Friday Fiction - The Ring Toss Pt. 9

A last-minute change lands Mack in a long white dress, but can she commit?

The last banana! The end of the trail! The Grand Finale! Here's where Mack learns whether she can put on the white dress without flipping out. If you've been waiting till the end to start reading, here are the links to Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 -  Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8. Check 'em out and then come back, okay?

Mack's been cast to play a bridesmaid in an equity-waiver production of "Something Borrowed, Something Blue", but at the last minute she's upgraded to the role of Brittney, The Bride. It's a tough gig for a woman with a wedding phobia, especially since her boyfriend Joe's not around to talk her off the ledge.Or is he....?

The Play – Something Borrowed, Something Blue: A Bachelorette’s Adventure

Director: Dusty Squires

Assistant to the Director: Donald Loudemilk

Cast:

Brittney (the bride): Mackenzie Reed

Mara (the maid of honor): Geneva Louise

Kenley (the bride’s sister): Dusty Squires

Caitlyn (the bridesmaid): Cheyenne Miller

Salvatore (the stripper): Julio Lorenze

Pete (the groom): Julio Lorenze

There were way too many people for a dress rehearsal. I walked slowly, keeping time with Here Comes the Bride and trying not to trip over my hem or stare blatantly at the crowd. Some of the faces were familiar, theater people, friends and acquaintances.

Julio stood with his back to me, facing an imaginary pastor. Or priest. Maybe a shaman. I could be flexible. I kept moving forward, looking from Dusty, to Cheyenne, to my new friend Geneva. They smiled like they would at a real bride. Well, Cheyenne smiled at me when she wasn’t glancing over at Dusty. All the people in the audience had turned in their seats to watch my progress, the rustle of their clothes and squeaks from the chairs barely audible over the trumpet and organ blasting out of the sound system.

The crew had constructed a set of risers that were sturdier than anything else in the building. I just had to navigate the four steps up and act out my wedding—in front of a crowd of people. I was good with that.

When I got to the center stage, the music quieted and a hush fell over the room. Geneva reached out and snatched the bouquet from my hand. I barely noticed, because Julio was turning around.

And he was Joe.

Though it wasn’t in the script, I threw myself into his arms.

“Hey Mackie.”

“You’re an idiot,” I whispered into his ear.

“Love you too, babe.”

I found his lips with mine and neither of us spoke for a while. Even though he had only been gone two weeks, I was sure two lifetimes had passed since I’d seen him last. His salty-spearmint taste and the softness of his rowdy curls under my fingertips helped loosen something in me that had been tied up in knots ever since he left.

I was barely aware of the applause around me. When the noise finally sank in, I stepped back. The other actors onstage were all wrapped in sparkling smiles. Candi appeared with an arm around Dusty’s shoulders, and Julio was off to the side in his jeans and white chaps, clapping wildly. Even Donald had come down from the light board and was grinning up at us from the apron of the stage. Joe brought my attention back to him by putting a hand under my chin.

“Now this isn’t just some practical joke, Mackie,” he said, projecting so he could be heard in the back of the hall.

Oh. Crap. He was going to propose.

“You said you wouldn’t ask me again.”

He dropped down on one knee with a lipstick-smeared grin on his face that nailed me in the heart. “I lied.”

“What?”

He wrapped up my hand in his. “Mackenzie Lynn Reed, will you marry me?”

“No shit?”

“Mackie.”

“Wait. You have to stand up.”

“What?”

“Just stand up, okay?”

Joe stood, his devilish smile a mix of humor and exasperation.

I reached for his hands, interlacing our fingers and holding his eyes with mine. “Yes, Joseph Timothy McBride, I will marry you.” I tugged his hands toward my waist and, without much more encouragement, I was back in his arms. This time the applause around us was much louder.

It turned out Joe told Dusty he’d be able to come home for the weekend and wanted to surprise me. Their original plan was to interrupt the wedding rehearsal with an impromptu engagement. They were still working out the details when Candi got the commercial, giving Dusty the brilliant idea of casting me as Brittney. After that, things had all fallen into place.
And I was right. The whole theater was full of other carneys, friends of ours who worked in television and movies. They’d planned the mother of all engagement parties for right after the show. Joe told me privately my text message wedding-talk had actually been more effective than I’d known, prompting him to buy the antique diamond and ruby ring he saw in a New Orleans shop. It has three stones—a ruby for our past, a ruby for our future, and a lovely round diamond for right now. It’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.

