Too late

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. And it would've been if it wasn't for her. . .

"Ugh, she actually came," I say to Ryan.

"We did invite her," he replies.

"I know, but I didn't actually expect her to come!" I say, feeling the panic.

"She's dangerous, Ryan!"

"Elaina, I can actually see your eyes dilating in fear. Take deep breaths. Remember, Annie can't actually hurt you," he says in a yoga instructor voice. Annie, the girl that had deliberately made me a friendless wreck. I can never forgive her.

"Friends forever!" Annie and I say in unison. We both put the silver and gold woven bracelets on our wrists.

"You're gold, I'm silver," she says.

"Yup!" I say, trying not to giggle, but failing.

Three years later, in the sixth grade, the story changed.

"She's so lame. Did you see that dress she wore today? I wanted to puke on it, although that might actually improve it," cackles Liana.

"I know, I would've told her, but she still thinks we're friends. I need to keep it like that because she does all of my schoolwork for me," Annie says. That was when I marched out from behind the bush.

"Well excuse me, for wearing something I feel comfy in. Just because I'm not wearing something revealing and fake, doesn't give you the right to act cool and make fun of me!" I scream, not caring that everybody in the cafeteria else can hear me. Annie's eyes widen because I have never been angry at her.

"Wow, Elaina, don't act superior. I saw you making fun of Mary Smith," says Liana. I feel my face burn in shame. I regret that moment a lot, especially since Mary was my only true friend, other than Annie. It felt so wrong, but Annie told me I wouldn't be cool if I didn't. That's when I look at her wrist. I feel too choked up to even speak. She notices my eyes looking at her wrist. Her serpent-green eyes meet my oversized gold-brown ones. That was when I ran from the room sobbing.

Five years later, in ninth grade, I thought I had forgiven her. I had a boyfriend, my first one ever, and I had a circle of friends, which Annie had just been accepted in because she joined the drama club with us. She told me she was sorry, and I believed her. Until one the week I figured out what she did.

"You are no longer welcome here," snaps Angel, the president.

"You know, since you turned your back on us."

"What?" I gasp, truly having no idea what she was talking about.

"Don't play dumb, you told the principal to get rid of Drama Club. You convinced that it took time away from our studies and even told him about that bad grade I got on the math test," Angel says.

"No, I didn't," I say, blinking back tears because their combined glare is scorching.

"Yes, you did! Because of you this is our last meeting! Ever! Get out!" Angel yells. I run from the room, just as I did five years ago.

A few days, I was feeling a bit better about what happened, or so I told myself. That was until I pushed open the heavy school doors to walk home. Annie was kissing my boyfriend! Like a full-on kiss. My boyfriend looks up at me and breaks away.

"Elaina, I," he starts to say.

"Save it, we're over!" I scream. I look at Annie.

"I thought you changed! I thought you turned back into the person that my nine-year-old self became friends with!" I shout at her. Then I realize something.

"You told the principal to dump Drama Club, then told them it was me!" I spit at her. She's just evilly cackling while I run away, yet again in tears.

Three years later, in college, I knew I was safe from her. She was five-thousand miles away at another school. Little did I know, she could still cause a massive amount of damage. The day I came back to school after winter break, I stopped were I was, my mouth dropping open. Graffitied all over the school was "Elaina was here" in silver and gold. Annie! A few minutes later the I was called to the office and expelled.

Now, in the present, I have built a life and cut ties with her. The heartbreak is gone. I have a job. I'm marrying the love of my life today. And she had the nerve to show up. I mean. technically we invited her, but it was more to seem like a good person. Plus Ryan said it was the right thing.

"Elaina, are you okay? You've been zoned out for about a minute and a half," says Ryan, look worried.

"Sorry," I say. Ryan can tell I want to drop it, so he changes the subject.

"Getting married at the beach was a great idea!" he says brightly. Just then, Annie walks over.

"Elaina, haven't you heard? Soaking your dress in sea water makes it even more beautiful," says Annie in a sing-song voice.

"Nice try, Annie," I snarl. I feel like I'm about to punch her in the face when Ryan steps in the middle of us. Ryan cups his hand around his ear like he's trying to hear something.

"Annie, I think my third cousin wants to meet you. I heard him say you were pretty earlier," Ryan says, his eyebrows raising just a tad like they always do when he lies.

"Really, I thought he was so handsome!" she gushes, just before scurrying off like the rodent she is. Ryan laughs

"What's so funny?" I ask, raising my eyebrows questioningly.

"Oh, just the fact that I don't have a third cousin," he replies. I join him in laughing.

"Why does she hate you so much anyway?" Ryan asks me.

"I don't actually know," I reply, honestly.

The clock strikes four o'clock and he goes to take his place. My niece walks down the aisle ,throwing yellow roses as she goes. Then the music switches to Here comes the Bride. I walk down the aisle in my flowy white dress. I reach the altar and grasp Ryan's hands.

"I don't believe in those long speeches other people do during weddings, so I'll keep it short. We are gathered here to celebrate the union between Arielle Coomber and Ryan Greene. Now for the vows," says the priest, motioning at Ryan and I.

"They say the things that matter most in life are food, happiness, and love. Arielle gives me those things, well, except for maybe food, since I once asked her to make a sandwich and she nearly cut her finger off." everybody, including me laughs at this part.

"But without her I'd have nothing because she is life itself," Ryan finishes his vows and now it's my turn.

"It took me a long time to write this. Not because I don't love him, but because I love him too much to put it in words. Normally for things like this, I could just copy what he said, but this has to come from my heart and it does. Before I met him I was struggling. I was working late and was very behind on my bills. One night he walked into the store I was working at and bought three-hundred dollars worth of clothes. The next day he asked me to get coffee with him. After that my life changed. He didn't just help me with my financial trouble, he filled a void in my heart. I couldn't be happier that this day has finally come," I say, my eyes filling with happy tears.

"If nobody objects, then I pronounce you-"

"I object!" Annie shouts. If looks could kill, Annie would be murdered by looks people shot her. I feel myself filled with rage. How dare she object to my wedding after I invited her? Even after what she's done.

"This ends now," I announce, my words hanging in the air.

"You destroyed my friendships when I was younger, you got me kicked out of college, now you're trying to stop my wedding. Why?What have I ever done to you?" I ask, desperation in my voice.

"Don't tell me you don't remember. I was seven years old. I had a whole group of friends. My life was perfect. But all good things have to end. It ended when a new girl showed up in school. She was pretty, smart, forgiving, and kind. Everybody flocked around her. The new girl was you, obviously. Two years later, I really did want to be your friend because I found out how supposedly awesome you were. Then, just a month after that, I remembered how all my friends left me for you. All throughout my time in school, you were friends with the people everybody wanted to be friends with. You wrecked my chances of having friends that actually care about me. On top of all that, your mom arrested my dad," says Annie, with so much pain and rage in her voice, for a minute I almost believe her.

"I didn't steal your friends! And my mom was a police officer," I tell her.

Right at that moment, Annie jumps out of her seat. She grabs Ryan's arms. I barely have time to scream when she pushes him off the cliff behind us. The ocean is too far down for anybody to survive. I feel tears running down my cheeks as I look down, not wanting to believe it. That's when I realize he's hanging on to a piece of seaweed that got ledged in the rock. I reach down for him to try and grab him, but the seaweed breaks. I make a sound that is half wail, half shriek. I try to reach for him as he falls, but by then it was too late.