The ceremony only lasted about fifteen minutes. It was sweet and sincere, and then it was over before I knew it. After the minister pronounced them man and wife, he made an announcement saying that Ash and Abigail were taking off to spend some time together before the reception party but that we were welcome to stay at the aquarium as long as we liked.
The atmosphere was beautiful and everything, but I decided to go home right away. Most of the other guests were still there when I left, mingling around in the tunnel before it was reopened to the public.
I caught sight of Lance just before I walked out. He was talking to someone, and he shot me an expression like maybe he regretted not being able to get away from them. I had been catching him looking at me ever since he heard me singing Barracuda. I just smiled at him and continued walking toward the exit.
Abigail and her immediate family were the only people I knew, and they were preoccupied. I wasn't going to stick around and wait in line to talk to Lance just because I thought he was shooting me looks. I was in a good mood the whole way home, though. Any feelings of frustration I had toward my mom had been nullified by the fact that her obsession with making me perform Ann Wilson had actually paid off for once.
I told her and Aunt Regina the whole story when I got back to the condo—I went to my unit to get Sheila, and we walked straight to my mom's. I told them there were Barracudas in the aquarium and that I busted out singing the Heart song when I saw them. I added a little fluff to the story, saying that a super-hot guy caught me singing and basically fell under my spell because of it. I made it seem like he was googly-eyed over me the whole time, and pretty much left his date because of it. They ate it up, cracking up and making me tell it a second time with more details. They even got out the CD and played the song so they could get the full effect.
I had forgotten how much fun I used to have singing rock anthems for my mom and aunt. They totally got into it, singing along, and making facial expressions like they were at a real rock show and I was the best singer ever.
Aunt Regina, feeling in the mood, made me sing Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac after I finished Barracuda. It was her favorite, and she nearly cried when I performed it for her. Of course, the CD was playing in the background during both performances, so the real singers were there to catch me when I fell. But still, my mom and Aunt Regina really made me feel good with the way they reacted to my singing, saying things like I missed my calling and I should try out for The Voice.
I had a few hours to kill between the wedding and reception, so after spending a half-hour or so at my mom's, I went home and changed so that I could take Sheila for a walk on the beach.
In what seemed like no time at all, I was back on the road again, headed to the reception party.
"So, Miss Abigail already got married?" Matt asked the question from the passenger's seat as we drove to The Bombay, the exclusive country club where Abigail and Ash were having their reception.
"She sure did," I said. "They had a small ceremony earlier this afternoon."
"I thought I was going to the wedding," Matt said, looking confused and vaguely disappointed.
"You are, pretty much," I said. "The party is considered part of the wedding. Most people are only going to that part of it."
"But you went to that other part?" Matt asked.
"I did. And Abigail asked me why you weren't there with me."
"Because you didn't pick me up," Matt said.
I couldn't help but let out a little laugh as I glanced across the console at him and saw how serious he was. "I know," I said. "I should have. She would have loved having you there, and you would have liked it. It was at the big aquarium."
"Aw, mannn!" Matt said with precious sincere disappointment, causing me to laugh again.
"Don't worry, I'll try to take you guys back before school's out."
"That's coming up," he said.
"Next month," I agreed. "I can hardly believe it."
"You serious? Are you gonna take us to the aquarium?"
"I'll try," I promised. "I think it's kind of expensive, so we're gonna have to talk to everyone's parents."
"Is it the one with the sharks?" Matt asked.
"Yeah, it is."
"My mom will let me go there," he said. "I've already been like two, three other times."
"Well, we've got to make sure everybody else can afford it," I said.
Even as I said it, I knew I would pay for the ones who couldn't afford it. I would make it happen now that I had promised it to him.
I glanced at Matt again. "You look super handsome in your suit," I said. "Abigail and Ash are gonna think I'm with Will Smith when I walk in there."
He cracked up at that. "My mama said I look like Denzel," Matt said, wiggling in the seat with excitement and still grinning from ear to ear. He moved a bit like Stevie Wonder, shifting and swaying despite the fact that he wasn't blind. He had a sweet, high-pitched voice that got even higher when he was happy about something. Aside from the color of his skin, Matt physically didn't have a lot in common with Will or Denzel, but he was truly a beautiful soul and happened to be one of my all-time favorite students. I would be sad come May when he would graduate and move on.
"I hope they have some good food at this party," Matt said. "I like those little snacks they have at parties."
"You mean finger foods?"
