"Where's Melody," I cooed, looking around before peeking under the table. "There she is."
Squealing, she crawled out and quickly toddler off. Reaching out, I stopped her and pulled her into my arms. We were both laughing as I tickled her.
When I finally stopped, I let out a huge sigh. I never feel like I have had enough of these kinds of one-on-one moments with Melody these days. If I wasn't working, then it was something with the new baby. I couldn't remember the last time I had so much time with her, nothing to do but enjoy each other's company. These were the best moments, and I cherished every second I had with my little girl.
Pulling her closer, I soaked in every second I had my little girl in my arm. If I could, I'd never let her go.
Melody planted a kiss on my cheek. "Wuv you, Momma," She snuggled deeper into my arms and laid her head on my shoulder.
I brushed her hair from her face. "Awww, you're so sweet," I cooed, squeezing her harder.
When I let her go, she quickly toddled off toward the toys. Following with my eyes, I watched her dig through the toys.
I caught a stuffed animal she was tossing aside when my phone rang. Noticing it was Jason, I picked up the call. It didn't surprise me that Jason would call me. Before Teagan and I quit, I texted Jason to let him know we were leaving. But I had promised him that Teagan and I could still help him if he needed it.
"Hi, Jason. How are you?"
"Hi, Gabby. We're up to our necks in wedding details that we can't make heads or tails of. And the stuff we do understand, we can't agree on. Plus, the planner at Fantasy Event Planning is no help."
"Sounds bad," I commented to no one in particular.
"You're our last hope before we have to call in our mothers and have this turned into some huge thing that neither of us wants," He pleaded, "We don't need fancy; just something small with our closest friends and family will do. Plus, Kelsie has promised to play nice if you help us. So she won't be a problem."
I could hear the plead and desperation in his voice. I couldn't hold back a smile. Jason's desperate state was the opposite of how I was feeling. Event planning has always brought me so much joy, and when everything comes together after all the work you put in, nothing feels better. It was something that I loved since I was little, and I planned celebration events with my mom.
I agreed with a wide grin across my face. "Jason, I promised you I would still help make the wedding happen if you need me. I keep my promises, especially promises made to my friend."
I could hear the relief sigh on the other end and picture a grin that probably hadn't been seen in days. "Thanks, you're a lifesaver. When can we meet?"
My eyes grew wide as a gasp of shock escaped me, watching Melody jump on the couch like a trampoline. "Hold on, Jason," I reached out my free hand and jerked my phone away from my ear. "Melody, no jumping; the couch is sitting. If you jump on it again, you're getting off."
I stood up, giving her a warning look. Melody gave me a mischievous smile with a squeal. Turning around, she squealed and started jumping again. I reached the couch in two giant strides and frowned at her. Lately, Melody had been testing her boundaries more, so a simple no didn't always work anymore.
I picked her up in one swoop and sat her on the ground. Turning her so she faced me, I gave her a disapproving look. "Melody, I told you not to jump on the couch, and you didn't listen, so you can't play on the couch for the rest of the afternoon. We can try again tonight."
"No," She grunted, scrunching her face while struggling against my grip.
She walked off when I let her go, and I returned to my call with Jason being sure to keep my eye on Melody. Jason and I talked for a few more minutes and set up a meeting for noon tomorrow at his place.
Teagan and I arrived early at Jason's the following day. My stomach was a bundle of nerves when we pulled up to the apartment complex.
Staring out the window, I whispered to myself, "This is it."
"Did you say something," Teagan asked, parking the car.
I gave her a sheepish look. "Just giving myself a much-needed pep talk. So that I don't lose my nerve."
Teagan nodded, reaching for her bag in the back. "Ready to go?"
I double-checked that I had everything and nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be."
Teagan's phone went off when we were getting out. I motioned that I was going ahead as she answered it. She nodded, and I pulled out my phone to text Jason we were outside. I looked up from my phone when a car I was passing by caught my attention. Picking my head up, I scanned the small open parking lot for any familiar faces.
But Teagan was the only one there.
Glancing back to my phone, I debated texting Jason and asking him. Abandoning the idea, I took a closer look at the car pacing around it.