So now I’m planning a real wedding. Candi will be a bridesmaid and so will Geneva. Cheyenne’s in charge of hair and make-up and I’ve asked my friend Shauna to come down from Seattle to be my maid of honor. If her infant daughter were a little older, Joe and I would make her our flower girl. However, after so many years we don’t want to wait long enough for her to learn to walk. And all this wedding planning has given me a bunch of new ideas. I’m totally going to write a musical version of Something Borrowed, Something Blue: A Bachelorette’s Adventure. I’ll call it Bachelorette! And someone else will play the bride.

 I really appreciate all of you who have followed along and I hope you enjoyed Mack's latest adventure. Thanks very much!
Cheers!
Liv

Friday Fiction - The Ring Toss Pt 8

A last-minute change lands Mack in a long white dress, but can she commit?

Only one post after this one! If you're just stumbling over my blog, you can read the earlier installments here: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 -  Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7. 

Mack's been cast to play a bridesmaid in an equity-waiver production of "Something Borrowed, Something Blue", but at the last minute she's upgraded to the role of Brittney, The Bride. It's a tough gig for a woman with a wedding phobia, especially since her boyfriend Joe's not around to talk her off the ledge. And who knew dancing with a stripper could cause such angst?

The Play – Something Borrowed, Something Blue: A Bachelorette’s Adventure

Director: Dusty Squires

Assistant to the Director: Donald Loudemilk

Cast:

Brittney (the bride): Mackenzie Reed

Mara (the maid of honor): Geneva Louise

Kenley (the bride’s sister): Dusty Squires

Caitlyn (the bridesmaid): Cheyenne Miller

Salvatore (the stripper): Julio Lorenze

Pete (the groom): Julio Lorenze

And then came the scene Geneva and I had rehearsed in the dressing room, the one where Brittney starts out crying. Funny thing about those tears. This time they were real. I managed to tamp them down enough to get through the lines at the end, but when I hit the wings it was Niagara Falls time. I ran through the backstage area, dodging people and equipment like some high school running back. I didn’t stop until I hit the back door.

Outside in the dark humidity, I pressed my knuckles up against my eye sockets as I fought for control. I tried hard not to rub so I wouldn’t smear my mascara too badly. The big eyes of the dark-skinned cartoon lady stared down at me from the brick wall. I loved Joe. I really did. I just didn’t know how to let him know I was ready to get married. I was such a loser.

I’d only been sitting a couple minutes when the door behind me swung open. I bit my lower lip hard and swallowed. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“It’s okay, Mack. You’ve got time. There’s still the big catfight between Kenley and Caitlyn to get through.”

Geneva. Crap. Like she was going to help a lot. “I always enjoyed that one.”

“Probably because you got to beat on Cheyenne.” Geneva came and stood next to me, her silk skirt swirling around our feet like a puddle of rain.

“Having Dusty out there as Kenley adds a layer of complexity, you know?”

“Yeah, I can’t even think about it too hard.”

I laughed despite myself.

“That was pretty intense,” Geneva said.

Part of me wanted to ask what she thought she was doing, and the other part wanted to get back to crying. “I wasn’t sure how to play it.”

“Honesty’s usually good.”

“Maybe next time, though, I’ll try to keep from bleeding all over the stage.” I carefully ran a fingertip under my eyelashes, wiping away the tears.

Now it was Geneva’s turn to laugh. “You’re fun to play off of, you know?”

“Thanks. Back atcha.”

“And I hope you and Joe get married some day.”

What? Was she psychic too? “Um…yeah…well…”

“Sorry, kitten. I don’t mean to get all weird on you.” She stopped and sighed. “I was in love with him too, and I still want him to be happy. He deserves the kind of thing I have with Mike, and if he wants it with you, well, do the math.”

I shifted my weight so we were facing each other. The headlights of a passing car illuminated her perfect silhouette. “You’re awfully generous.”

She put a hand on my shoulder. “Joe’s a great guy.”

“He’s the best and I’m an idiot. He’s already asked me twice. He says he’s not going to ask me again.” The words sounded even stupider out loud than in my head.

“So ask him.” Geneva, Queen of Simplicity.

