5. Split the Bouquet.

BETH.

"I really don't get it! What exactly is your problem man? Do you think we'd leave our own house and come to a wedding we weren't invited to?" Lara almost screamed at the hefty man who looked like he was born and bred in a gym. His biceps were too big to be real.

"Well, you look like you want to have a taste of classy meals." He replied rudely, displaying an unattractive smirk.

"Do we look hungry to you? What kind of embarrassment is this for fuck's sake?" Lara snapped.

"If only you hadn't forgotten the invitation cards, we wouldn't be going through this right now, you know? Told you this might be a strictly-by-invitation one." I whispered loudly to her while she rolled her eyes.

"What's the big deal? We are the bride's friends, she invited us, we forgot the invites, so? Can't we just be allowed in? What's the whole fuss about by the way, just because it's an expensive wedding?" Lara fussed as she stomped her foot like a kid that was being deprived of candy.

"I think we should just leave." I said as I proceeded to drag Lara by her left arm before a screechy voice stopped me.

"Uh! Beth! Is that really you? O-M-G! I can't believe this! Wait, Lara too?" The voice exclaimed as we both turned towards her.

It was Vivian, one of our high school classmates. We never really got along with each-other but she liked to act like we were friends nevertheless, it's no surprise that it was still the same.

"Hey! Vivian! It's being a long time, look at you! So chubby and fine!" I returned the energy as we hugged.

Lara did the same.

"I know right? That's what giving birth does to you. I like it though! Why are you guys not going in?"

"Is it not this nuisance that has refused to let us in, saying that we probably don't even know the couples and are just here to eat free classy food, can you even imagine that?" Lara rushes out, still angry about the issue.

"We forgot our invites and so he's just doing his job." I added, glaring at Lara.

"As if! How can the amazing Beth and Lara be denied entry into their other friend's wedding? That makes absolutely no sense. You girls were the best trio back in High school! Jack! We know them, so let them in." She instructed the man who just nodded, feeling a little embarrassed.

"See your life? I don't blame you, when you bear the same name with dogs, how won't you behave like one..." Lara started to say as I quickly dragged her into the wedding hall before she caused more scene but then I still caught her looking back and sticking her tongue at the hefty man.

I shook my head as I smiled. Typical Lara.

"I'll see you guys later, I'm the event planner so I really need to oversee a lot of things." Vivian said as she walked away on her shiny black stiletto.

"I swear that she intentionally kept telling us things we don't care about just to show off. Because she's married and having her career going well now, we should leave the world for her." Lara remarked, envy written all over her.

"Lara! What has she done that looks like showing off now, uh?" I questioned before I then decided to look around the hall I'd been standing in.

The only word that could describe it was extravagance. Pure extra-extravagance. It all screamed money.

"Wow!" I heard Lara exclaim as I look towards her direction, after seeing that she was staring at something, I looked towards the direction too and then I gasped.

"This is the height!" Lara said, her mouth still hanging open.

I had the same expression on, no doubt. And the reason for our expressions was the cake. Never had I seen a cake so tall and shiny, not in the twenty nine years of my life. It was three feet taller than I was if not more despite being placed on a very low table. The white cake was a six tier one, each lower tier larger and rounder than the one above it. Hues of soft summer roses, everything from champagne to dusky red adorned the lower parts of three of the tiers while diamonds adorned the other tiers in beautiful shapes. It was romantic, as marriage should be.

After finding ourselves a seat amidst the other well-wishers, we continued to check out the whole venue, getting more mesmerized as we did. "Beatrice really got that wedding she had always described back in school, you know? Remember how we used to laugh whenever she said all those dreamy stuffs? She should really be used as a model for 'No-Dream-is-impossible' or something. I mean, look at that wedding dress!" Lara whispered, her eyes not leaving the stage where the bride and groom were busy dancing.

Her dress looked so unreal, like something a fairy godmother made, a Cinderella-like dress that looked like they wouldn't even look as good on anyone else as it did on her.

"Well, at least her husband is ugly. Life doesn't give you every good thing after all." Lara pointed out while I drifted my attention to the groom who looked like he was forced to wear a tuxedo.

It was easy to tell that he was the casual wear kind of guy and was in a suit just because he had no choice. The man had a beard you could only describe as a bush, and a moustache to rival Yosemite Sam, a cartoon character in the looney tunes. He also reminded me of the policemen in Bollywood movies. Despite the great amount of hair on the lower half of his face, he was bald as an eagle and he also had a slight belly bulge.

"Love has nothing to do with physical appearance." I replied Lara who threw me a glare before speaking.

"Don't say that rubbish beside me, please. Beauty and the beast is a myth. He's either beautiful physically, beautiful financially or both." I found myself laughing at her last statement. That girl was definitely one good comedian.

"What? Is it a lie?" Lara retorted while I laughed yet again.

"But she's now so proud though. She couldn't even offer us a space in her bridal train? So much for bestfriends, we used to be so close, even two years after we finished high school." Lara said again as she glared at Beatrice who was just laughing as her husband tried to twirl her.

"Do you know how much her bridal train paid?"

"How much could it be? Can it be above five hundred dollars? Are we not rich in our own way too? oh please!"

"Look at you! When the Clothes for the general people alone is nine hundred dollars, how will the bridal train pay one thousand dollars. I heard that they paid five thousand and five hundred dollars."

Lara's loud shriek attracted a few attention.

"For what? A damn dress? Are we going to take the groom home after everything?"

"Take him home and use him for what?"

"Househelp or something, I don't care! What's that outrageous amount for, just some stupid dress?! Oppression everywhere. If she had offered, I'm sure I would have told her that my dad has stroke, cos, I can't even. Why will I spend almost six thousand dollars just for another person's wedding, that money can start a magnificent business for me and even just pay a lot amazing bills!" She said, envy written all over her.

"That's why she didn't ask you. Her rich friends won't complain."

Hours later, after a whole lot of couple games, spraying of money, and many more, we decided to go wish the couple a happy married life. "Congratulations, baby girl!" I screamed with excitement as I hugged her.

"You're one lucky one, Beatrice. You collected cars and even a damn house as wedding gifts, you also got a cake that is almost as tall as the roof, I respect you, girl! Our own gift has disappeared amidst the more shiny and expensive ones now..." I nudged Lara as she started to sound jealous than I was sure she intended.

"I'm so happy for you! You got your dream wedding afterall!" She switched as she also gave Beatrice a side hug.

"Thank you so much, sweethearts. Thank you for coming too. You're all part of making this day a success for me." Beatrice replies, smiling from ear to ear.

"The bride is yet to throw the bouquet, where are the single ladies in the house?!" The Master of the ceremony suddenly announced as excited screams filled the air amidst Beyoncé's Single Ladies that suddenly filled the hall.

"Hey! Come on!" I snapped as I dragged Lara down to the midst of the ladies gathering and pushing one another for a chance to get the Bouquet.

"Oooh! What's my business with bouquet?" Lara retorted, stomping her foot and walking past the crowd of ladies.

And then before we knew it, Beatrice threw the bouquet. We watched as it passed over the crowd of ladies that shot their hands in air for it, struggling to have it in their grasp but only succeeding in splitting it into two instead. Each half headed for the spot Lara and I were standing and out of impulse, we both held our hands out as one half landed in each of our palms.

The people in the hall cheered while Lara bursted into laughter, my face remained blank as I stared at the half bouquet in my hand.

"What in the actual fuck is that?"