Page 1 of Walkoff Wedding

nine months later

chapter one

Addie

Once upon a time… there was a girl who lived above the garage with absolutely no social life, like the most pathetic college senior in the history of the world, who was going to be forced into an arranged marriage by her evil stepfather.

Delete.

Delete.

Delete.

My chipped blue nail jabs at the backspace key of my old laptop over and over until the glowing screen is blank again for the hundredth time… tonight.

I’m supposed to be working on my senior art thesis, a portfolio showcasing my artistic style in the form of a fictional fairy tale, but the only fairy tale I can write about my life is the one where Cinderella doesn’t get her Prince Charming, and instead, she grows old with her fat, sassy corgi, locked in a proverbial tower, imprisoned by the man she’s being forced to marry.

That’s my fairy tale… more like a nightmare. It’s as screwed up as it sounds.

Truthfully, it sounds insane, yet… it’s my reality.

Groaning, I drop my forehead onto the keyboard, causing my old, rickety desk to rattle noisily, and Augustus, the fat corgi in question, whines grumpily when he’s awoken from his nap.

“Sorry, Auggie,” I mutter dejectedly, still face-planted into the keyboard of my ancient MacBook.

There’s no way I’m going to be able to create a fairy-tale depiction of my life. Because for girls like me, there is no happily ever after, and I’m very much aware of that fact. Which is making it nearly impossible to create a fictitious one in my head for said senior thesis.

It’s not like me graduating college weighs on this or anything.

When I hear footsteps tromping up the stairway leading to my room, I begrudgingly lift my head from the keyboard and see Amos standing on the top step. He’s the closest thing I’ve had to… family since my mom passed away.

He runs my family’s bakery, conveniently located right next door to our house, which makes it easy for him to drop in to check on me. He’s really the only person who cares enough to check on me.

His long, gray ponytail swishes as he makes his way over to me and reaches down, plucking something off my forehead, then holding it up for me to see.

The J key from my keyboard. Apparently in my melodramatic theatrics, it popped off and stuck to my forehead.

Unsurprisingly fitting for my mess of a life.

“Don’t ask,” I quip, swiping it from between his fingers and popping it back into place on the keyboard.

Amos’s brow furrows deeper, a look of concern washing over his face. “Have you been here all day?”

I nod as I drag my gaze back to the blank screen and sigh. I’ve been at it for an embarrassing amount of time, and I’ve gotten exactly… nowhere.

“Well, it’s a good thing you’re done for tonight, then, huh?” He reaches past me and pushes the computer screen shut. “You, my darling girl, are going to a party.”

A laugh bubbles from my lips until I realize by his sudden serious expression that he’s not joking.

“Uh, what?” I sputter. “I don’t go to parties, Amos. So, that’s obviously not happening. “

“Exactly. Cher,” he says, using the term of endearment he’s called me since I was a small child. “All you do is work, go to class, study, and stay cooped up in this room making art. So tonight, you’re going to go out. With people. Actual people.”

“I… hang out with people,” I retort defensively.

His gaze narrows. “People your age, Addie. Earl and I do not count. We’re your family. You need to be around people your own age, doing something besides work or school. Having fun. Which is why tonight you’re going to go to the back-to-school bash on campus. Before you ask, you left the flyer on the counter in the bakery.”

Crap. I meant to throw it away after finding it on the windshield of my car at school, but it clearly never made it to the trash can.

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