Sincere friends

I am amazed. It is made entirely of glass with a huge glass dome on top. The whole place is literally breathtaking. Even from here I can see all the flowers that decorate the outside and inside of this place.

I feel a nudge on my back and when I turn around, I see Rayan looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I hadn't realized he was standing there and staring.

"I'm sorry," I say, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Jackson asks with a wink and I smile at him, grateful that he's filled the silence so I don't feel like a complete idiot.

"It is. I've never seen anything like it," I tell him. It's an afternoon wedding, so the sun isn't so hot right now. I'm sure they've taken measures to keep the sun from beating down on the inside.

"Let's go inside then," he tells me as he starts walking in the direction of the stairs.

Here there is a large foyer and then doors leading to different rooms. The space is bustling with activity. People are moving around and the wedding planner is on the phone giving orders to someone.

I see a door marked Bride and head for it. I knock on the door, open it, walk in and close it.

When I turn around, I see Mom standing there, already dressed. Even though I saw her with the dress on when she did the fitting, I'm blown away by the effect it has along with the hair and makeup.

"Wow, Mom! You look gorgeous!" I say to her in amazement.

She turns around to look at me and a huge smile breaks out on her face. "You really think so?" she asks me and I shake my head.

"Jackson won't know what hit him!". I tell her as a laugh escapes me.

"Are you ready, do you need your makeup done or anything?".

"No. I'm fine. I had it done at home," I tell her. She walks over to me and hugs me. She squeezes me and then pulls away a little to look at me with her arms still resting on my shoulder.

"Are you okay, honey? You've been acting different for a while now and I don't quite understand it. You've lost weight. I feel like something is bothering you and I'm worried. Is it because of school or because I'm getting married to Jackson?" she asks with a frown. "I can cancel the wedding if it bothers you. It's not too late," he says sincerely.

That would be helpful, but I don't want to be the cause of him not being with the person he loves. Every time I've seen them together, they look like they really love each other.

Plus, I love how happy she looks since she started dating Jackson . I don't want to take that away from her.

"No, Mom! Don't worry about me. I'm fine. And it's too late to call off the wedding, so don't even try! And stop worrying. I've only been dieting because I wanted to look nice for your wedding. Isn't that amazing?" I tell her laughing, hoping to brighten her day. I hope she believes my lie. The wedding planner enters the room and I'm spared Mom saying anything else.

"It's about ten minutes before it's time," she tells Mom.

"Well, I'd better go out and get ready," I tell Mom, slowly backing away and leaving the room. I breathe a sigh of relief as I leave the room. I make my way to the center of the open space and stand there for a second while I wait for instructions.

Rayan enters a second later and stands next to me. We are the only ones who will walk down the hallway before Mom.

"Are you ready?" asks Claudia , the wedding planner. I shake my head and look at Rayan . He nods his head. He looks annoyed, but keeps doing it. I wonder why.

As soon as we leave and enter the path leading to the entrance of the church, flashes sound and I startle. I look up and see paparazzi by the steps. The flashes continue and I'm stunned for a second, damn it! I wasn't prepared for this, and I'm definitely not in the right frame of mind for this shit.

I try to ignore them as we make our way to the entrance and down the carpet to the front of the church. The place is packed with most of the townspeople. I guess I should have expected it, since before the wedding everyone was acting like it was the wedding of the world.

There are only a few photographers inside the church and I guess they are the ones Jackson approved of. They take pictures of us as we start to walk in.

We are halfway down the aisle when I turn my head to look at Rayan , who is standing next to me. He does the same. He smiles at me with a smile that only reflects bad intentions. That does nothing but confuse me.

Due to confusion and not paying attention, when he lets go of my hand he subtly moves his foot right in front of mine, my reflex is not fast enough. I fall face first onto the carpet.

I hear the muffled screams of people, the clicking of cameras and I know they are taking pictures of this. A moment later, the room is filled with laughter. My cheeks heat up with embarrassment and I wish I could disappear.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" asks Rayan loudly enough, with mock concern, for people to hear before moving to help me up.

I look up at him with tear-filled eyes. I know he can see the pain in them because I do nothing to hide it. I couldn't even if I wanted to. The wedding planners rush over to us to make sure I'm okay and I let them know I am. I tell them I tripped over my dress.

Every time I feel like we've taken a step forward to put the animosity behind us, he does something to show me that we've taken two steps back.

I don't answer him. Instead, I start walking to the front again. Once at the altar, I stand up and watch my mother walk down the aisle gracefully.

I still hear the whispers and laughter, but I try not to pay attention to them. I remain standing throughout the ceremony, trying my best not to collapse in front of everyone. It's a real struggle. I come close to doing it several times and have to force myself not to.

As soon as the ceremony is over and Mom and Jackson walk back down the aisle, everyone starts to leave behind them. The reception is being held at the mansion, so everyone heads that way.

I wait for them to leave. I have a feeling that if I move a millimeter, the tears I've been trying to keep at bay will come to my eyes.

I try to keep my composure when I hear my name being called. I look up and see Noah and Serena running towards me.

Since they are my only two friends, I invited them. When they are within walking distance, they both grab my arms and lead me to the door a few feet from where the altar is. It leads to a garden at the back of the building. I don't realize that my knees are weak. I feel like I'm about to collapse.

As soon as we step outside, we come upon a large and beautiful garden, although I can't appreciate its beauty at the time.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" asks Noah as he pulls me into a hug. The sobs finally break free, and I feel Serena at my back.

"Shhh. Try to calm down. You have us," Serena whispers as she tries to calm me down while rubbing her hands up and down my back. Noah squeezes me tighter as more sobs come out of me.