The Wedding

"Teddy, I'm sorry okay?"

I was sick of hearing that. I blinked, wiping away a few tears as I sat in my chair and stared up at my girlfriend of one year, Kelly. The look on her face told me that she was sincerely apologetic but I just didn't care. This wasn't the first time that I had been in a situation like this and I was done.

"I don't care if you're sorry," I replied, wiping more tears away. "You fucked up Kelly!"

"I know that," she said, with a sigh.

"But I don't care if you accept the apology or not. I'm not open to trying to repair this or fix what I did. I did it for a reason."

"You mean there's a good reason, to cheat on the person you supposedly love?"

"Maybe not, but I did what I did and I did it because things just aren't working between the two of us; do you understand that, Teddy?"

"Whatever," I said, shaking my head in disgust.

"I'm done with this conversation Kelly. If we're not working out and you didn't feel like you wanted to stay with me...you should have just dumped me and moved on. You didn't have to fuck someone else, behind my back."

I said all that I needed to say and when Kelly realized that I really was done with the conversation, she turned her back and started towards our room...now just my room...and started packing her belongings. She was out the door within two hours and I felt some form of relief, as she left our apartment for good.

I met Kelly a year earlier and we hit it off pretty well. I think we had moved a bit to quickly though. We were having sex after just two weeks of dating and she moved into the apartment with me, no more then a month into our relationship.

By the time we reached eight months as a couple, things had started to fall apart. We stopped having sex as much, we started arguing quite a lot and we started spending a lot of time apart.

I can count at least six or seven times in the last two months, that I wound up sleeping on the couch. Two or three of them had been by choice, though most of them were because Kelly insisted on it.

At 25-years old, I wasn't such a bad looking guy. I was about average weight, around 170 pounds and I was about 5'7" in height. I didn't work out but I did enjoy jogging every now and then, which kept me in decent enough shape.

I had been through quite a few relationships over the years, starting from the time I was in freshmen year of high school. The girls always seemed to like me but when we would get into a relationship, things never seemed to last very long. There was always some problem that would come up and push us apart and force the relationship, to an unhappy ending. Kelly wasn't the first girlfriend that I had, who had cheated on me; she was probably about the third or fourth.

I was beginning to wonder what the hell was wrong with me.

The night that Kelly left, I decided to go out to a bar and grab a few beers. Well, a few beers turned into about twelve or more and before I knew it, I was absolutely wasted. When I got up the following morning, my head ached and my stomach felt sick. I couldn't even remember how I had gotten home the night before..maybe someone had driven me back to my place?

I really wasn't so sure. It wasn't typical of me to black out like that but that was probably only because I didn't drive that often.

I was out of bed at about 11:00 that morning and started making some coffee. I turned on the stove and decided to make some eggs and bacon, to accompany the coffee. As the stove heated up, I went to check the mail and found only three things waiting for me in the mail box outside of my door. The first was junk. The second was the electric bill; they wanted their money.

They would have to get in line with everyone else. I had been struggling the last few months, to keep up with my bills. I worked hard at my job but unfortunately, didn't make a whole lot of money. Mostly, because I didn't get very many hours.

The third letter, I was surprised to see was actually from my sister, Lizzy. I hadn't heard from her in quite a bit and was curious but happy to find a letter in the mail from her.

Lizzy was significantly older than me. We had two different mothers and the same father. Our dad had, had her with another woman when he was young; in his late teens actually. She was about eight years old, when he went on to have me with my mother, whom he was still married to, to this very day.

That made Lizzy a good eight years older then me, making her 33-years old. She moved out to West Virginia a few years back and since then, we hadn't really kept in touch that often. We use to be really close growing up. She was my big sister and I always loved her and she always watched out for me. We watched out for each other, really.

I tore open the letter and was surprised at what I found...it was a wedding invitation.

Teddy: You are hereby invited to Lizzy and Michael's special day, on Friday, November 18th at 5:00 PM.

I had only met Michael a few times. Lizzy had actually decided to move to West Virginia, for the purpose of being with him and keeping their relationship together. He found a new job out there and had to move; it would have been foolish not to accept the job. They had been dating for six years though and so Lizzy felt it was only right, for her to go with him.