“I don’t know how.” I might have been wailing.

Geneva pulled me gently into a hug. “Just ask.”

The door popped open and Donald stuck out his head sweaty, bald head. “You girls need to get into your dresses.”

Geneva smiled. Okay, so she was gorgeous and talented and nice. And I couldn’t hate her. Somehow saying the words out loud had shaken something loose. As I went back into the theater, I knew I could “just ask” Joe the very next time I saw him.

A minute later I was back in the dressing room. The strapless black dress was in a heap on the floor and the other girls were pulling on their fluffy, fuchsia bridesmaids’ dresses. As I reached for my costume, a polyester lace bridal gown someone had found at a second-hand store, Julio walked in. He'd pulled off the blond wig and his dark curls were damp with sweat.

We still couldn't speak because the audience would hear us. He bowed his head in my direction, giving me a smile with enough embarrassment in it I was relieved rather than angry. I picked up the apology in his body language and smiled to show him it was accepted and returned. Julio nodded again then headed toward the back of the room. He looked better with brown hair. The blond wig made him dangerous.

And it was just as well Joe hadn’t seen our near-miss-kiss. As actors, this kind of thing went with the territory so it shouldn't be an issue.

 Sure.

There was a new text message on my phone.

You're going to look lovely in white.

I didn't know how to respond. Joe must have been keeping track somehow and guessed we were getting ready for the final scene. I pulled the tacky white dress over my head and Geneva came around behind me to zip it up. She grinned at me and headed out to the wings with the rest of the bridal party. Everyone else would be onstage as I processed in through the audience.

I stuck the “real” costume veil on my head and scurried around to the back of the theater. 

Can she do it? Even for the purposes of her "art"? Can Mackenzie really play the bride? Jump HERE to find out...
Cheers!
Liv

Friday Fiction - The Ring Toss Pt. 7

A last-minute change lands Mack in a long white dress, but can she commit?

This week's installment gets a little hot, but it'll be hotter if you read the other bits first. Check out Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 -  Part 5 - Part 6 to catch up. 

Mack's been cast to play a bridesmaid in an equity-waiver production of "Something Borrowed, Something Blue", but at the last minute she's upgraded to the role of Brittney, The Bride. It's a tough gig for a woman with a wedding phobia, especially since her boyfriend Joe's not around to talk her off the ledge. In the last snippet, Mack had a little I-miss-Joe moment, gearing up for some bump & grind with Salvatore the Stripper...

The Play – Something Borrowed, Something Blue: A Bachelorette’s Adventure

Director: Dusty Squires

Assistant to the Director: Donald Loudemilk

Cast:

Brittney (the bride): Mackenzie Reed

Mara (the maid of honor): Geneva Louise

Kenley (the bride’s sister): Dusty Squires

Caitlyn (the bridesmaid): Cheyenne Miller

Salvatore (the stripper): Julio Lorenze

Pete (the groom): Julio Lorenze

From the light board, Donald flipped a switch, lowering the disco ball and starting the pulsing techno beat. The stage was done up like the private party room of a nightclub, with black walls, a fat couch, and several low ottomans scattered around. One section of the back wall had a large frame that held sheer, black fabric with flashing lights behind it. That was the window that looked onto the dance floor. Mara and Caitlyn were sitting side by side on the couch while Kenley and I were posed on either side of the window.

“Woot! We are ready to par-tay!” Mara bounced up off the couch and started to dance.

Caitlyn raised her glass in my direction. “Hey Brittney, you took your veil off.”

“Not okay, Britt. Where is it?” Mara scolded me.

I picked up the oversized clump of white tulle threaded with little flashing white lights from where I'd stuck it on the floor between two of the ottomans, and made a show of putting it back on my head.

“It sucks to be the bride, don’t it?” Kenley laughed as she spoke.

“Yeah… No. It’s cool. Sorry guys, I didn’t mean to take it off. It’s just hot in here.” It was easy to put energy behind that idea, with sweat washing the heavy make-up off my face and running between my breasts. I kept dancing until Mara and Kenley threw significant glances at each other.

Mara came over and put her arm around me. “You’ll be fine, you know.”

“What? The music’s too loud.” I pulled away from her and reached for my drink.

Mara shook her head. “Our buddy Salvatore will be here any minute. He’ll take your mind off your nerves.”

