Mature

I sat down at the kitchen table with a stack of papers in my hand. I set them aside and ran my hands heavily down my face. It had been about two weeks since Jimmy and I had gotten into our little dispute. Jimmy and my father had a few exchanges in words, but in the end, all was forgiven.

Jimmy had apologized over and over again to me, telling me how sorry he was for doing so. He had his doctor lower his sleeping medication back to normal, so he wouldn’t get into any more trouble. I chuckled lightly when I thought of the new stuffed animal Jimmy had baught me to add to my collection.

I still had the baby blue, stuffed animal he first gave me sitting on my bed. I could still picture that night like it had just happened. Devin had been ready to take it to blows, but Matt was calm enough to stop the oncoming fight. Angela had kept me outside, while she dialed Brian to come over.

Things had gotten way out of control that night. Jimmy had managed to keep the fight up, despite his slurring and odd actions. He spilt some hurtful words, which resulted in a black eye he sported for a few days. It was just beginning to disappear. I let out a quiet sigh, knowing that everything was now forgiven.

I spread my papers along the table and smiled down at them. My mom, Amy, Devin and I had gotten a lot of the work done for the wedding. The bill was already split between Jimmy and my parents, which I strongly tried to fight over, but they only shoved me aside. It was paid for by them whether I liked it or not.

I had all the bride’s maid dresses tailored and ready, but not my wedding dress. I had a lot more work to do with that before anything. The cake was ready, the restaurant was done and the invitations were sent out. I was growing more nervous by the day thinking about the wedding we were going to have.

It gave me butterflies, knowing that the only things we had left were the small amount of decorations, the flowers, wine and my dress. I slumped back into my seat and felt a smile crawl along my lips. There was a little less than three months until Devin and I would exchange our vows.

My mom walked into the room and gave me a warm smile. Her bag bounced against her side as she asked, “So, you ready?!”

I chuckled lightly as I got up from my seat. I left my papers where they were and walked out with my mom. Amy, my mom and I were going for another fitting for a wedding dress. I had sent Devin, after much debate, to go wine testing and find a few decorations. He knew that we both liked a lot of the same things, so it shouldn’t be difficult.

We got into my car and we made our way to Devin’s house. Amy came, nearly skipping, out of her front door and got into the car. We got to the store and I apprehensively got out of the car. I was so nervous to be trying on dresses. It didn’t matter what everyone thought when they saw me; most thought I was too young.

It just depended on how the dresses fit. I wasn’t sure if I was going to find the one dress that engaged women find at that special time. We walked into the store and I was quickly fitted into multiple dresses. The first few were horrible as they were either too baggy or poofy.

“I don’t want to look like a Disney Princess.”I chuckled lightly.”I’m sorry.”

“No problem, hon.”The woman smiled.”You’ll know the dress when you find it. Anything you have in mind that you might want to try?”

I tapped a finger to my chin and thought for a moment. The moment of when I told my mom how I wanted a corset dress came to mind and I smiled. I explained what I would like on the dress and the woman quickly disappeared. She pulled a dress through the door and ushered me to follow her.

I changed into the white dress and felt my eyes well in tears. It was a little big and would have to be altered, but I knew it was the perfect dress. I knew that I had that special moment each bride to be would have when they found the right dress for their wedding. I cupped a hand over my mouth and nodded quickly.

“This is it.”I whispered.”I have to show them!”

“Let’s go show them then.”She held the back of the dress as I walked up to Amy and my mom.

Their mouths fell open when they saw the dress I had on. From my hips to my breasts was a corset, which hugged my body tightly. It had a dark Victorian design along the thick fabric, which stopped above a smooth, flowing skirt. The back was just a little longer than the front, giving the impression of a Victorian bride of back in the day.

It complimented my body perfectly, which was exactly how I wanted it. I opened my arms wide and asked, “So, how do you like it?!”

They both simultaneously began to talk and I chuckled lowly. Quickly, I cut them off and said, “This is it!”

Amy and my mom squealed with excitement before pulling me into a hug. The worker behind me held onto the dress tightly, afraid that they would pull it down. I quickly changed back into my clothes and thanked the woman for her help in finding me my perfect wedding dress. I pulled out my phone and quickly went to Jimmy’s name.

I quickly wrote him a text, mentioning that I had finally found my wedding dress. I took a picture of the wonderful dress and sent it to him, hoping he would love it as much as me. I walked out to my mom and Amy and said, “Who’s hungry?”

We walked down a few stores and quickly grabbed lunch for the day. I sat down at the bar and said, “I text a picture to Jimmy. I hope he likes it.”

“I think he’ll love whatever you get, Hillari.”Amy smiled.

“She said it should be a few weeks until my dress it fitted to me.”I smiled.”But I can’t wait, now!”

“I’m sure.”My mom smiled.

When our food finally came, I looked down at my phone and realized that Jimmy had yet to text me back. I was debating sending him a few more, just to annoy him into checking his phone, but decided other wise. I took a few bites of my cheeseburger before hearing my phone start to go off.

I looked down and saw that Angela was calling my phone. I swallowed the food in my mouth and pressed my phone to my ear. My greeting was quickly cut off my sobs. I dropped my fork onto my plate as the loud screeching of sirens hit my ear from the background. Angela began speaking, but it was all fumbled words.

“An - Angela! What’s wrong?”I cupped a hand over my other ear, hoping it would help me hear better.

It’s J - Jimmy! Oh, Hillari! Come here, quick!

“I can’t hear you, Angela! Hey, calm down for me, alright? Please, tell me what’s going on. Calm down, Angela, it’s okay.”I said softly.

Amy and my mom watched intently, worry filling the fine lines of their faces. Angela continued to speak, but this time much more clearer.

It’s Jimmy, Hillari! He’s being sent to the hospital right now. You have to get down here!

“Wh - What?”I felt my phone slipping from my fingers as her sentence rumbled in my mind.

Go to St. Wayne’s Hospital, Hillari! Go, now! It’s not good.

I felt warm tears pick at the corners of my eyes. I swallowed hard and said, “You’re kidding.”

I could hear the phone fumble through hands and Matt’s deep, demanding voice came on on the other end. He was breathing heavily, as if he had been running or working out. I opened my mouth to speak as Amy and my mom began to ask questions. Quietly, I asked, “What’s going on, Matt?”

Jimmy - Jimmy is in the hospital, Hillari. You need to get here as soon as possible. It - It doesn’t look too good, sweetheart.

I felt my whole world come crashing down on me at that very moment. My mom and Amy let out a shout as I let the phone fall from my fingers. I hadn’t realized it, but I had fallen from my chair, catching everyone’s attention.

“Hillari!”Amy gripped my shoulders tightly.

“Hillari, what’s going on?!”My mom’s urgent voice did no good for me.

It was all swarming together. Every voice in the restaurant was molding into one, incoherent mess. I slowly got to my feet and heard Matt calling me on the other end. I ran my hands down my face and found myself letting out a loud cry. This was it, wasn’t it?