Member-only story
The Bridesmaid Goes Home Alone
It’s just another one of those nights.
By the time the bridal party began breaking off into groups to head back to their rooms, Amanda had taken off her high heels and walked barefoot across the hotel’s carpeted floors. Her strappy rose-colored shoes dangled from her fingertips as she meandered, wiggling her hand in greeting every so often when she caught sight of someone familiar from the wedding. It was past midnight already, and even the last strains of the DJ’s music from downstairs seemed far away.
Amanda smiled to herself because her best friend Norah’s wedding had gone off without a hitch. Everything from the vows to the cake to the DJ’s playlists had been perfect — just as she and Norah had planned for months and months. Every childhood dream had been made apparent, glistening as if from the very stuff of magic and fairy tales.
She should be proud. Her smile wavered, however slightly. She should be proud.
But there was something missing from it all.
Cassidy and Josie, two of the other bridesmaids, stumbled out laughing from another hallway. Their giggles broke into full-blown laughter when they met Amanda’s eyes, and Cassidy hooked her arm in Amanda’s as if they hadn’t nearly been a each other’s throats just hours earlier before the wedding began.
