meet his gaze and I want to yank myself away, but I can’t.
I close my eyes in anticipation of Steven’s lips locking with mine, and…
WHACK!!!
Steven is ripped away with a whoosh of air, coupled with simultaneous screams and shouts. I jerk my eyes open and see him scrunched up on the floor in the fetal position. He is shouting out in pain, and everything is moving in slow motion. I look up confused and watch Jessica screaming at the top of her lungs at something/someone behind me. I whip around and see Ben shaking out his clenched fist with Michael holding him back against the bar. I turn back to Jessica surrounded by her family while Steven’s brother Dave helps him to his feet. Steven has a huge red shiner around his left eye, and then it dawns on me. I am mortified. Ben just sucker punched Steven.
“What the hell was that Ben?” Jessica shrieks for the fifth time as I watch a vein pop out of her forehead, “Megan! What is going on?”
Jessica and Michael’s family are staring at Ben and I with looks of horror. Jessica’s mother is completely disgusted and shakes her head. I feel ill when Stephanie and Michelle forcefully place their hands on their hips and wait for my response. I look back at Ben red with rage and he locks his pain stricken eyes with mine. I feel myself begin to shake. Everyone’s eyes are on us, but neither of us has a response.
“Don’t even tell me you two are sleeping together!” Jessica shouts, stating the obvious.
“I knew it!” Michelle shrieks.
“Ewe!” Stephanie adds covering her big mouth with her hand.
“Well are you?” Jessica shouts.
Our shameful silence only solidifies everyone’s suspicions.
“I can’t believe you two.” Jessica says with tears welling up in her eyes.
“Jessica I am so sorry…” I cry.
“Don’t even!” she shouts cutting me off. She begins to tremble as the tears roll down her cheeks, “You hide this from me? You let me set you up with my cousin? Then Ben punches him in the face? At my wedding! Both of you get the hell out of here! You ruined everything! GET OUT!”
Michael releases Ben who doesn’t dare look back at me, or anyone else for that matter. He storms out of the hall while I stand there frozen, wishing I could rewind everything. The look on Jessica’s face is enough to bring me to tears. They well up in the corner of my eyes and I choke back the humiliation. I think how Jessica has waited for this day her whole life. She wished and prayed for it to be as flawless as her ivory skin, but now it is anything but and everything is ruined.
“Jessica, please. I am so sorry.” I grovel, but Eric grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me out of the hall with tears rolling down my cheeks.
I slump down on the cement walkway outside, and yank myself free from Eric’s grasp. He peers down at me with an awful look of disappointment splashed across his face. It reminds me of a look my mother once gave me when she unexpectedly came home for lunch one afternoon in the ninth grade and caught Jessica and I skipping class to catch up on a few missed episodes of the OC (compliments of Michelle who taped every single episode due to a slightly crazy Seth obsession).
“Jessica is never going to forgive either of you for this.” Eric says shaking his head.
“What…the… hell… was Ben… thinking?” I choke between sobs, “When you…go …back in…tell Steven…I am so …sorry.”
Eric flops down beside me and wraps his arm around me, “Eventually everything is going to be okay, but right now -”
“No it’s not.” I wail, “Everything is ruined! Jessica will never talk to me again!”
Eric hugs me a bit tighter, “How long has this been going on?”
“The night before we left” I whimper, finally feeling my tears begin to settle.
“That sly son-of-a-bitch.” Eric laughs.
“What’s so funny?” I ask
“Well, you guys have been dancing around crossing the friend line since the tenth grade. It’s about time.” He snorts.
“That’s not true.” I shout crossing my arms in front of my chest. Now feeling betrayed by Eric too.
“Come on Megan, I see the way you two look at each other. We all do. You guys even act like a couple.” Eric says releasing me from his hug.
“That’s because we were best friends. Not because we liked each other.” I wail, “Besides, I never wanted any