Now they were getting married...it made me feel happy, to know that Michael made my sister happy enough that she was willing to marry him. He was a good guy and I hoped they would spend they're lives together.

The rest of the card displayed the location, where the wedding would be held and there was a special note at the bottom from my sister, telling me she loved me and looked forward to seeing me. Of course, I was going to be there. I had to put in for the time off though.

I had just gotten done eating breakfast, when my phone rang...it was my father.

"Hello?"

"Ted, what's up buddy?"

"Hey dad, what's going on?"

"I assume by now, you've gotten your sisters wedding invitation?"

"Yeah," I replied, as I put a few dishes in the sink.

"It just got here this morning actually. I'll be there for sure."

"That's good," he said, happily. "You're bringing Kelly, right?"

My stomach churned at the mention of my now ex-girlfriend. Since we had only just broken up last night, I obviously hadn't had the time to tell anyone in my family what happened yet.

Of course, all of our friends were aware. Kelly had spread the news all over social media and everyone had been talking about it, since the night before when it first went up.

"Uh...dad, I..."

"Oh boy," he said, already knowing what I was going to say. "What happened?"

"Take a guess..."

"Another one?"

I laughed and shook my head, sitting down on the sofa.

"When you say it like that, it makes me feel a lot worse. I caught her red handed. She was fooling around with some guy she knew from work."

"Teddy, I have to say; you really know how to pick them."

My dad was always the sarcastic type, especially when he was disappointed.

"So, you're not bringing a date?"

"Well obviously, dad. I'm single."

"You realize, how disappointed everyone there is going to be. Especially Lizzy...Ted, you're going to be 26-years old in a few months. You aren't getting any younger and I think it's about time that you start looking for someone, who isn't, I don't know...a slut?"

"Gee dad, thanks; it's not like I'm looking for that type of girl. They just seem to be attracted to me!"

We continued talking for a few more minutes, with dad lecturing me a bit more about how I needed to find the "right girl" before I get too old. I was relieved when he told me, that he had to hang up the phone. I was quickly getting tired of talking.

I already had enough on my mind as it was and I was pretty bent out of shape, about what Kelly had done to me. About everything! All the relationships that I had been in and how they all seemed to fail, miserably. I was frustrated and the last thing that I needed, was for my father to make me feel worse then I already had myself feeling.

I decided to call my sister and let her know that I would be at the wedding. She was absolutely overjoyed, when I told her that I would be there. Then, she asked if I was bringing a date. I didn't have the heart to tell her and so I simply lied and said yes, hoping that my father wouldn't rat me out when they talked later. I hung up the phone and collapsed onto my mattress, silently cursing myself for lying to Lizzy like that.

I cursed myself again, for not being able to maintain a functioning relationship and started trying to figure out, what I was going to tell my sister when the actual wedding date rolled around.

I sighed, rolling out of bed again and putting my shoes on; I had to get out of the apartment for a while. I had a shopping list that I needed to take care of, since the fridge was practically empty.

The nearby grocery store was packed by the time I got there, but that was typical for a Sunday morning.

I had just gotten out of the line with my cart and was making my way towards my pick-up truck to load my stuff into the bed, when I heard someone calling my name.

"Teddy!"

The voice sounded familiar but I couldn't quite place it, until I turned around and saw who it was. A tall woman in her early thirties, shoulder length red hair and green eyes. She was wearing a denim skirt that was pretty short and showed off her long and smooth legs. She was also wearing a white t-shirt that showed off some pretty decent cleavage.

I recognized her pretty much instantly, as soon as I laid eyes on her...my sisters best friend, Wendy.

"Oh my god, I can't believe it, it is you!" she said, running towards me and I sighed, wishing I hadn't run into her like this.

Wendy was always very nice but she had a tendency to be a little annoying too. I hadn't seen her in well over a year and I had hoped, that it would stay that way.

"I wasn't sure if it was you, until I got closer," she said, throwing her arms around me and hugging me tightly.

"It's been a long time," I said as I hugged her back.

"Way too long," she replied, pulling back and giving me a wink.