The lights overhead started to strobe, which made Kenley’s reach for my arm look like more of a jerk. She swung me back and forth until we were both doing a weird robotic dance under the flashing lights. 

“Got a meetin’ in the ladies’ room…” Mara sang along with the music.

I had to laugh. “I swear you know the words to every song, Mara.”

 “…think you better watch your man…”

Thankfully the strobe lights stopped, which was our cue Salvatore had walked onstage. When we turned in his direction, he whipped off his black leather trench coat and threw it over the back of the couch. Mara approached him to shake his hand, passing him a small white envelope. He kissed her cheek.

“I’m so glad this worked into your schedule,” she said. “Come meet Brittney.”

Salvatore flipped his long blond hair over his shoulders and gave her a hundred-watt smile. 

“Ta, luv. Happy to be here. Let’s go see the bridey.” They came over to where the rest of us were dancing. “She’s a flasher, ain’t she? Hey, bridey!”

He pulled me close and kissed me on the cheek, a move that definitely wasn't in the script. I stood there, shocked, while he started to rock to the beat. The other girls crowded around us. With a grin, he grabbed Kenley and started rubbing his belly against her. For just a second, I saw Dusty freaking out behind Kenley’s mascara, but then his head came up and he started rubbing back. Salvatore unbuttoned the top of his shirt, his diamond-blue eyes laughing in a way the script hadn’t called for. He'd clearly been holding back in our previous rehearsals.

The girls made a half-circle around Salvatore. When he got his shirt open, he grabbed Caitlyn’s hands. She screamed, sounding a little hysterical as they danced together.

“Oh my God, he’s so handsome.” I was laughing so hard I could barely get the words out. 

Beside me, Mara giggled.

“I knew he’d be your type.”

I hopped up onto one of the ottomans for a little dance fever of my own. The other girls fanned out on either side of me like I was JLo or Madonna onstage with a troop of dancing girls. Salvatore moved into the open space in front of us and started to really go to work. White leather straps crossed his bare chest and slipped down under his jeans. I knew from the tech rehearsal that once the chaps came off, the jeans would come off too, and those leather straps would be the only things holding up a certain white silk bag.

The music shifted to a slower song and, holding his arms above his head, he swung his hips and danced closer to the girls. The sheen of sweat on his chest picked up the colored lights overhead, accenting the hard swell of his pectorals and the curve of his biceps. Gazing out into the room, I smiled because some of our audience members were dancing in the aisles along with us.

“Okay Mara, it’s your turn.” Kenley pushed Mara toward Salvatore.

Mara started a surprisingly risqué dance which Salvatore picked right up on. He planted one leg between her knees and they rocked in time, working lower and lower till she was more-or-less riding his thigh. The rest of us shrieked and hollered and egged them on. At one point Salvatore reached up and brushed his fingertips down my thigh, starting with the bare skin right under the hem of my very-short skirt. The bold suggestion in his gesture lit up the nerve that started in my head and traveled down south of my navel. Things had gotten way out of control. I was glad when the song changed to something a lot faster.

“Now where’s the flashin’ bridey? Ah, there ya are. C’mere and give me a dance.” He reached up for my hand.

“Oh. I don’t think…”

“Get down from there, little sister.” Kenley grabbed my other hand and yanked me off the ottoman.

I followed Salvatore toward the far end of the stage. He started to strip just for me, slowly unbuckling his chaps and throwing them toward the other girls. They screamed and scattered. The song changed again and the beat increased. Salvatore started to move more aggressively.

I pretended to hesitate, watching his hips before moving in synch with him. Salvatore unbuttoned his jeans, deliberately teasing me with each gesture. 

I was onstage and people were watching. Caitlyn and Mara were holding onto each other and squealing, and behind them Kenley was shaking her head as she moved to the beat. Julio was an actor and the action wasn't real, but when that last button popped free, the bottom dropped out of my belly. I'm only human and this guy was a pro.

The script said I was supposed to flirt with him, so I tried. “Hey, handsome. That’s some…um…nice…”

“You’re awful pretty yourself, bridey.” His eyes sparkled and his grin told me he was picking up exactly what I was putting down.

Caitlyn shrieked behind me. “She’s totally grinding him.”

“It’s okay. He’s still got his jeans on.” Mara, acting as the voice of reason.

