Well, that was unexpected.
There was a rehearsal dinner last night, which is a tradition that gets kind of weirder the more you think about it, because at some point it was probably the first time the two families met and they were feeling each other out, but, you know. pleasant enough. My parents weren't there, just Momma Kamen, and that felt kind of wrong, but they told be a few weeks ago not to worry about this, although I still did. It ended with us being told to rest up and we mostly did, though Jordan and Moira chose to hang around the hotel bar.
I had one drink with them after sending Little Moira upstairs with Karla and her kids - she was really excited to see her cousins and they were having a kind of slumber party - and when I was headed up myself, I caught some hotel employees trying to rouse a girl who had fallen asleep in one of the chairs in the lobby. I was about to turn away, minding my own business, when something clicked and I ran over. I motioned for them to stand back and then whispered "it's Krystle" in her ear.
She bolted upright, pushing her red hair back from the front of her face, and shook her head looking at me. "This is still so weird!"
I nodded. "Sure is, Mackenzie. What are you doing here?"
"Not causing trouble, I promise! I, uh..." She looked at the other folks around us and I shooed them away, which made her a lot less tense. "Okay, I, um, was trying to pay attention in class today, like, really trying, to distract myself, and after second period I decided I just couldn't do it, and called Cory to tell him I had to get down here, just to be here and see it and wish you well. Mackenzie's too young to rent a car or even buy train tickets, but it turns out it's not just faster but way cheaper to fly from Portland to Atlanta, so Cory got me on the last seat on the plane."
"And you found my hotel how?"
"Cory called Zee who called Ashlyn who knew where Moira was staying. She wasn't sure about telling him, but since I was already on my way..." She half-smiled. "It sounds absolutely insane, I know, but how could I not be at my own wedding?"
I had a funny feeling looking at her just then. Inside, I know Mackenzie, the original Krystle, is the exact age I appear to be, obviously, while I often think of myself as the teenager i was when I checked into the Inn. At that moment, though, she seemed genuinely 17, and it was my responsibility as a more mature adult to understand the big emotions she was feeling, and to give her some grace.
So I did. "I'd actually be really glad to have you there. After all, even if you barely remember Gabe, I probably don't meet him without him remembering you."
She smirked. "You owe me so much."
"I really do. Can I start with dinner? Or a room? You weren't planning to hang around the lobby all night were you?"
She shook her head. "Da-- Cory booked me a room here too, but--" Her stomach growls on cue. "Maybe a snack."
We got some calamari for her and a white wine for me, and then found it awkward at the table, so we wound up texting across from each other. Initially I was telling Jordan not to look in an obvious way but that Mackenzie was at the table with me, and would she make sure she got to the right place the next morning? Also, if Dominic wasn't coming, was it okay if she took his place at the reception? When she said yes, I sent texts to the wedding planner about the change. Eventually, though, we found few folks up that late, and just kind of staring at each other.
She chuckled when she noticed my breasts resting on the table a bit as I leaned forward. "You know, it's been so long I can barely remember what it was like lugging that rack around. Like, I was happy when my boobs finally came in, and jealous of some of the girls who got bigger, but I kind of love dancing more now that it's not all about them swinging around and guys staring at them. Is that weird?"
"Nah. I mean, I kind of hated them until I was nursing Moira and they finally seemed useful rather than just in the way. Although, man, when they were pregnancy/nursing-sized... Ugh!" We laughed as I sat back up straight. "Okay, if we're going to talk about this stuff... What's it like being white?"
She blushed a bit, then started nervously twirling a bit of hair. "It's weird. Like, you've had to deal with how I didn't finish high school, and I kind of brought the same attitude the second time around, but people didn't give up on me. I don't know how much of that is a better-funded school and how much of it is people seeing me as having potential rather than being a lost cause. It's not easy or anything, because people shit on girls and foster kids and it's not like Cory is rich enough that I can have everything my classmates do, but I kind of feel like I'm fighting one less thing." She shrugged. "It's not like I'm some sort of big Swiftie or anything, though. Might be easier if I was, because liking the music and movies I like and doing hip-hop dance marks me too. And sometimes I forget that this isn't what I grew up thinking of as normal, the first time. At least until the crazy-hot guy on the basketball team doesn't even think redheads are cute!"
She yawned then, and stood. "Well, I guess we should get to bed. You've got a busy day tomorrow!"
I nodded and rode the elevator with her awkwardly, getting off first. I have to admit, I gave myself a closer look than usual as I undressed and did my evening skin-care routine, wondering if she'd seen anything that she decided she didn't want back from how civil and friendly that had all been. Or maybe we'd just both been who we were for long enough that being someone else felt like a lot of effort.
I slept pretty fitfully, which is why I'm up and at my laptop so early. But I think that's just wedding-day jitters - "I dos" are only a few hours away, and I'm probably going to spend most of that time getting ready.
-Jonah/Krystle
(Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, she's asked me to call her Mackenzie when I talk about her, even though I try to use everyone's original given names and like that Jordan writes about me as "Jonah". She says she doesn't want me to doubt myself, and certainly seems sincere enough about that.)
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