A New
Beginning
Chapter 16: Friday the 14th
By: Cimmy
(Un) Important babbling-notes from Cimmy: Yes, I’m posting two chapters at once, to please the public demands (Mary). There’s no spell-check now either, and guess what? Next chapter will be the awaited first chapter of the wedding-idiocy. I never ask for this, but please R&R when you’re down at the bottom. It’s the little button to the left. I think. Have to look. Yes, it is.
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Two months seems to be a really long time when you hear it, but actually, it’s not. Guy got into his little, tiny head that he was going to marry Connie on Valentine’s Day. Just because that happens to be their anniversary-day or something. That’s so cheesy.
I don’t know what I have been doing these two months. I got myself together, that’s all. My grades went up several notches after I came back from Christmas break as a changed girl. Coach Bombay took back his threat about putting me on suspension. That’s all.
I went to the memorial service they had for Fred’s Dad in January. I thought it was really horrible how they put that on the same day as Fred’s birthday. The whole company is waiting for Fred’s Dad to die. He’s lying in a coma and would be dead already if there hadn’t been this huge fight about if they should pull the switch or not.
Everyone’s fighting for the money he’s leaving behind. They think that the heart-attack was intentionally caused by someone wanting Fred’s Dad to die, so everyone at Miller’s Corporation are nuts right now. They even suspected that Fred had done it, and he wasn’t even in the same city! Rich people and their problems, can they never just accept the fact that not everything is a crime? Anyway, Fred got off the hook and he’s back in Sweden with his brothers. He will be back for the wedding.
Jen never showed up at the memorial service, she had ‘homeworks’. They’re still together. Fuck is the only word I can come up with about that.
Charlie made it clear that he was not going to let me bring down his reputation about the whole sex-thing. As long as he doesn’t tell people that WE slept together, I’m fine.
Adam never came back to New York. He went back to Yale because his Dad wanted it so. I miss him. Who’s going to be my substitute boyfriend now?
Connie is all busy with planning the wedding. She’s furious that I knew about the proposal and never said anything. She’ll get over it.
Mike thinks I’m having eating-disorders again. He can go jump off a cliff somewhere. Can’t I ever be just fine?
When I woke up this morning, it was pitch dark in the room. First I didn’t know where I was, but then I remembered that I was in Charlie’s house in Minnesota. The wedding is taking place in a church at three, and since I’m one of the brides-maids, I have to be part of the planning as well.
I never thought I’d be a brides-maid after Connie told me how great I am at screwing things up. I accidentally forgot to order the cake, so she got all worked up. Lucky me, Charlie’s Mom knew where there was a bakery that could do it in less then a day. I would’ve been a dead brides-maid otherwise.
“Rise and shine, Cee. It’s almost five,” Charlie yawned from the door. “Guy called and he’s wondering where you are.”
It’s custom to sleep before your wedding-day, so you won’t fall asleep at the altar. Don’t they know that? “I’m not leaving the bed until nine, tell him that,” I answered and crawled back in under the covers. How did I end up in Charlie’s home? Connie offered to take me in, but no, no, no. I just had to bunk at Charlie’s.
“Unless you want Connie to shove that bouquet up your ass, you better get dressed and come with me. You already ruined the cake, maybe you should be a little nicer.”
“Yes, I’m offering to be absent, so the chance for me to screw things up gets smaller. Ain’t that nice?” I asked. “I think I’m sick today.”
“Don’t whine. Come on!”
I rolled down from bed and put on my shoes. I fell asleep with my clothes on yesterday, so I saved a few minutes there. Charlie was leaning against the wall outside my door when I came out. “Wow, that was quick,” he said. “You’re ready to go.”
“Just like a Big Mac.”
“What?”
“Never mind. Where are we going?” I muttered. I hate mornings, especially mornings that hasn’t begun yet, because it’s still freakin’ night outside!
Charlie is the best man, so he’s allowed to boss me around. What else is new? I’m always the runner-up. Once I thought that was the winning position, but now I don’t anymore. Charlie was the one enlighting me of the fact that ‘first runner-up’ is NOT the same thing as winning. Damn him. I could’ve been on the first line all these years without that knowledge.
We were the only ones up by this hour. Connie’s maid of honor, I still don’t know who it is, was still in bed. So was Adam, Jesse, Fulton, Julie, Dwayne and all the rest of the Ducks. Charlie and I was the only ones up! Well, I’ve said that already.
Charlie stomped in the stairs on the way out, probably because he wanted to wake up Coach Bombay and his mother. He’s like a child, Charlie. That must be why we dated, we’re not grown-up either of us. “Nice move, Conway. Should we go over and bang on the door across the street? I bet Connie’s parents won’t mind.”
