I wake up, the room swimming before me. I groan and prop myself up on my elbow. I look around and see Marvel on the floor, lying in a pool of his own vomit. I groan again and try to regain feeling in my body. "What happened?" I ask to the silent room. I get the feeling I'm forgetting something, but I have too much of a headache to care.
I get up and stumble towards the blinds. I fling them open and sunlight floods the room, making me fall back onto the bed. I sit up and I notice that I've tripped over Finnick, as my feet are on his face. I giggle, seeing the Golden Boy with my toes brushing against his nostrils. I decide to enjoy the moment for another 2 seconds.
I make my way to the kitchen, where I see Peeta on the floor as well. Geez, was I the only one who made it to a bed?! "Peeta," I whisper, shaking him gently. "Peeta!" He rolls over, clutching a loaf of french bread tightly to his chest, mumbling obscenities. Among these, I can make out "Pig...Apples...Katniss... Yes Katniss, sing the valley song please. Prim would love to hear it"
I have no choice.
"PEETA!" I yell, jumping on him. He awakens with a yelp and the bread goes flying out of his hand.
"Come on, get up. We have to watch the game, remember? It starts at 9. Its already 8:30"
"The game? What are you on about man? The photographer gets here at 9."
"What photographer?"
"Um, it's kinda hard to remember your wedding if you don't have any photos"
Wedding? What wedding? Probably Finnicks. We all know he's in love with Annie. I didn't propose to anyone so it can't be -
Oh crap.
I come to my senses with a jolt.
"GET UP!" I shout into the bedroom.
I run in, frantic. "MARVEL YOU SON OF A BITCH, GET UP!" I roar "AND CLEAN THAT SHIT UP" I run around the bed "FINNICK, WAKE UP I'M GETTING MARRIED"
Marvel stands and opens his eyes. Unfortunately, he faced the window. "HOLY MOTHER OF- " He shouts as he shields himself and slips in the pool of upchuck.
"EVERYONE, GET DRESSED THE PHOTOGRAPHER WILL BE HERE IN HALF AN HOUR WE GOTTA CLEAN, MOVE IT, GO,GO,GO"
"CATO!" They all yell at once.
Peeta comes up to me and tries to calm me down "Cato. Relax. Everything is going to be fine"
"Yeah, bro. We'll clean up." Says a very hungover Finnick.
"Marvel, what in the hell happened?"
"Well, let's see. We went out, dropped off Ian and Ethan, Thresh picked up Rue and went home in his own car. We must have crashed here."
"Clearly, or we wouldn't be in this mess. I knew last night was a bad idea!" I've turned away, but I can feel their eyes on me. "Look, just get everything ready, it's bad enough I thought Finn was the one getting married instead of me."
"Hey!" Finn exclaims, looking slightly taken aback. "I ain't marryin' anyone anytime soon."
"Except Annie." Says Peeta, trying to contain his laughter. "Nice one!" Says Marvel, and they're high-five-ing and not getting ready
"GUYS!" I yell. They stop abruptly and look up almost apologetically. "Can we please just get through this morning?!"
I wake up to the sound of my alarm buzzing loudly. I open my eyes, and the first thing I see is the photo of Cato and I taped to my ceiling, from when we were 17. I sigh and then I remember
HOLY -
I jump out of bed and look at the clock. It reads 8:30. Dammit! The photographer will be here at 9:30, and the girls aren't here! Oh no ohnoohnoohno...
Skylar and Mae are with Cecilia, and Bailey is supposed to be with Cato right about now. That is, if they aren't too hungover. The thought has daunted me ever since we exchanged plans. Glimmer, Fox, Kalia, Annie and Katniss are probably on their-
"Won't you come see about me?I'll be alone,dancing, you know it, bab-"
I pick up my phone
"Hello?"
"Clove! Its the fifth time we've called you! We've got a delay by about fifteen minutes." Katniss calls, so I'm assuming she's on speaker
"15 minutes!? What happened!?" I wail
"Katniss happened!" Shouts Fox. "She took the wrong turn. Never mind we've been to your house 1234567890 times-"
"I said I was sorry okay! Listen Clove, all that happened was I took a wrong turn, and now theres an accident up ahead. Help is already here so we won't be too long!"
"Ugh, fine. But get here ASAP. I need my Bridesmaids."
During the extra 15 minutes, I brush my teeth, hair, fix a chip in my nails and have a shower. I can't believe this. I'm getting married. I'm getting married I'm getting married I'm getting married. I'M GETTING MARRIED! Sorry, I'm just really excited.
I look fondly at the other photo of us, a selfie Kalia and I took the day we met Cato, Thresh, Ian and Rue at Fox's house when we were like, 14. Cato photo-bombed us with a derpy, cross-eyed expression that makes me laugh to this day.
If only I had known.
Everything else is done and sorted, so all I really have to do is relax. And worry and wait for the girls, makeup lady and photographer to get here on time because if they're not this wedding will be a disaster and Cato and I won't have anything nice to look back on but then again I won't make it down the aisle because nobody was here on time-
CLOVE! I scold myself.Get a grip. Just...relax...
I hear Katniss' car squealing up the driveway. Finally! And then I find that I'm too lazy to get up, which is really not appropriate for the day at hand.
Somehow, I find a burst of energy in me and when the girls enter my bedroom, I squeal happily with them.
"STACKS ON CLOVE!" Yells Katniss, and the group half bear hug, half tackle me onto the soft mattress.
Annie yelps and abruptly untangles herself. "Can the bride please stay bruise-free?"
"That's right. I don't want Cato seeing any green and purple bruises, no matter how much makeup can hide them. Everybody off." Orders Glimmer.
Like me, the girls had gotten everything ready, so all we could do was sit around and wait.
When I finally had my makeup on, I had to admit, I had never looked more beautiful. I had full, cupids-bow lips, false eyelashes (against my will), pink blush, and a delicate cat-eyeliner. Contouring accentuated my features, and the whole look was all around classy. Cashmere would envy me. The thought makes me giggle slightly.
By the time the dress was on and the photos were taken with the whole female bridal party, we were on a high. The ceremony was at 11:30, the reception at 5.
We left the house at 11, not 11:15, because I don't believe in that 'Fashionably late' business Glimmer and other women live by. I at least want to be on time to my own wedding, thankyou very much.
As we step into the limousine, I think of how this is the last time I will live in 'my house'. Cato and I found a place, and worked bloody hard to get it. My parents died when I was almost 18, and my Aunt Seeder and Uncle Chaff took me in. When Uncle Chaff passed, Aunt Seeder was the only person I had left to hold on to. Aunt Seeder insisted I take the house for yesterday and today, and stayed with her cousin Enobaria. Since then, I haven't taken anything for granted, and work twice as hard to thank my aunt and uncle for everything, and to make my parents proud. I know they are.
We all bubble and chatter on, my nerves growing with every meter closer we get to the church. (I don't mean to discriminate against other cultures, but Catholic weddings are the only ones I've ever known, and it just didn't seem right to have them married at a beach or park. That's more Odesta's scene)
Once the church is visible, I really begin to freak out. There's a photographer and a camera man waiting to capture the whole event, forever. I step out of the limo slowly.
This is it.