Salvatore pushed his jeans down farther and rubbed himself against me. I tried to keep my response within the confines of the script, but it was hard not to show too much enthusiasm. The heavy bass beat slowed and he moved back to step out of his jeans. My eyes widened, even though I knew what was coming next.

“You’re just wearing a little baggie.” My voice dropped even lower than normal.

He laughed. “It's a big baggie, luv.”

“Let’s dance.” I tugged off the veil and threw my arms in the air. He came up behind me, close enough for his “baggie” to press against my butt. We were following the script. Mostly.

“You probably do this with all the brides.” As I spoke, a lock of his blond wig stuck to my cheek where I was sweating a little.

“Only the cute ones.”

“I have a thing for blond men.”

“It’s your lucky day, sweets, cuz I have a thing for you.” He pulled me across the stage, farther away from the girls—who were more-or-less dancing with each other.

I dug in my heels as if I was fighting to keep us onstage. “I can’t believe I’m dancing with a naked man.”

“We could stop.”

I shook my head and put a hand on his chest. When Candi had rehearsed the scene, she'd grabbed Salvatore around the waist and just about forced him to kiss her. In real life, she was a single girl between boyfriends. In the back of my mind, a little voice was asking what Joe would think of all of this.

Despite my attempt at restraint, Salvatore still had that wild fire in his eyes, that “oh yeah baby, I'm going to kiss you good” look. I swallowed hard and let him pull me closer, keeping my gaze locked on his. He was hot and buffed and nearly naked. Wow. He leaned in for the kiss.

“No. Oh my God, no.”

I shoved him away and ran offstage.

How can something imaginary cause so much consternation? Mack's got trouble on her hands with this one. Jump HERE to see what happens next...
Thanks so much for reading along!
Liv

Friday Fiction - The Ring Toss Pt. 6

A last-minute change lands Mack in a long white dress, but can she commit?

And now we're at Week 5! If you're just stumbling over this story, you can check out Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 to catch up. 

Mack's been cast to play a bridesmaid in an equity-waiver production of "Something Borrowed, Something Blue", but at the last minute she's upgraded to the role of Brittney, The Bride. It's a tough gig for a woman with a wedding phobia, especially since her boyfriend Joe's not around to talk her off the ledge. In the last snippet, Mack and her bridesmaids were off to meet the male stripper, though some of her costars were a little weird off-stage...

The Play – Something Borrowed, Something Blue: A Bachelorette’s Adventure

Director: Dusty Squires

Assistant to the Director: Donald Loudemilk

Cast:

Brittney (the bride): Mackenzie Reed

Mara (the maid of honor): Geneva Louise

Kenley (the bride’s sister): Dusty Squires

Caitlyn (the bridesmaid): Cheyenne Miller

Salvatore (the stripper): Julio Lorenze

Pete (the groom): Julio Lorenze

Dusty patted my shoulder as he passed me on his way offstage. I wasn’t sure if he meant the gesture as praise or sympathy. With no time to prepare for the role, I was pretty much happy I got the lines in the right order, let alone found ways to create a character. I’d get to know Brittney better, finding her quirks and what made her tick, after the rehearsal was over. 

I needed a beer and some sleep first.  For right now, it was pretty much like riding Class Five rapids, with speed and adrenaline surges and maybe a splashdown or two.

Cheyenne stopped when the door to Dusty’s office closed and I almost ran into her. She was lowering the zipper that ran up the front of her leather dress. One of the tricks she used was to unzip little by little as the show went on, changing her appearance from sophisticated to slutty. I slipped around her as she stared at the director’s door, adjusting her boobs to maximum cleavage for the next act. Dusty was going to be in trouble.

Back in the dressing room, I all but ran to see if there was a text from Joe. We’d started dating in college then separated for eight years when he moved to L.A. Now here I was, an independent thirty-something woman and a hot mess after two weeks apart. I couldn’t imagine how I’d survived all that time alone in Seattle.

It wasn’t just that he looked like a cross between Robert Downey, Jr. and Collin Farrell. He got me. He saw who I was and who I could be, and I loved him for it.

I know you're rockin' the bachelorette action.

Smiling, I sent him back a text saying at least I hadn't bungled any lines.

