You May Kiss the Bridesmaid - Camilla Isley Page 0,33

to stay hidden in my room, I move down to the lobby.

The bachelorette party bus is already waiting outside and hard to miss. The vehicle is thirty feet long and painted in a rather distinctive bubble-gum pink. Lana outdid herself. I would’ve never thought of renting something so obnoxiously fun. Heck, I didn’t even know they made pink buses.

A familiar pang of regret twists my chest. And for a moment I cannot breathe, remembering once again all the pain I caused Lana. Mourning the friendship that will never be the same, even after she’s forgiven me. My face heats with shame like it does whenever I think about Johnathan and the affair. I hate what I did, I’d give anything to go back in time and change it. But I can’t. The guilt will haunt me until I die. All I can do is own my mistakes, take the lesson home, and do better in the future.

Just as these thoughts writhe furiously inside my head, I lift my gaze and meet Daria’s cold stare for the first time since The Mistake. Her mouth curls up in a vicious smile, while she gives me a brief, one-handed wave, saying, “Oh, so you’re really here. Haven’t seen you around much.”

Susan is at her side, foaming at the mouth to see how I’ll react.

I could wave back and disappear inside the bus, but what’s the point? I can’t avoid them forever.

Time to face the music.

I walk straight to them, closing the short distance between us.

“Hi, Daria.” I nod at her and then at Susan. “Susy.”

Both nod back, half-surprised, half-curious, as if I were an animal in a zoo and they were trying to guess my next move.

Daria can’t help herself—she was never the stay-quiet type—and speaks first. “Long time no see.”

“I know,” I say. “And I’m sorry. I wanted to apologize to both of you for disappearing, but after what happened, I was too ashamed to face anyone.”

Daria seems surprised at my words, but her gaze doesn’t get any less chilly. She also isn’t the forgiving type. Even if we don’t stand a chance of ever being anything more than casual acquaintances, I still owe her an apology.

“I did an unforgivable thing, and I knew how you’d feel about it and was too much of a coward to confront you.”

“Fair enough,” she says. “And what’s changed now?”

“Nothing,” I say. “I just want to avoid any drama for my sister’s sake. No matter what you think about me, this is her wedding, and I don’t want her to worry or feel obligated to come to my rescue.”

“No problem,” Daria says, with that permanent resting bitch face. “We know how to behave ourselves.”

The “contrary to you” postscript is clear in her tone.

“Great,” I say, looking at Susan. She shrugs in a half-apologetic way, as if to say, “I might forgive you in time, but Daria would never allow it, so I have to pick sides and I’m not on yours.”

“That’s all I wanted to say,” I conclude. “See you around.”

I leave them to no doubt gossip behind my back and head onto the bus. We have to leave in five minutes anyway. I go for a seat in the rear as usual, sitting down with my temples still pulsing from the nasty exchange I just had outside.

I hope today will pass fast.

The wish has been barely expressed when my phone pings with an incoming text from an unknown number.

Eager to find out who it is from, I read the message.

Hope you don’t mind, but I finally found a good use for the “Winter and Logan Tie the Knot” WhatsApp group Tucker created

My stomach does a silly, adolescent flip. Archie searched for my number, and he’s texting me.

Even if I feel as agitated as a teen replying to her first crush, I keep my reply super cool.

Oh, gosh, that group

I mute it every week

With everyone on board, the bus leaves the parking lot just as Archie’s reply comes in.

Every week? I muted it for a year straight off the bat

A year?

LOL

That’s badass

But makes sense, you never replied to a single text

I didn’t even know you were in the group

Sorry, but the first time Tucker asked us to help research the meaning of flowers and come up with suggestions for the floral arrangements, I had to bail

But that was a great assignment

I suggested Gardenias

They’re wedding-white and bringers of joy

I remember

I read the chat from time to time

How weird that I’ve been texting Archie for a month without