"Huh?" he asked. I glanced at him to find his expression skeptical and his eyebrows furrowed, like he might think I was talking about eating actual fingers.
"Finger foods," I said. "That's what they call the little bite-size food you eat at parties. I guess it's called that because you pick it up and eat it with your hands."
"Ohhhh." He smiled and nodded, looking relieved. "Yeah. I'm gonna eat a bunch of that finger food. I hope they have those little doughnut holes with icing and cream in the middle. You know, the cold ones."
"We can't eat too much, though," I said. "We gotta watch your sugar so you don't get sick at the party."
"Don't worry, I brought my insulin." He patted the little black insulated lunchbox where he kept all of his diabetic supplies.
"Are you gonna dance?" I asked.
He laughed, swaying again and shaking his fists as if testing the waters.
"I know you have moves," I said, glancing at him for a second.
"Yeah," he agreed, confidently.
"I don't know if there'll be any seventeen-year-old single ladies there, but if not, they're missing out."
Matt laughed again, acting shy and delighted at the same time.
There were a ton of cars at the country club. It was about a thirty-minute drive from Matt's house, and we hit a little traffic on the way, so we arrived a few minutes late. I felt somewhat anxious, but having Matt with me made me feel much better. He held his insulated lunchbox in his left hand and I latched my arm in his right so that we could walk in together. I couldn't have asked for a better escort, and I was thankful that Abigail had mentioned him coming with me.
The moments after we arrived were a huge whirlwind. There were so many people there—two or three hundred, at least. We followed signs to a huge banquet room and were stunned with how big the crowd was when we stepped inside. Matt and I looked at each other with matching wide-eyed expressions that made us both laugh as we entered the room.
There was chaos everywhere—loud music coming from a live band that was on a stage, a dancefloor full of people, and table after table of people sitting with food and drinks around the edge of the room.
"This is the best party I've ever been to," Matt said, stretching upward to yell in my ear only seconds after we came in the door.
"Me too," I yelled back, without glancing at him.
I led us further into the room, staying on the lookout for any sign that I was headed the right way. I was relatively sure that there was no assigned seating, but I looked around at the tables, searching for place cards just in case.
"I see the food table," Matt said, tugging me to the right side of the room.
"Let's find a seat first," I said. "We'll set our things down so we can have our hands free. That way we can hold more snacks."
"Yeah," he said, nodding.
Many of the tables, even the ones that were empty, had things on them—plates or purses, or something that made the seats look taken. We walked toward the corner of the room where I found a table that had a few empty places. It was relatively close to the food, so I figured it was safe to set our things down and leave them there.
"This isn't hand food," Matt said once we made our plates and got back to the table.
"Finger food? No, it's not. It's even better, don't you think?"
Matt nodded excitedly as he stared at his plate. The spread of food really was delicious looking. It was a full-on meal. There were two pasta dishes, a rice dish, and tons of veggies and seafood. The music was loud, and it was relatively dark in there, so nobody was shy about eating—especially not Matt and me.
Two other couples sat with us, and they introduced themselves as musicians who played with Ash in the symphony. I told them my name and that Matt and I were friends of the bride and left it at that. They were highly intelligent people who knew each other, but I wasn't intimidated in the slightest. I had already decided to relax and be myself... a feat which was pretty much effortless with Matt by my side.
We had the best time, laughing, eating, watching people get brave enough to make their way to the dancefloor, and making plans to do so ourselves. Matt was always all smiles, and he had a magnetic personality, so we made quick friends with others at our table. There was never a dull moment. Between the music, the food, and the conversation, I barely had time to notice the handsome man from earlier that day.
Lance.
We had been there for a half hour before I even spotted him, and the only reason I did was because I noticed him talking to Abigail. He was no longer wearing the grey suit from earlier. He had on dark pants (maybe even jeans) with a light denim button down shirt and a plaid jacket in what looked to be brown tones. Both his shirt and jacket were fitted, and I realized I loved the way he dressed—loved his style. It was formal enough for a reception, but still slightly quirky, which I didn't expect after seeing him in such a sharp suit that afternoon.
At first, I couldn't get a good look at him. I saw him hugging Abigail, and I was thinking to myself that she knew a ton of handsome guys. I experienced a flood of nerves when I realized it was Lance.
My eyes were still locked on him a few seconds later when, abruptly, he faced my direction, looking straight at me. There was a great distance between us, but I knew he had caught me looking at him.
There was nothing for me to do but try to act normal and glance away. Matt had been talking about wedding cake, and I turned to him, continuing the conversation without skipping a beat.