"How have you been?"

"I'm alright; hanging in I guess. What about you?" I asked, trying to sound genuinely happy to see her.

"Oh, you know me," she laughed. "I'm still that crazy, party girl that you probably remember from when you were a kid."

She wasn't lying there; I definitely remembered that crazy, party girl. Wendy had always loved to drink and have fun. Whether it be at someone's house or at a bar, or even at her own place. When her and my sister were younger, Wendy was the one who always managed to get the alcohol that they weren't supposed to have. How she pulled it off, I never knew but it didn't matter. Her and Lizzy never even got caught! They were both really good at getting drunk and not letting anyone realize.

"Oh, hey! Are you going to your sisters wedding?"

I laughed, shrugging my shoulders and decided to play it sarcastic like my father would have done.

"Nah, I think I'm just gonna chill here in

Philly!"

"Oh, that's not nice; she's your-"

"I'm joking, I'm joking! Of course I'm going Wendy, she's my sister."

"You always were just like your dad, when it comes to putting on that poker face. You got a ride out there?"

I reached back and gave the side of my truck a pat and nodded my head.

"You're looking at it."

"Sweet fucking truck," she said, stepping around me and sizing up my vehicle. "What year is that thing?"

"2000 and in great condition. This is my baby, I fucking love this truck Wendy."

"That's great," she said, happily. "I didn't even know you had your drivers license now."

By this point, I had started loading my groceries into the bed of the truck, when Wendy leaned against the side of the vehicle and grinned at me.

"So, do you got a date to the wedding?"

Uh-oh; here we go, I thought to myself.

The funny thing about Wendy, was this; she had always loved to flirt with me. Of course, she never did that when I was too young but as soon as I turned eighteen, all bets were off.

Basically any time that we saw each other she would try and hit on me and it use to tick me off so bad. My sister on the other hand, always found it hilarious. You might be wondering, why I have such a problem with Wendy hitting on me...well, here's another funny thing about her. Wendy wasn't born a girl.

Wendy was a transsexual. It was in her teen years, that she...or Mike at that point...started dressing as a girl. My sister helped her figure out her "image" as they used to call it and they spent a lot of time, hanging out in Lizzy's bedroom with Lizzy letting Wendy try on some of her clothes and doing her make up.

As someone who loved women, I had never really thought about flirting back with her or wanting to date her or anything. I might have had bad luck with women but I loved them and I had no ill thoughts towards Wendy for being who she was...but I didn't like when she would hit on me all the time. Granted, I had to admit; she had gotten pretty attractive, since the last time I saw her. Where did that come from, I asked myself.

"Yeah, I've got a date," I lied.

"Oh, really? That's interesting, because...I have this chick on my Facebook page and her name is Kelly and apparently, she use to be your girlfriend...until last night."

Damn it.

I had no idea that Kelly and Wendy were friends online. Now that I knew though, it made perfect sense that Wendy would have seen Kelly's post about us splitting up last night.

"Listen, you can't tell Lizzy okay? I told her I'm bringing someone and she doesn't realize that I'm single now. If she finds out, she's going to be so-"

"Disappointed, right?"

"Yes! All of my family will be disappointed in me, Wendy. I already talked to my father this morning and he spent a good twenty minutes giving me a lecture, about how I'm getting older and I need to stop picking the slutty girls."

"Sounds like something your dad would say," she laughed.

"Look, how about this; I don't have a way to get out there for the wedding myself. Why don't I ride out there with you and we can tell everyone that I'm your date."

I blinked, shocked that she would even suggest such a thing and after a few moments passed, I couldn't help but start laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"What, you were serious?"

"Of course I was," she giggled. "What's the problem?"

"It's just...I mean..."

"Oh come on now, Teddy Bear!"

Ugh, I hated when she called me that! She had given me that stupid nick name, when I was about ten years old and never let up on it, even after all these years. It was cute when I was little but when I got to be in my teen years and even now, in my mid twenties, it was just annoying.

"Don't start with that!"

"Start with what, Teddy Bear?"

"That," I snapped. "You know I hate when you call me that."

