I laughed. “Look who’s talking. See yourself in the mirror first.”

She shrugged. “I just did. Thanks for the indirect compliment, though.”

I shook my head. “Where’s Beth?”

Her lips twisted in displeasure. “She’s gonna meet us directly at the venue. Got caught up with her boyfriend problem again.”

I sighed. “Let’s see if Tess is ready yet.”

“As ready as her pimple,” she said, chuckling.

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

And then I heard the chaos inside the bride’s room.

Pushing the door open, I walked inside.

In a beautiful white Cinderella wedding gown, with her blonde locks wrapped into a low bun on the back of her neck and slightly heavy makeup on her face, she looked gorgeous. As usual. But she looked anything but pleased at that moment.

Looking upward, she tried her best not to let the tears in her eyes fall. One of her friends kept telling her to take deep breaths and not panic.

“Tess, stop crying! Do you want your eyes to look swollen in the pictures? This thing isn’t even visible now. You’re looking beautiful, honey!” Mom tried calming her down.

A small, not too visible pimple poked its head through the layers of makeup. It wasn’t noticeable unless you looked closely.

Tess shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “I’m not! I can see it clearly! Why did it happen to me? All I wanted was for this wedding to go smoothly. Now I’ll have to see this in my wedding photos for the rest of my life!”

Mom sighed, defeated. When she saw me, her eyes lit up.

“Oh my! Look at you, you’re looking so beautiful!” She pulled me into a brief hug before pulling away. “I didn’t even realize when both of my babies grew up so much.” Casting a glance at Tess and then me, she sniffled.

“Mom, please. We have Tess to handle now.”

I turned to Tess. Her eyes glued to my gown, her lips parted. “You look… wait, why aren’t you wearing the one I got you? Though you look beautiful in this one.”

“Thank you. You’re looking more than just gorgeous today!” I smiled. “And about this dress… I thought it’d look better with your bridesmaids.”

She asked me to be her maid of honor last night and I couldn’t deny. Due to our previous conflicts, she couldn’t ask me earlier. She didn’t let any of her friends be her maid of honor because she wanted it to be me. So I agreed, and I couldn’t be happier.

Her face dropped again. “Yeah, everyone is looking so perfect except me.”

“You’re stunning, Tess! The most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen. Everyone is going to love your look.”

My assurance didn’t affect her at all as a drop of tear slid down her cheek.