“What’s going on?” demanded her mother. “And what did you do to your hair?”
Gasping, Megan bent forward to catch her breath, then quickly straightened to bellow her important news.
“Cousin Shelly’s here! With a boy!”
Forget Janelle, forget Ray, forget the whole wedding march entirely. The real attraction had arrived. Sure enough, Shelly stepped through the doorway, giggling and gorgeous as always, followed by a well-dressed light-complexioned young man. They held hands with fingers laced together—a declaration of something deeper, more involved than “just friends.”
“G’morning, y’all,” said Shelly, waving. “Sorry we’re late.” The families murmured a positive collective reply, but their eyes remained glued to her movements, questioning. She patted the triumphant Megan on the shoulder and quickly found a seat next to her family, Omar and Corinne. Still smiling, Shelly reached over and pinched her younger brother’s arm, making him wince.
“I told you not to tell her,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “You know she tells everybody everything.”
“Please,” Omar whispered back. “You crave this kind of attention.”
Part 1 | (Part 2)