"Okay, relax. But hear me out on this, okay?"

"What exactly is there to hear you out on, Wendy? I don't have a problem with you riding out to the wedding with me, but not as my date."

"Oh fine, you win!"

I laughed at the expression on her face, as she tried to look and sound like a little kid when she said that I won.

"It's still okay for me to drive out there with you though, right?"

"Yeah, like I said...I have no problem with that. I'm just not taking you there as my date."

"Alright then," she smiled. "Do you have my number?"

"Yeah, I think it's still in my phone."

We made plans that I would text her, the morning that I was supposed to leave for West Virginia and meet her at her house. With that agreement made official, I got in my truck and started making my way home. I had a head ache now, from arguing with Wendy about her crazy idea to go as my date. Like I said, I couldn't deny that she was actually pretty attractive now but I was not going to date her, or even pretend to be dating her.

The next month went by fast and before I knew it, it was the week of Lizzy's wedding. Since the wedding was on a Saturday I decided to leave for West Virginia on Tuesday. It was a six hour drive, so I was hoping to leave Philly, early in the morning.

The day that we had to leave, I texted Wendy as planned and let her know that I was on my way to pick her up at her house. When I arrived, I found her sitting out front with her bags waiting for me.

"Hey Teddy Bear," she said, as she got into the truck with me.

I shot her a glare that warned her to stop while she had the chance and she laughed as I stared at her.

"Sorry, I forgot; you don't want me to call you that anymore."

"It's childish," I said, angrily.

"Alright, relax. Let's get moving, huh?"

I sighed, pulling off and we had officially hit the road.

Wendy drove me crazy, talking away in my ear for the first two or three hours of the drive. We left Philadelphia at 10:00 that morning. By about 12:30 or so, we were both starving and I decided to stop off at a restaurant so that we could eat.

It was your typical diner and I was craving a nice diner style cheesesteak, so that's exactly what I aimed for. Wendy chose a big plate of Chicken Parm and scarfed it down, almost as fast as I devoured my cheesesteak.

"So," she said, as she finished her meal. "What do you think your sister will think, when you tell her I'm your date?"

"I already told you," I said, as I looked up from my glass of soda. "I'm not taking you as my date; I'm just letting you drive to the wedding with me."

"Oh, come on Ted-"

I shot her a glare before she could even get the words out completely and Wendy laughed. "I wasn't going to say it," she promised, with a big grin.

"Yeah, right! I'm sure."

"But seriously," she continued. "What's so wrong with the idea of showing up with me on your arm?"

I sighed, shaking my head and taking another sip of my soda.

"I just...I just..."

"What? You don't want anyone to know, you're with a transsexual?"

"That's not it," I replied instantly. "God, what kind of person do you take me for?"

"Good," she said. "Because, no one would know anyway. No one in your family is aware that I'm a transsexual, besides your sister and her mother, remember?"

She had me there; I had completely forgotten about that little fact.

Lizzy knew, naturally because she was Wendy's best friend. Lizzy's mother also knew, because of all the hours the two friends had spent in Lizzy's bedroom, doing each others make up and sharing clothes. No one else in the family had the slightest clue.

"It's cool though," she said, standing up from her booth. "We can just go as friends and that's okay with me."

"Where are you going?" I asked, as she started walking towards the exit.

"I'm going to stop in that gas station across the way from here and use their bathroom and grab some cigarettes."

She left me with the bill, not that I minded paying it but it would have been nice if we could have gone half on it.

I finished my Coke and waved the waitress over, so that I could ask for the bill. I paid it, used the bathroom in the diner and made my way outside into the parking lot. I debated going into the convenient store to grab some snacks or a drink but decided against it. Instead, I opted to wait for Wendy, by the truck. As I was standing there waiting, I started thinking about how anxious I was to just get to our destination.

I was getting a little irritated with Wendy and her flirting and her crazy jokes. The issue with Wendy, was that sometimes she was just too hyper for me.

I looked up from the ground as I heard someone shouting and glanced in the direction of the convenient store, to see Wendy coming out and yelling away.

"What the hell?"

She was shouting something about someone being an asshole and that they were rude and ignorant.