Donald popped in with his clipboard a couple of times. Beads of sweat speckled his bald scalp. He had to be just as hot out front as we were back here. The rest of us kept ourselves busy while we waited. Geneva was checking emails on her cell phone and Cheyenne was brushing out her hair. Again. Everyone took advantage of the brief downtime to filter the earlier scenes and check our plans for the next few. Except for me, whose only plan was to keep on winging it.

And when I get home, I'm going to give you something else to rock.

Oh yeah, that's what I’m talking about. I quickly typed in a message. We’re going to have to make up for lost time, dude. I might charge interest. I hit ‘send’ with a smile on my face.

Nerves were a bigger issue for me now than during the opening scenes, because the upcoming action was designed to spread Brittney’s insecurities all across the stage and, sadly, Brittney’s insecurities lined up awfully close to my own. It wasn’t just that Julio ended his big dance number wearing not much more than a pair of white chaps and a little satin bag—although that wasn’t going to help. If Joe was here he’d say something wise or funny and it would be perfect and perfectly helpful, or he’d keep his mouth shut and just wrap his arms around me until I wasn’t scared any more. And I wouldn’t look twice at Julio and his…bag.

Except Joe was in New Orleans, probably wrapping up the day with a cold one and some good music. He’d be hanging out with other actors and some of them would be pretty girls. Heck, he probably didn’t need to go far to find an attractive woman in New Orleans. Okay, that was not a constructive line of thinking. The phone chirped again.

Missing my girl.

And I was missing my guy. I should just grow a pair and ask him to marry me. I already knew his answer and it was a good one. I just hadn’t wanted to get married before. A swirl of watercolor blue caught my eye.

“You’re going to be awesome as a bride,” Geneva whispered, referring to the final scene when Brittney and Pete got married. At least, I thought that’s what she was referring to.

“Bite me,” I said soundlessly, hoping she could read lips.

She chuckled quietly and wandered off.

Cheyenne turned away from the mirror. “Where I grew up, we called single women your age ‘cat ladies’.” Her voice was a shade loud for a whisper and her smile wasn’t entirely friendly.

I suddenly couldn’t remember why I liked Cheyenne. I stared at her ‛til she went back to brushing her hair. It’s funny what happens to people under pressure. Cheyenne was showing her bitchy streak and I was hot and sweaty and my stupid dress wanted to stick in awkward places. Out of patience, I pulled myself to standing and tugged the dress back down over my butt before stalking off to the bathroom.

And next week....dancing with Salvatore the Stripper...really not something you can miss, right? Jump HERE to see what happens next!
Cheers!
Liv

Friday Fiction - The Ring Toss Pt. 5

A last-minute change lands Mack in a long white dress, but can she commit?

Are you ready for week 5?! If not, you can check out Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 first.

Mack's been cast to play a bridesmaid in an equity-waiver production of "Something Borrowed, Something Blue", but at the last minute she's upgraded to the role of Brittney, The Bride. It's a tough gig for a woman with a wedding phobia, especially since her boyfriend Joe's not around to talk her off the ledge. Last week she had to deal with a costume that didn't quite cover, how to cry on cue, and a cast-mate who was acting a little weird...

The Play – Something Borrowed, Something Blue: A Bachelorette’s Adventure

Director: Dusty Squires

Assistant to the Director: Donald Loudemilk

Cast:

Brittney (the bride): Mackenzie Reed

Mara (the maid of honor): Geneva Louise

Kenley (the bride’s sister): Dusty Squires

Caitlyn (the bridesmaid): Cheyenne Miller

Salvatore (the stripper): Julio Lorenze

Pete (the groom): Julio Lorenze

The girls were all draped over Mara’s living room furniture, waiting for me to come back onstage. They were posed like a photo shoot from Glamour Magazine, even the one in drag. The tray of hors d'oeuvres had been picked over and all of the glasses were empty.

Mara was singing softly. “Chi Omega, yours forever, loyal we will be…”

Laughing, Caitlyn tossed a pillow at her. “Shut up. You’re the only one who can remember the words.”

“Let the girl sing. I want to hear it,” Kenley said.

Mara resumed singing. “To our symphony and colors, our fraternity…”

“Shut up,” Caitlyn groaned. “Don’t encourage her.”

When I entered the scene, Kenley was sitting with her arms crossed, trying not to laugh, and Mara was happily singing. My eyes were damp and I focused on taking shallow, hiccup-y breaths so the audience would think I'd been crying. “I love that song.”