Teagan saw my confusion when she approached me after the call. "I thought you were going in first; what's wrong?"
I pointed to the car. "That's Troy's car; he's here."
Teagan followed my point. "Are you sure? It's a common car; it could belong to anyone."
I opened my mouth to answer when my phone pinged a notification. I held up one finger. "One second."
Smiley: Heads up gang here
Sighing, I showed Teagan the message. "Still think I could be wrong?"
Teagan winced. "Jason did say Troy is his best man, and his friends are the groomsman in the wedding."
I threw my hands up in the air. "I should have known, stupid."
"Do you want me to go up there while you wait here," Teagan offered.
Staring at the apartment complex, I considered it for a brief second. "No, I have to keep facing them, no matter how brutal they get, if I want to show them, I'm their friend."
I texted Jason to buzz us in and mentally prepared myself the best I could for the worst.
"Hey, so Mattie told me Lewy and Lici are staying with Smiley for the rest of the summer. Maybe even longer," Teagan noted while we waited for the elevator.
I nodded with a broad smile. "Yup," I confirmed.
Teagan's expression brightened. "Your family must be stoked."
"Totally." The elevator arrived, and we let the people out before going in. I pressed the floor number and turned to her. "Since Ayden's accident, Lewy and Lici had been staying with his family. So, we've only seen them in person a handful of times in the last three years."
Teagan's smile faded to a frown. "Why did Smiley let Ayden's family take them?"
I frowned with a half-shrug. Shoving my hand in my pocket, I replied in a sad voice, "We all had a hard time accepting what happened after Ayden's accident, but Ayden's family took it especially hard. His parents were in a really dark place, and letting them take the kids was the only way Smiley knew how to help them. It gave them something to live for, and slowly, they started doing better."
The elevator dinged on our floor, and we got out. We skimmed the map in front of us to figure out which way to the apartment. While we walked the halls, Teagan asked, "But doesn't Smiley feel like she's abandoning them? I thought she'd want to be there as much as possible for them."
"She's still there for them," I replied, knocking on the door. I showed Teagan some of the pictures of Felicity and Lewys on my phone. "That's why she decided to stay in L.A. after Dad was traded. She visits them every day and sends us plenty of pictures. Every night they talk, and she goes to all their games and events. But now that they're almost eight, they are starting to really have opinions."
"Who's dad was traded where," Jason asked, opening the door.
My eyes bounced to Jason's, and I pulled him into a hug. "Jase, so good to see you."
Jason chuckled, hugging me back, "It's great to see you too."
We pulled apart, and he invited us in. Hesitating for a second, we followed after him. The conversation halted, and everyone froze when we stepped inside. Jason shut the door behind us and invited us to take a seat.
The room was eerie, with everyone giving us killer looks. The entire gang was pretty spread out on the sofa with snacks. Chad, Taylor, and Kelsie started shoving at everyone to move over and make room. Teagan turned to me with a 'what now look'. I shrugged and tried sitting by Kelsie and Zeke.
Kelsie shoved at Zeke. "Zeke, you're breathing on me; move over. There's plenty of room that way."
I got the message and backed away. Rolling her eyes, Teagan followed behind me.
Dagger eyes were cast at us if we even stepped in their direction. I turned to Jason and said, "Maybe this wasn't such a great idea."
"Babe, remember you promised to play nice," He reminded Kelsie.
She popped a piece of candy into her mouth. "No, I promise not to say anything mean. Doesn't mean I have to sit by her or even talk to her."
Jason sighed, shaking his head. "What do you want her to do, stand the entire time?"
"Works for us," Chad, Taylor, and Kelsie replied simultaneously.
"Guys," Sharon and Zeke exclaimed at once, "Really, is that necessary?"
Chad tossed a grape up and caught it in his mouth. "Maybe."
"Hey, is there a reason why we can't just have Sharon and Teagan help us," Taylor suggested snatching a grape from Chad. "After all, Sharon did help us a lot with Sharpay's party, and Teagan wasn't that bad with the wedding plans before she quit at Fantasy Event Planning."
