Cassidy
“It’s an honor to be here,” I say, plastering a fake smile on my face.
If you’d asked me a week ago, I’d be happy to be here reading some sort of fairytale to a bunch of toddlers. Now, I just want to get it over with so I can go home, crawl into my bed, and pull the covers over my head so I can cry without judgement.
It’s not every day that you find yourself standing at the altar of a church, thinking you’re going to pledge your love for one another.
Only to turn around when it’s your turn to read your vows and expose your cheating fiancé’s affair.
An affair that had been going on for way longer than I thought.
In fact, I’m sure I was the other woman in this situation.
My best friend Hayley comes to my side, pulling me close to her side. “Are you sure you’re up for this? Brooks and Halloway can do it without an introduction.”
Sandbox love. That’s how far back my friendship with Hayley goes.
Mrs. Piazza’s pre-kindergarten class. My family was nowhere near rich, but they clawed and fought their way to get me a scholarship to the best private school in Seattle.
The moment Hayley and I met, we clicked.
And from that moment on, we were inseparable.
So, she knows me. And though I think I’m keeping it together, I know she sees the real truth. I’m broken.
I could get over a breakup. An almost wedding to a guy I’ve known since elementary school. A guy who I was so on and off again for years that I should have expected something like this to happen. I don’t even think I’m upset that it happened. I think I’m more embarrassed I let it get this far.
How can you be more embarrassed over being completely and utterly destroyed, you ask?
Well see, it’s simple. I knew the inevitable would happen.
And I know I’m bound to have a nervous breakdown at some point over the whole thing.
But it’s not because of Vince; it’s because of the unattainable.
The one who was present at my soon to be wedding when he swore he wouldn’t be there.
Channing Halloway.
We had a moment when I first started working for the Skipjacks.
He had just been traded and just like Hayley, we clicked instantly.
However, it wasn’t in the best friend type of way.
It was in the take my breath away while he slow walked into a room with the faint sound of Dreamweaver playing behind him. Just like that scene in Wayne’s World .
Every touch.
Every moan.
The orgasms.
Yeah, I was hooked. But the next morning when we wake up in his hotel room, he apologizes. Said it was a mistake and could never happen again.
Friend zoned instantly.
“All right, littles. Please join me in welcoming our guest reader, Ms. Cassidy,” Marcia says, standing in front of the story time chair. “Ms. Cassidy works for the Skipjacks. Who here likes hockey?”
A slew of hands pop up as the kids talk over themselves. I would find this quite adorable if it weren’t for the fact that it feels like I lost my one chance at having a family. I’ll never open my heart up to another man.
“1, 2, 3, eyes on me,” Marcia says, grabbing their attention once again. “Let’s let Ms. Cassidy read, because I think she may or may not have brought some special guest readers of her own, with her today.”
Little gasps of excitement spread through as I stay grounded in my spot. “Go ahead, Reynolds. Get up there and fuel those young imaginations,” Halloway says, coming to my other side and nudging me with his elbow.
I plaster the fake smile on my face and walk to the story time chair. Taking a seat, I introduce myself to the group of anxious toddlers. I flip over the book Marcia gave me earlier and immediately regret doing this altogether.
Cinderella. A fairytale. A rags-to-riches story. One with a happily ever after. Should be easy enough to get through. Right?
Yeah — you’re never going to believe what happens next.