Smiling In Everything

"Hey," Jack grins, leaning down to press a kiss to my temple. "Where've you been? You disappeared over fifteen minutes ago." He hands me my champagne glass from before and I thank him.

"I ran into Zack," I answer, sipping at the drink, letting the bubbly liquid run down my throat. "I was talking to him." I slip my arm into his, grinning up at him.

"Well," he says, leading me into the living room, where people were strutting about, "you missed a very interesting talk with Alex." He makes a face. "If I have to hear one more thing about the wedding, I will shoot myself." We stop near the wall, looking around at the other party-goers.

"That bad, huh?" I ask, licking over my lips nervously.

"Yes," Jack groans, shaking his head. "Flowers, suits, dresses, venues. It's awful."

I laugh, gazing around the rest of the room. I recognized a few people, friends in other bands that All Time Low have toured with. I waved to some, others came over and said hi. It wasn't until Alex and Rein stood in front of the fireplace that everyone quieted down.

"Thank you guys for coming," Rein's sing-song voice chirps over the silence. I scrunch my nose up. "We're all really you're happy to celebrate our joyous occasion."

I could feel the queasy feeling building inside of me.

"Rein and I were talking today," Alex cuts in, his arm tightening around her waist, "and we've decided on a date." Everyone breaks out into cheering. My stomach drops.

"We know it's kinda soon," he continues, "but we feel so right about it."

They let the suspense build, everyone practically on the edge of their seats as they waited in anticipation. Jack just looked like it was news he heard everyday, leaning casually against the wall. And me? I felt like I was gonna pass out.

"It's in exactly three months," Rein finally says, her face widening into a grin. "July 26th."

The breath hitches in my throat. July 26th? My birthday? They really had to pick that as the day to get married? Why couldn't they have picked any other day?

"Hey Jack," I whisper in his ear, setting my drink down on the table beside me, "I'm gonna go outside for some fresh air, okay? There's just so many people in here that it's getting to my head." I swallow, hoping he doesn't see through my lie.

"Sure," he grins, pecking me lightly on the lips. "Come back when you're ready."

I nod and move stealthily out of the living room, making my way to the door. I step outside, sprinting to the herd of bushes on the side of the property. The moment I was there I hunch over, emptying everything in my stomach. A cough ricochets over my body after I was done, dry heaves coming out in spirals.

Once I knew I was finished I sit back on my heels, breathing in deeply. I suddenly felt unbelievably exhausted, like I just chugged an entire bottle of NyQuil.

"Sadie?"

I snap my head up, looking toward the house.

Light filtered onto the porch from the open front door, the sounds of the party greeting my ears. A figure stood at the edge of the patio, peering out into the yard to search for me. I could tell by the way he stood that it was Alex.

"Over here," I call out, getting to my feet clumsily, forgetting that I was wearing five inch heels to at least be at Jack's shoulder tonight.

He walks across the grass, the dewy plants squishing under our feet as we meet halfway.

"Where'd you run off to?" he grins, tucking his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "I haven't seen you all night." He nudges me with his elbow, chuckling.

I couldn't bring myself to tease back. "I haven't been feeling well lately."

He frowns, cocking his head to the side. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something." He shifts to his other foot, bringing up a hand to pull it through his hair. "About earlier today at the diner..."

"Oh," I could feel heat rushing to my cheeks, and I was very glad it was dark outside. "That was nothing. I just...it's been rough lately and..."

"Really," he answers flatly. "Cause to me it seems like you hate Rein."

I raise an eyebrow, a jolt going through me. "Where'd you get that impression?"

Alex shrugs, looking down at the ground. "Whenever she's around you, you always find some excuse to leave or to not have to communicate with her as much as possible." He looks at me dead on. "So either you have some kind of problem with her, or you need to work on your people skills."

I breathe in deeply. Honestly, Rein is a fantastic person. Her and I actually have tons in common. The only real problem I have with her is that she has Alex and I don't. Other than that, me and her could be great friends.

But I can't just say that to Alex.

"Fine," I open my eyes, cringing at his accusing stare. "I don't like her."

He throws his arms in the air dramatically. "Why didn't you say anything before? I've been dating the girl for over a year now, and you never even said anything to me."

"I saw how happy she made you," I shrug, telling half the truth. "I couldn't just take that away from you." I look up at the sky, the stars and moon reflecting off of us. "I can't let my feelings get in the way of a friend's happiness."

He was quiet for a long time.

"Come on," he whispers, his hand finding mine in the darkness. "Let's go back inside."