"When's the wedding again?" I constantly forgot about Travis's wedding date, and I knew he was getting annoyed.
He rolled his eyes. "April twelfth."
"Oh, yeah."
"Oh, yeah," Travis said, mocking me.
I punched him playfully. "Shut up."
"So, would you like to be my maid of honor?" Grace asked me. She, like always, looked gorgeous. A colorful scarf was tied around her head and she wore a pink tank top and a pair of white shorts. She had beautifully tanned skin, probably from her recent trip to Florida to see her grandparents.
I was completely surprised. "Oh, my God, are you sure?" When she nodded, I said, "Of course!"
Grace smiled in the way that only bride-to-be's can. She leaned over to hug me. I liked Grace. She was one of those genuinely nice people that you only meet every once in a while. We had become friends quickly, as she had been at our house a lot.
"Are you guys going to do that whole 'girl talk' thing now?" Travis asked. We smiled at him and he walked away quickly.
"Do you not have a sister or anyone to be your maid of honor?" I asked cautiously.
Grace didn't look phased. "I'm an only child," I nodded in an oh-I-get-it kind of way and she continued. "My best friend Sara can't make it – she's in the Peace Corps. Right now, she's in Africa for two years."
"Shut up, that is so cool! What country?"
"Zambia. She's living in a village and helping out there." Sadness overcame Grace's face. "I miss her already, even though she's only been gone for a few months. We're roommates too, so the apartment has been pretty quiet without her."
We talked for a while longer, mostly about Sara and Travis and the wedding, until Grace brought up Ryan.
"What?" I asked.
"Where has he been? I haven't seen him around lately, and you've been home a lot."
I thought about what I was going to say to her, and how I was going to explain everything. "Me and Ryan are kind of on a break," I said, trying to say what I wanted. It didn't sound right, though. We had been together for almost four months, and being away from him was weird.
"Why?" Grace was curious, that I knew. I didn't exactly know how to say it, once again.
"He cheated on me with my best friend," I said cautiously. Grace's face went from peaceful to upset.
"Oh, my God, why didn't you tell me sooner?"
My face got hot. "I was trying not to think about it."
"I'm so sorry," Grace said sadly as she leaned in to give me a hug.
"It's alright," I told her, "Everything's going to turn out alright." I didn't want her to know that I was not only trying to convince her, but myself as well.