The Bridesmaid

had just come from the formal lounge. I had already envisioned the look I would receive from Ava, who was in a red off-the-shoulder dress. I had already clocked Josephine behind her, who looked glamorous with her grey hair swept back from her face with two thick silver grips and a midnight blue shimmery dress that caught the light of the chandeliers as she moved. Caitlin, however, was dressed in a frog-green ruffly ballgown that stopped just below her knee. Underneath, she wore blue tights and a pair of black ballet pumps. I didn’t think any of the colours went together, but it was typical Caitlin. Her style was so unique and I was used to it now and enjoyed the theatre she brought to events. And I always admired the way Caitlin owned her looks and didn’t care that others may not think her attire choices to be appropriate. She arrived next to Chuck and gave me a subtle once over, then lingered longer on the dress. I could see her face draining of colour. Was Caitlin jealous?

‘Caity, doesn’t Sasha look fabulous? Look at her hair! Josephine, come and see.’ Chuck called around him.

I stood for a few moments whilst Josephine and Chuck made a bit of a fuss. I felt embarrassed but happy with the attention they were giving me. Ava politely said I looked very nice. I realised I was still clutching the Ferrero Rocher and so I held them out to Ava, who looked at them with some confusion, until I said it was my offering. Then she thanked me again and wandered off across the room, where I saw she put them on a high shelf out of the way where I was sure she would forget about them. Ava then poured herself a very large glass of champagne. Caitlin sucked her mouth in and then blew out her cheeks so her eyes were really wide.

‘Wow, Sasha, you really pulled out all the stops tonight.’ I really couldn’t tell what she meant by it.

‘Hasn’t she? She scrubs up pretty well. I would say, I have two belles of the ball with me tonight. May I get you a drink? What would you like, a Shandy Bass? Lemonade?’ Chuck put his arms around both me and Caitlin, who slipped out of his grip pretty quickly.

‘Lemonade, please,’ I said to Chuck, who did a funny little bow and then walked over to the drinks trolley where Beverly was now standing helping to serve. I looked around the room and saw Chuck’s parents, who turned briefly and gave me a wave. Maxwell was in the corner of the room talking to a man I didn’t recognise, and there was another couple who looked slightly older than Ava and Maxwell, but again I hadn’t seen them before.

‘So you went for black,’ Caitlin said.

‘It was my mum’s dress – she just took it up for me.’ I instantly regretted saying it. I wish I had pretended I had owned it all along.

‘Suits you,’ Caitlin said. Ava sashayed past us in the opposite direction. Caitlin glanced at her and pushed a stray hair behind my ear. Then she started speaking really loudly. ‘It really suits you, I mean, you look super glamorous, and your hair is really stylish, you should wear it like that more often.’

I felt Ava’s stare as she walked back the other way, and as I looked to my left, she had turned away, a slow smile beginning to etch its way across her face as though she were sharing a secret with herself.

At the table, I nibbled on a roll and sipped my lemonade. I had been seated next to Caitlin and to my left was Tim, Chuck’s dad. His mum, Rayner, was opposite me and snorted loudly when she laughed. The other couple I had seen when I had arrived were Tommy and Polly, and they had known the Clemontes for many years and always celebrated the New Year together. Polly was very nice and kept asking me if I was okay, did I need anything?

Even though Caitlin had said the grown-ups would allow us a glass of champagne, I was still shocked when Beverly came up behind me with a bottle and filled my coupe glass halfway. I looked at it and saw how Caitlin looked at me with a sly smirk.

‘Take a sip, it won’t kill you.’ She sniggered and took a gulp of hers. I looked for the wince that came after people took a sip of alcohol, the way I had seen them do it on TV programmes. She nodded at me and gave her hand a wave to say that I should get on with it.

I took a deep breath and looked down at my glass. I heard a high-pitched laugh come from the end of the table, and I looked up at Maxwell – who’d gone all out tonight with a red bow tie and a paisley shirt – sat next to Rayner, who was the one shrieking and snorting with laughter.

I took the glass by the stem, knowing that this one sip could lead to so much more. I wanted Caitlin to like me, to not see me as a complete dork. I thought of my parents back at the cottage, who had probably finished their pudding by now and were sat huddled around the TV. I felt a sudden urge to be there with them. What would they think of me if they could see me now with a glass of champagne? I watched as Chuck sipped his champagne slowly whilst listening intently to something Josephine was saying to him. The candles on the table flickered, and I brought the glass closer in front of me.

‘Oh, come on, Sasha.’ I heard Caitlin next to me.

I would be fine, I told myself. Just do this one thing, then you’ll be just like them. I lifted the glass and brought it to my lips. I could feel the effervescent drink