wonderwall ♔ k. bryant

twenty-three

Delaney's a nervous wreck. All of the bridesmaids are gathered in this room as she tries to get ready and we all feel like she's going to snap at anyone any second now.

Of course, I understand her nerves. If I was getting married, I'd be nervous, too. She obviously wants everything to be perfect, and knowing Delaney, she won't stop until it is perfect. Except everything is perfect to my knowledge, so she's just being dramatic. It's okay, though...

Once she's finally getting done getting ready, we all stand around here as she steadily stands up.

"Delaney! You look gorgeous," one of her other bridesmaids coos. I really only know one her Maid of Honor, Rachel, and that's because they've been best friends for as long as I can remember. I remember them being good friends back whenever my mom married her dad, and really, it goes back even further than that.

"I'm really glad to have you guys," Delaney says and flashes us a smile. I was jealous of her growing up, to be honest. She's always been pretty and she was basically friends with everyone whenever we were both in high school. I had my own group of friends, too, but it was different with her. She always had something to do on the weekends- parties, sporting events, going to the movies with someone, whatever. She always had plans and I always just spent time at home. I sometimes went out, but not as much as she did.

Since I mentioned sporting events, she was so incredibly good at softball. She was probably the best pitcher in our district. She ended up signing a scholarship to play at the University of Oklahoma, but she ended up having a torn labrum her freshman year, and that's when she decided she had to quit.

The wedding ceremony starts shortly after, and the bridesmaids all walk down the aisle with a groomsman. I get paired up with one of James's friends he met in college.

Everyone watches as Delaney walks down the aisle with my stepdad, and as they gets closer, I can start to see tears in the both of their eyes. I glance over at James, and I can clearly see him crying.

Delaney and James really deserve each other.

***
"Delaney Russo, we're not related by blood, but that doesn't mean anything." I'm in the middle of my speech that she wanted me to write, and I feel nauseous with every word because I public speaking is not my strong suit. "Yes, blood does make someone your family biologically. But other than that, someone needs to prove that they're your family, regardless of the bloodline. And that's exactly what Delaney did. She's more of a sister I could ask for, and she deserves the world, and to her, that's James. So, a toast to the groom and to the bride, from your sister who is always by your side."

Delaney's crying by the time my speech is over, though she's been like that with everybody's speech. Everyone watches as Delaney and James have their first dance and then slowly everyone else goes out there.

I head over to the bar and ask for a drink. My stepdad slides over in the seat next to me, and he turns to face me. "So, Delaney tells me you've been seeing someone," he says and I roll my eyes.

"Delaney's a liar. The person she's talking about and I are just friends, and he doesn't like me. So, really, it's nothing."

"Who is it, though? Tell me about this dude," my stepdad says and I just look at him.

"He's the third baseman for the Chicago Cubs. He's tall, has these dumb blue eyes that will make anyone fall in love with him, and he's a sarcastic asshole. But don't let that fool you, he's actually a pretty good dude and he's guaranteed to be the reason behind someone's smile at some point."

"Is he the reason you're smiling now?"

"What? I-" I didn't realize I was smiling- "I'm not smiling."