“We barely have a relationship!” I exclaimed.
“This will be the perfect opportunity to develop one,” Dad pointed out. He gave me an encouraging smile.
“Excellent parenting,” Da whispered to him.
“Thanks, hon,” Dad whispered back. “I try.”
“I can hear you,” I deadpanned.
Da chuckled. “Call Katie—”
“I amnotcalling Katie.” I cut him off, extremely self-aware that I was being a total brat.
“ThentextKatie,” Dad said. “Accept her offer.”
“You sound like a Realtor,” I mumbled before asking him for Katie’s phone number.
Because why would I ever have needed it before now?
Did Katie even havemynumber?
Hi, this is Mads!I texted after much contemplation.I got your package and would LOVE to be your bridesmaid, Katie! I’m really honored. <3
She didn’t respond for several hours, and when she finally did, the message read:Great! More details soon.
Three
The night of Austin and Katie’s engagement party, I took forever to get ready. Seriously, I was pretty confident that in my whole entire history of being a teenage girl, it had never taken me so long to get dressed. I sang an entire concert set list in the shower, then flopped on my unmade bed and scrolled aimlessly through my phone for a while before mustering the strength to change into something a little more appropriate than my orange-and-pink-checkered bathrobe. I swapped it out for a dusty violet dress; it had a cool metallic sheen to it. And despite blowing my brown hair dry, it ended up in a French braid, which was how I always wore it for field hockey.
But then I did something way out of the ordinary: I searched for a makeup tutorial on YouTube and followed along with my eyeliner pen, hoping to execute the perfect cat eye.
I don’t know; I guess I wanted to look older tonight? I would be meeting Katie’s other bridesmaids for the first time and didn’t want it to be so obvious that I was Austin’s younger sister—hiskidsister.
Downstairs, I could hear my dads debating over the party’s mood music. Da wanted smooth jazz while Dad was pitching something called “Hipster Cocktail Party” on Spotify. “Harry, how did you even discover this playlist?” Da asked, chuckling as Lana Del Rey purred through our speakers. “We don’t frequent Brooklyn coffee shops…”
Per its invitation, the party began at seven, but the key players had arrived by six-thirty. “Mads?” Austin walked into my room looking dapper in a slate-colored suit. “You ready? Everyone’s downstairs.”
I finally found the right heels, vintage silver T-straps from the 1960s. They’d been Grandma’s and were still in perfect condition. “Yeah, almost!”
“Wait, you haven’t drunk this yet?” Austin seemingly teleported from my doorway to my closet, where he pulled out the mini bubbly bottle from my bridesmaid box. “Did Da say no?”
I shrugged. “You know I’m only allowed to drink on super special occasions.”
Austin chuckled but didn’t pop the prosecco. “Well, I’m sure he’d agree tonight qualifies.” He raised the bottle. “To the highly esteemed hosts!”
“Yes.” I grinned. “To Dad and Da!”
We pretended to take a sip (that bottle was way too warm to actually drink) right as Katie called up the stairs, “Austin, your nana just got here!”
“Coming, Kates!” my brother called back, then rustledthrough my goody bag until he found the bracelet. “Don’t forget this,” he told me. “Katie mentioned all the bridesmaids are wearing them.”
That’s news to me, I thought, even though Katie was apparentlythrilledI was a bridesmaid.She’s so happy you said yes, Austin had texted after Katie’s curt response.I know you’ve got a lot of stuff going on, but thanks, Mads! Love you!
I desperately wanted to ask my brotherwhyKatie had changed her mind and asked me, but I didn’t.Love you, too, I’d written back.I’m pumped!!!
“I’ll be right down,” I told him now, and after he hurried out of the room, I took a deep breath and stared down my reflection in the mirror over my dresser.They’ll like you, I reassured myself.Just because they love Katie doesn’t mean they won’t like you!
After all, no one but my parents knew my true feelings about Katie. I could pretend I loved her, too. Who knew? Dad and Da could be right; by the end of this, Katie could be the sister I never had.