"Don't know," Kelsie replied with a shrug, eyeing Jason. "Ask the one who insists that she needs to be here."
Teagan pulled me back and whispered, "Remind me again why we're putting up with them?"
My shoulders sagged, and I sighed. We have only been here for a minute, and it's already a train wreck. That has to be a record.
I clapped my hands together, sounding cheery as possible. "How about Teagan and I pull up a chair, and I'll just be a fly on the wall."
"If you're going to be a fly on the wall anyway, why not leave," Taylor suggested.
"That's it, let me at her," Teagan demanded, lunging for Taylor.
I immediately pulled her back and stepped in front of her. Frowning, I silently plead for her not to make a scene. She stared at me for a long moment before throwing her arms up in defeat.
Ryan cleared his throat and clapped his hand to get everyone's attention. "OK, if we're done with the bad greetings and threats, how about we get down to the planning."
"I second that," Sharon pulled a notebook out from underneath the mess on the coffee table. "If you still want a wedding in November, we have a lot of work to do."
Kelsie grabbed a cushion and hugged it. "I want to, but I trust Gabby to help us as much as I trust our parents. Can't you and Teagan plan it, Sharon? You'll have everyone here helping, and it's not a big fancy event. Please?"
Tears started forming in my eyes, and I fought to hold them back. My eyes and throat burn from my struggle to remain in control of my emotions. Teagan and Sharon's stares went from each other to me. The expressions on their faces told me it was my call. Squeezing my eyes, I let out a defeated sigh and nodded.
"Here, let me see it," Sharpay took the notebook from Sharon and started flipping through. "Kelsie, I know you're thinking small, but there's still a lot to do. November is in four months, and we haven't been able to knock one thing off your list. We'll need all the help we can get and someone who's done this before to lead us if we wanna have any chance of getting you married by year's end."
Kelsie sighed, taking her notebook from Sharpay. "OK, not everything in the notebook has to go into the wedding. These are just ideas. Plus, Taylor's married, and so are you, so you've both been through this before. It can't be that hard."
Sharpay chuckled with a shake of her head. "My wedding took everyone I knew to help pull off."
Taylor raised an arm, giving an innocent smile. "My parents and sisters helped me plan my wedding. There was no way I could have done it by myself. I'm efficient, but weddings and other huge events like that are beyond me. Sorry."
Sharpay decided to clarify. "What I meant by someone who's been through this is someone who's planned weddings or events before."
Kelsie grumbled, closing her notebook. "Fine. She can help if she can prove she knows what she's doing."
Smiling from ear to ear, I assured Kelsie, "I won't let you down. Your dream wedding will happen."
Kelsie's expression remained unchanged. "Sure, maybe if you don't suddenly disappear with so much as a word for another three years."
My expression fell as I realized that nothing had changed between us. Kelsie was still mad at me, and I wouldn't be here if she had any other choice. I shrank back, feeling just as out of place as before.
"Great," Sharpay moved over towards Ryan. "Grab some couch, and let's get started before we lose daylight completely."
Taking a seat by Sharon, I mouthed, Thank You, to Sharpay and Ryan. They smiled back at me and winked.
"This is impossible," Kelsie exclaims in frustration.
I took another look at Kelsie's notebook. "Kelsie, what about a mixed track of Jason and your favorite songs for music? I'm sure that Troy can handle that, and that will leave plenty of wiggle room for the venues."
Troy nodded. "Absolutely."
Kelsie made a disgusted face at the idea. "It can't cost that much more to have live music."
"Kelsie, I had live music at my wedding, and I can tell you it wasn't cheap," Sharpay pointed out. "The only reason I could fit it into the budget my parents gave me was because I saved on venues by having it at Lava Springs."
Jason sighed, "Do we have money in our budget for live music?"
Taylor glanced over the guest list. "Not unless you're willing to cut the guest list way down and change venues."
"And even then, it depends on the singer you want," I added, hoping to drive the point home.
Kelsie's face lit up like a light bulb. "What about if we used Lava Springs as our venue too? Ryan, Sharpay, we can get a discount, can't we?"