“Seriously? Let it go already.” Caitlyn looked a little stabby.

“For our bonds shall ne’er be broken, Chi Omega Chi…” Mara sang the last line.

Caitlyn came over and put her arm around me. “Are you okay?”

“Sure.”

Caitlyn pulled me closer to the lamp. “C’mere. Your eyeliner is smudged.”

I tipped my head up so Caitlyn could run her finger under my lower lashes. It tickled, which made it hard to hold still until Kenley’s line cued me to move.

“Hey, there’s going to be a stripper tonight, right?”

Mara layered on the enthusiasm. “Yes ma’am.”

“Good, cuz if I have to sit here in sorority row there had better be some man-flesh as payoff or I’m gonna get all Noo Yawk on you ladies.” Kenley stood and smiled.

I pulled away from Caitlyn, forgetting for a minute that Brittney was supposed to have a big smile on her face. In reality, strippers were not my thing. No one on stage indicated they’d noticed my little faux pas.

“I got it covered,” Mara said. “This guy named Salvatore is supposed to meet us at the club.”

“Ooh, man flesh.” Caitlyn rubbed her hands together.

“Salvatore the Stripper?” Kenley snorted. “Nice.”

“He’s supposed to be quite…um…large. I wanted to make sure my friend Brittney’s last sight of freedom was worthwhile.” Mara gave me a naughty grin as she swirled past the overstuffed furniture on her way off-stage. A minute later she was back, carrying a tiny, vintage clutch purse. “The limo should be here in just a couple minutes.”

I draped the faux-fur stole over my shoulders and, a minute later, someone came up behind me and started stroking the fur. “Love this,” Caitlyn said.

“Thanks, sweetie.”  I turned to face her.

Caitlyn’s smile was a touch envious. “You’re going to be such a beautiful bride. You always were the pretty one.”

“Oh, right.” It was my turn to snort.

“I wouldn’t argue with her, sister. You’re going to look gorgeous tomorrow.” This was probably the only point in the play where Kenley and Caitlyn agreed on something.

“It’s not too late to back out, is it?” I put in as much tension as I could, immediately getting everyone’s attention.

“What? You’re kidding, right?” Kenley frowned at me.

“No…I mean yeah. Of course I’m kidding.” I forced in a deep breath.

Mara laughed. “She’s totally kidding, you guys.”

“I don’t know, baby sister. Don’t lie, now.” Kenley stepped closer to me, which made Caitlyn back away. They were like a pair of magnets that constantly repelled each other.

“It’s all going so fast. I don’t think I’m ready.” I dragged the fur stole off my shoulders and started twisting it like a pretzel.  

“Haven’t you been engaged for, like, a year?” Caitlyn sounded confident, like she was totally counting on winning the bet.

I choked out an answer. “Yes.”

“You know what, you’re having cold feet. It’s okay, though. We’re your best friends. We’ll get you through it.” Mara came over and put her arm around me. “We’ll have so much fun tonight you won’t have time to be scared. Because you know, Brittney, you are the pretty one, just like I’m the smart one.”

Between Mara and Kenley, I was a Brittney sandwich. I let my breathing slow and tried to dissolve some of the tension that had twisted across my shoulders and around my jaw. My emotions were fueling Brittney’s responses, but it would be a bad thing if I lost track of which one of us was in charge.

Kenley waited a couple beats. “Which one am I?”

“You’re the model, Kenley.” Mara laughed, a sound that was as poised and perfect as the rest of her.

Kenley gave her a fist bump over the top of my head. “I thought I was the old one.”

Mara laughed. “Shut up.”

“Which one am I?” Caitlyn asked.

“Oh, Caitlyn, honey, you’ve always been the bitchy one.”  Mara delivered the line with stiletto sweetness, and Kenley choked back a laugh.

“Yeah, baby.” Caitlyn picked up a real, red fox coat and glared at Mara. “I work hard at getting the details right.”

A horn honked offstage.

“Let’s go see Salvatore the Stripper.” Kenley pulled me by the arm in the direction of the unseen limo. The others followed, singing, “Chi Omega, Yours Forever” as they left.

Check back next week to see if Salvatore the Stripper is really all that, and if Mack's cold feet warm up any...jump HERE to Part 6....

Happy Weekend!

Liv