Page 9 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

At some point, I fall into a light, restless sleep, but it doesn’t last long. The early morning light jolts me awake. I head straight to the shower, hoping it will wake me up properly.

Behind the sound of running water, I hear the other girls arriving. There’s lots of shouting and laughing as they greet each other. Like so many times in my life, I feel left out, and it’s even worse because this day is supposed to be about me.

My whole life, the coven is all I’ve known. This almost feels like being cast out.

“Hey, Alisa! You ready in there? We brought dresses!” Amanda shouts.

I turn off the water slowly and wrap a towel around myself. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

I’m not prepared for the door to burst open. Amanda and Lucy drag me into the living room, and my sister witches practically throw dresses at me as Lucy opens two huge boxes of donuts and forces all of us to eat at least three each.

“Got to keep those sugar levels up!” she laughs, shoving a strawberry-glazed cake ring at me. Since the combined hit of sugar and fat is exactly what I need right now, I take a huge bite.

“So, do you like any of these?” Tara asks me, rummaging through a huge suitcase.

“Not so far,” I mumble through the sugary treat.

“What about this one?” Tara says, reaching under the others. “It’s very ‘you,’ I think.”

She pulls the gown out and holds it up. I can’t hold back a gasp of surprise. She’s right—it is exactly my style. A closely fitted white gown of light fabric covered by an overlay of shimmering silver lace.

“Thank you, Tara,” I say, meaning it.

I didn’t think picking the right dress would make this any better, but it certainly has cheered me up.

The girls help me get the dress laced up, and Lucy braids my hair with silver ribbons while Amanda does my makeup. By the time we leave the house, I’m actually pretty excited. The high lasts right up until we stop in front of Jenks’s house.

The moment I see the place, my excitement flips straight into pure terror. The dress is too tight, the braids are giving me a headache, and the mascara feels smeared across my cheeks.

Maybe it was just a sugar rush, not genuine excitement.

“Come on!” Lucy says, practically dragging me out of the car. “Everyone’s waiting.”

That doesn’t make me feel any better.

We go through the huge sliding doors in the middle of the house into the massive sunken living area. From here, I can see the long, wide wooden deck out back. The area to the right towards the kitchen has a covered barbecue area, and the pool and jacuzzi are to the left.

The place looks almost exactly the same as it did in high school.

I didn’t go to many of Jenks’s parties because I couldn’t handle his constant teasing. But sometimes, I went just so I could watch him from afar.

Lucy and Amanda link their arms through mine, walking me through the living area and onto the deck.

I feel like I’m being dragged towards a firing squad.

When we come through the big sliding doors, my heart contracts in my chest so badly, I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack. The decorations are modest, and the crowd is small, but this is still a wedding. Now, it finally feels real to me.

The girls let go of me but keep walking until I’m in the aisle. They slip away to take their seats as I keep moving, feeling that strange sensation again, as if I’m in a bubble detached from the world.

At the end of the aisle, in front of a small podium, I see Carson, Bae, and…

Is that really Jenks?

His long, dark hair has been pulled back into a ponytail. The suit he’s wearing is charcoal-gray and tailored to fit his tall, slender frame. Jenks has never been a physical type, unlike Bae and the others. He always preferred to be painting, playing music, or pulling pranks.

Or planning parties.

The tight waist and flared shoulders of the jacket show off his muscular arms and enhance his height. For the first time, I realize he’s actually taller than Bae. He has a red flower in the lapel that contrasts against the charcoal, bringing out his shocking blue eyes and red mouth.

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