Camille frowned as her friend began yanking on her dress, squealing and grunting with frustration.

"Are you sure you don't need help…?"

"I'm fine." Katie snapped, shimmying into a sleek, white gown. Sure, the dress is a little snug.

Camille stifled a laugh.

Okay…. Maybe it was a little too form fitting, but it fits and that's all that counts! Katie thought, despite her aching ribs.

Alexa shook her head in disapproval, loosening the strings on the gown. "You obviously can barely breathe in this thing! We don't want you fainting at the wedding."

Katie glared at Carlos' wife as she tried pulling the dress over her head, muttering curse words under her breath as she realized that she was stuck in the stupid rag.

"I didn't like this dress anyway." She muttered as both Alexa and Camille pulled on the skirt with all of their strength in attempt to free Katie. Katie merely grumbled as the dress finally slipped off.

Alexa's face wrinkled as she grimaced, looking at Katie with concern. "What is with you lately?"

It had been a week or two since the incident. Despite several attempts from her family, the brunette refused to reveal what had happened. And although Tyler had asked, she blatantly refused to talk to him too.

Of course Tyler, James and Lucy had blown up her phone with text messages, emails, calls, voicemails… But Katie ignored and deleted everything.

Katie knew she had absolutely no right to be upset over her friend's new relationship. But at the same time, Lucy had broken the rules of the girl code. Big time.

Out of all of the men in the world, why did Lucy have to start dating the man she was in love with since childhood? Lucy knew full well what James meant to Katie. The brunette simply didn't understand why Lucy would date him.

"I'm fine." Katie brushed Alexa off, as she had done with all of the others.

After all, what would she say? 'Lucy started dating the man I was in love with for years! The same man that never once loved me! How dare she date him now that I'm engaged!'

That would not go over very well. Especially not with Tyler.

While the others did not inquire further, Alexa Garcia approached the situation differently. She was a fearless little thing. Although her height was anything but intimidating, her attitude made up for her lack of stature.

"Don't you dare say you're fine when there's obviously something wrong." Alexa sniffed. The women remained silent as the fitting room door opened, and the bridal consultant peeked her head inside. "How are we doing? Did everything fit alright?"

The women soft muttered and nodded, the air filled with tension and discomfort.

The bridal consultant seemed slightly bemused as she picked up Katie's discarded dress, but was intelligent enough to keep her mouth shut. She simply nodded to the women, placed a new dress on the hook, and left, leaving them to their awkward conversation.

Camille sighed dramatically, picking up the new dress from the hook. Katie, on the other hand, remained silent. She wasn't sure whether to scream or cry, but (thankfully) her pride prevented her from doing either.

Alexa frowned. Although she carried her attitude, she honestly cared about Katie. The two had not been very close, but she cared for her nevertheless.

"I'll be straightforward with you." The blonde sighed. "There is obviously something very wrong, and you haven't told any of us."

She paused to allow Katie to speak, but the brunette remained silent.

"You say you're fine, but obviously something happened. If everything is fine, then why aren't your other bridesmaids here?"

Katie felt her eyes began to water. At this point, she did not know if her tears were from frustration or from heartbreak.

Camille, who had been unusually silent, couldn't bear the situation any longer. "Lexa, let's go to the bathroom."

"What-?"

"NOW."

Camille shoved Alexa out of the fitting room, leaving Katie alone and quite naked (literally and metaphorically).

Katie, finally feeling free, began to cry, and the fitting room became a chorus of choked sobs and sniffles. Why was she feeling so miserable when this was supposed to be the happiest moments of her life?

She had promised herself that she would never shed a tear over James again.

Oh, well. Katie thought as her salty tears poured down her cheeks and lips. Another broken promise.

Alexa grumbled as she was shoved into the women's bathroom, pushing Camille's hands off as soon as they were inside. "What?"

Camille glared at her. "Seriously? What you did was probably the WORST thing you could've done!" She flipped her hair dramatically, causing Alexa to stare at her in disbelief.

"What are you talking about? She's obviously not okay. She needs to tell us what's going on."

Camille rolled her eyes. "Literally anyone who knows her well knows exactly what's wrong. All you did was make her cry.

Alexa finally had the decency to look guilty. Well, slightly. "I didn't make her cry…"

"Not in front of us, DUH." Camille smacked Alexa upside the head, causing the blonde to furrow her eyebrows.

"What the heck is wrong with her then?"

Camille suddenly looked solemn. "Just don't ask about it, okay? You'll figure it out eventually."

"Wait, what?"

Alexa looked more bewildered than ever. Camille, on the other hand, merely took her by the arm and yanked her out of the bathroom and back into the bridal boutique.

Katie stared at herself blankly in the mirror, staring at her pale, slender reflection. Although the new gown that she had slipped on fit well, she did not glow as she had hoped she would. She was the complete opposite of what she had fantasized. Her eyes felt raw and swollen, and her face was blotchy and tear-stained. God, she was a mess.

Her blank expression turned into horror when she realized that the combination of tears and mascara gave her raccoon eyes.

Desperately, she began to try to wipe away the tears and stains, hoping that her friends miraculously wouldn't notice what a train-wreck she was.

As she heard her fitting-room door open, she quickly turned around. "Oh, Cami, what do you think- "

But she was left speechless when she realized that it was not Camille or Alexa.

It was James.

Holy cow guys. Sorry I take forever. *sigh* Hopefully my writing starts flowing again. :(

-Loreli