He didn’t bother answering, and I got into the car. I still don’t have a license, so Charlie got the honor of driving, even though I know how to drive. I have bad experience with driving without a license. Both Fred and I got into several accidents when we where younger. He crashed with a car, and I ended up at the hospital. Coach Bombay was not pleased.
“Still with the question; where are we going?” I continued. Charlie yawned and backed out of the driveway. “Charlie?”
“I heard you! Stop with the yapping!” he growled and gave me a threatening stare. He’s not a happy guy in the mornings. We’re going to drive each other crazy today. “We’re going to pick up the stupid flowers.”
“At five in the morning? Where are we going? Kansas?”
“It’s Connie’s Mom who made the orders, I’m just Guy’s personal assistant.”
“I thought you didn’t want to be anyone’s personal assistant,” I pointed out and turned on the radio. Charlie turned it off just as fast.
“No music, I’m in a bad mood. And I only meant that I don’t want to be YOUR personal assistant.”
“If we don’t listen to music, I have to talk, right?” I said. Charlie gave me the same stare as before and turned the music up to drown out my voice. Works every time.
The florist had opened up five hours earlier then usual. I never thought a wedding could be so important, and I never thought Connie would take everything so serious. She’s like one of those people who plans their wedding from the age of five. And Guy? He’s even more hyper then usual. The impact their families have in Minneapolis is surprisingly major when it comes to this wedding. Connie’s Mom spent hours yesterday yelling at the caterer. She’s usually like a tiny bunny, always smiling and never upset. She’s scary when she’s yelling. But so is Connie.
Connie’s family is not rich. I now know why. They probably put all the money into an account marked ‘Flowers for Connie’. Jesus, I’d never seen so much flowers in my whole life. And I grew up next to a meadow.
Almost.
Charlie carried a lot of decorations out to the car, before he made some sort of stupid skip over the pavement and slipped. He told me that his foot was injured, but it was just a cover for him to leave the job to me. Have you ever carried twelve ten-pound decoration-bouquets at five in the morning? When I was done, I was sure I was close to death. “Ah, c’mon, it couldn’t have been that bad, right?” Charlie figured, while drinking a Coke through a straw. “Could you drive?”
“Can I?”
“Well, I can’t, so you just have to. Don’t drive us into a sure death, got it?”
“That was Fred, and I was the one who almost died...”
“So why are you bitching? I’m so fed up with hearing about that stupid accident. Even an elephant would’ve forgot about it by now! Shut up and talk about something constructive for a change! And drive away from here, I’m getting bored out of my mind.”
If someone should’ve shut up, it was Charlie. He kept chatting all the way back to Minneapolis. I don’t know where we came from, but he gave me directions and shouted at me when I didn’t drive according to his plans. At least I got us off the freeway without any troubles.
The luck did not follow us all the way back to the house, sadly. Just when I was about to avoid driving into a bunch of kids playing in the street, Charlie howled that we were too close to the sidewalk. I’m really nervous as it is while I’m driving, so it’s reckon to not scream at me while I’m concentrating on not killing innocent children.
“You have to back into the driveway so we can get the flowers out that way!” Charlie groaned, behaving like I was completely useless at driving. I am, actually.
“Stop with the demands, I’m going to crash if you don’t stop screaming at me,” I said with a voice of panic. “I’m serious, and I’m almost never serious.”
Charlie looked in the rear-view mirror. “Okay, so you’re awfully hysteric when you’re driving. Maybe because you’re driving like shit.”
“You’re making me nervous!” I yelled and hit him with my right hand. The left hand was busy trying not to drive us off the street.
“Just back from here and park behind Mom’s car. Should I get Bombay to do it? I bet he’s around.”
Yeah, that’s just what I need. Sympathy from both captain and coach Duck. I don’t want Coach Bombay to know what a failure I am at driving. Actually, if he knew I was driving, chances were big that I’d be thrown off the team in contempt. Since I don’t have a license and all.
“Just be nice from now on,” I muttered.
I was just about to make it, the whole backing-thing, when a little girl jumped up in front of the car. Instead of breaking, I accidentally hit the gas, and the car flew backwards, away from the girl but into another car. A big, black, expensive car.
“Shit, what did you do?!” Charlie shouted and opened the car-door to get out. I was banging my head against the steering-wheel, muttering much more evil things then ‘shit’.
“I was trying to not kill that little girl,” I answered, focusing on the positive things. They were NOT many.
Charlie limped over to me and waved at me to come out. Like hell I would. I’m not insured, I have no license and the car I was driving belonged to Coach Bombay. “Come on, get out of there.”
