring barer ran up to his new father.
"Papa!" Phillip said, hugging him. It was very cute, to say the least.
Pablo stepped up. "What about Uncle Pablo?" he said, acknowledging the 4 year old toddler.
The young boy looked at him, seeming like he didn't want to hug the tan man. His mother, however, encouraged him to do so.
"Philly, sweetie? Why don't you give your new uncle a hug? I think he's earned it."
He gave in, hugging his new uncle. For once, the tan man with red lips felt like he finally had something he always wanted: a loving family.
"We're proud of you, Pablo. Legit." Nora said, impressed with how far he had come along in the last year.
"I'm proud of me too, Nora." he replied, soundly a slightly toxic. Though, it was more naivety, if anything.
Everything seemed to be going great. JD was proud of how the wedding turned out. I really am the BEST man.
"I couldn't have done it without you, Justin." Vinnie said, showing appreciation to the man who helped him plan the whole thing.
He smiled, appreciating the compliment his friend had given him.
Setting up that date last new year's definitely paid off. Vin is definitely much happier now that him and Kyanna are an item.
As they were finishing up their little reunion before the after party, the happy day quickly shifted into something else. Alejandro, who was inside the church, had came out. The man had a dagger in his hand and began to rush towards Vin without warning.
"Vinnie, look out!" Nora yelled, realizing what was happening.
But it was too late. The sound of a sharp object going into flesh was heard. The ominous man from Palm Ocean City had stabbed him, but it wasn't who he was aiming for.
"Ah!" Kyanna yelled, witnessing the horror in front of her eyes. As the so-called "friend" was charging at him, Pablo had jumped in the way at the very last second, making a sacrifice.
He pulled the dagger out of Pablo's chest. The tan man then fell to the ground, now bleeding. Vin kneeled down and held his brother in his arms, also looking up at the man who murdered him.
"Mendez, what the fuck?" he yelled, now enraged that he had tried to assassinate him on his own wedding day. Phillip was now crying, traumatized at what he was seeing.
Justin and Connor looked at him. "Wait, Mendez?!"
Mendez grunted, realizing he got the wrong target. "I told you I needed my money back, Nora. You actually thought inviting me to this wedding was going to pay off your debts?"
The Latina was shocked. "So, you tried to kill Vin instead? You asshole! And on his own damn wedding day too."
The Brazilian looked at him. The expression on his face had nothing but revenge on it. "I invited you to my wedding for peace. I thought it was over! Why would you-?"
Suddenly, an SUV pulled up. Mendez hopped inside of the vehicle, speeding off.
"Shit"! he yelled, getting up. He wanted to chase him down and kill him, but he had no source of transportation, making a pursuit pointless.
Attention was now focused back onto Pablo. Everyone who was still outside of the church gathered around him. Marlena, who was distant from the rest of them, had pretty much walked away right after Mendez stabbed him. It seemed as if she didn't want to be involved with the incident, or she just didn't care that her older brother had committed a heinous act, costing the life of Vinnie's younger sibling.
"Brother... I'm sorry." the Brazilian said, holding his brother tightly in his arms.
The tan man coughed, knowing that the stab was lethal and that he only had mere minutes to live. "I-It's okay, Vin. I-I saved your life..."
Nora, who looked the most guilty, kneeled down with them.
"This is my fault, Pablo. I am so, so sorry. I should've never listened to any of Marlena's bullshit. I should have never done any business with him."
The tan man smiled, blood still gushing from his mouth. "N-Nora. I'm s-sorry about everything... About Damien... A-About the r-racist shit last year...W-We had a good r-run, didn't we?"
She nodded, a tear dropping from her face. "We did. We did..."
Pablo then looked to his brother, who was still holding him. "V-Vin... I wish I w-would have been a b-better bro t-to you when we were kids..."
The Brazilian sniffled. "I know, Pablo. I know... But, you made up for it in the last month."
His eyes then faced towards Kyanna and Phillip, who was still crying at the sight of his new uncle now on his death bed. "Y-You take care of l-little Philly, okay? He needs good p-parents to watch over h-him."
Everyone was now saddened by this. Even Justin, who once NEVER thought Pablo could ever be redeemed, given his many bad decisions and stuck-up personality. But seeing his redemption being cut short from this really was baffling. Damn, dude. And he was just getting his life together.
"G-Goodbye, everyone. I-I'll see you in the b-big El C-Coretti in the s-sky."
He then closed his eyes, exhaling his last breath. Kyanna kneeled down, hugging him tightly.
"Oh, PABLO!" she shouted, bursting into tears.
"I can't believe this shit..." Nora added, now feeling emotionally numb at this point.
The day ended on a grim note. Alonzo Mendez, who was using a fake alias from the rest of the guests, had murdered Vinnie's brother in cold-blood There was now dead silence from everyone. This was most definitely a time of mourning. Shit, looks like Vin's dealing with some heavy stuff too.