Ryan and Sharpay exchanged looks, silently urging each other to say something. Sharpay nudged Ryan to encourage him to talk. Running his hand through his hair, Ryan sighed.
"Sorry, Kelsie, even if we talk our dad into giving you a discount, it's going to cost more than your budget to have the wedding and reception at Lava Springs," Ryan explained.
Kelsie groaned in frustration. "This is impossible. Everything costs so much now, and our budget just isn't enough to cover everything. Why don't we just get married at the courthouse in our T-shirts and jeans? It'll save everyone the hassle of all this and everything ending in disaster."
"OK, I know it seems impossible, but if we get creative, it can happen, Kelsie. I promise," I encouraged.
Kelsie glared at me. "The last creative suggestion you had, you suggested track music. This is supposed to be a wedding, not a tacky luncheon. Have you ever done anything like this before?"
Sighing, I buried my face in my hand. This was worse than a train wreck. I wasn't just unwanted or out of place. I was basically a nobody that they didn't trust with the simplest things. This was an excellent time to take a break and get some air because things would only get worse.
Picking my spirits back up, I suggested, as cheerily as possible, "How about we all take a break? We could stretch our legs, get a drink, use the restroom, and regroup in five minutes."
Everyone spread out, and I followed Jason into the kitchen. I made sure no one else was there and pulled a packet from my bag.
"Jase, can you help me give this to Taylor and Chad," I asked, slipping the packet to him. "It's an excellent daycare that they might want to look into for C.J."
He took the packet from me. "Why don't you give it to them?"
I shrugged, frowning. "I don't think they'd listen to me. But if you gave it to them, they might consider it."
Jason's eyes bounced to Chad and Taylor and then to the packet. Finally, he nodded. "OK. I'll help you and thank you on their behalf."
"Course."
He glanced over the packet. "Wait, they already looked into this one, but it's full."
"Well, if they are still interested, I can help them," I replied.
He pulled me into a hug. "Thanks."
I felt a tap on my shoulder. "I'll thank you if you get your hands off my fiancé," Kelsie stated through gritted teeth and a fake smile.
I pulled away from Jason immediately. "Sorry," I apologized.
Kelsie scoffed. "Save it," She rolled her eyes and pulled Jason away.
What's it going to take?
I felt defeated looking at my friends outcasting me. It was starting to feel like making up for my past was mission impossible. Maybe I would never be able to make up for my past. Perhaps I'd lost my friends for good.
A tear slipped free as an arm draped over my shoulder. "You, OK?"
I wiped the tear and nodded. "Yeah, just trying to accept the fact that I'd lost my friends for good."
Sharon wrapped me in a bear hug. "I wouldn't say that. Jason and Zeke seem to be your friends. Plus, Ryan and Sharpay weren't too harsh. And Troy, he's not that bad."
I shrugged. "Too bad Chad, Taylor, and Kelsie are treating me like garbage. Which, to them, I probably am."
"Then that's their problem," Teagan commented, coming in for a hug. "If they can't let go of the past, they're the ones losing out."
I pulled her into a hug with a genuine smile. "Thank you, I can always count on you guys."
"That's cause we're family," Sharon stated.
"And don't you forget it," Teagan finished with a giggle that got us all laughing.
We pulled apart from our huddle and regrouped with everyone else.
"Kelsie, do you have any idea what kind of live music you want," Teagan asked.
"Grace Gomez," Kelsie replied without hesitation. "I've dreamed of sharing my first dance and kiss with Jason as husband and wife since we first kissed at one of her benefit concerts. And Grace would be there even for five minutes just to perform the song we were dancing to that day."
Teagan and Sharon glanced at me, and I knew they had the same thought I did. I was about to say something my phone rang.
Javy
Confusion and worry together as I answered. "Javy?"
"Elly, are you with Troy right now?"
I narrowed my brow and spoke slowly, "Yeah, why?"
"His dad, Gram Gram, and Granddad were just brought into the emergency room. His mom's the only one we could find on file, and we can't reach her."
I felt all the air being squeezed from my lungs as my heart dropped to my stomach. My entire body went numb. This was my worst fear. We were too late.