I tried to see who the other driver was. Then I changed my mind on knowing that. “Cecilia, it’s not so bad,” Charlie said. “I’ll handle it.”
I opened the door and looked at the damages. Just what this day needed. A car-accident. Out from the other car, guess who tumbled out? Of course it was Fred and his nasty girlfriend. Fred had his sunglasses on, and he took them off while giving me a surprised look. “Why are you driving?”
“Ch-Ch-Charlie injured himself, ca-ca-carrying flowers,” I stuttered. “I-I-I don’t have insurance.”
“Yes, I know,” Fred told me. “Why are you nervous?”
“Charlie made me drive!” I howled. “And I broke Bombay’s car!”
Charlie groaned. “There’s a huge bump on the back. And the color is scraped off.”
I was close to tears now. Damn Fred to drive so close to the car I was driving. Charlie went around the car to inspect, and Fred did the same. It must’ve been a new car he was driving, because I hadn’t seen it before. At least it wasn’t a Porsche. They are expensive to crash with, believe me.
Coach Bombay came out from the house. “What happened here?”
Both Charlie and Fred looked up, while I lowered my head to keep out of sight. Charlie grabbed my arm. “We had an accident. Fred crashed with your car,” Charlie explained.
“What?” Fred whimpered. “I did not!”
“Then, why are your car attached to Coach’s?” Charlie asked, disregarding that he said ‘Coach’. “It didn’t look like that when we left. Nice car by the way. Mercedes?”
“It’s not mine. But I still have insurance, unlike some people,” Fred growled and gave me another look. “But sure, I drove into your car, so I’ll pay the damages. Just be more careful next time, got it?”
“There was this little girl...” I began, but Charlie cut me off.
“Stop with the little girl. No one cares about the little girl!”
Bombay just rolled his eyes at us and went over to Fred. Probably because he wanted to talk to someone normal. They worked out the whole insurance-thing, while I ran into the house to be pampered by Charlie’s Mom.
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About nine o’ clock, Connie called me. She was asking about the flower decorations, and she was howling about not having ‘something blue’. Why is that my problem? Doesn’t she have her maid of honor to turn to? Even Julie would be a better pick then I am.
Ten minutes later, Guy called. Why am I the target of their phone-terror? He was wondering why I had to crash the car with the flowers. Then he went on about the ring, the shoes he was wearing, the toxedo, the brides-maids and the champagne. I stopped listening when he said the word ‘parents’. I’m not the one getting married, and I’m still more involved then I should be.
“Then the waiter said that we can’t have the food at the same table as the beverages. And my Dad told me that I’m supposed to pay the catering-business before the wedding. I don’t even have money for a can of Coke!”
“Calm down,” I said. “Fred’s writing checks, so don’t worry about that. I can’t help you with the other stuff. Ask Connie’s maid of honor.”
“But I don’t know her!” Guy cried. “She could be mean and vichous. I know you, and I like you better. Help me!”
So now he likes me? Damn.
“Did you watch that program yesterday? ‘When weddings go bad?’ A goat died!” Guy whimpered. “And this huge roof fell down on the bride!”
“Why watch such a show the day before your wedding-day?” I sighed. He’s going crazy.
Guy shot back with the most terrifying explanation I’ve ever heard. “Well, maybe I’m just trying to come up with a reason to call this stupid wedding off! I’m having second thoughts, and no one bothers to ask Connie if she wants to go through with this. I bet she doesn’t, because she hasn’t talked to me in days!”
“What...?”
“I got to go, the damn guy with the idiotic wine is here. I have to help him, since I’m the one getting married today. Stupid life.”
Then he hung up on me.
Guy’s getting cold feet, Connie won’t talk to Guy, Charlie can’t walk, Bombay has no car, Fred is still with that slut Jen, Adam is missing, I have no idea who the maid of honor is, I have to solve Guy’s relationship crisis before three and I have to change the ring.
Other then that, Julie is mad because her brides-maid-dress doesn’t fit, Portman whines more then ever about the responsibility he has as the food-organizor, Ken tries without succeeding to keep the Germaine-Moreau klan apart to avoid a bloody wedding, Goldberg broke one of the wedding-gifts, Jesse can’t get along with the band members, Averman is eating all the prawns from the sallad, Travis is not succeeding with holding Connie away from the church and Nish and Sarah can’t find the pastery who made the wedding-cake.
I have six hours to find resolutions to all these problems and save the wedding.
I’m going to bed again.
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Thanks
for reading A New Beginning!
Go on to read the sequel A Chaotic Wedding!
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