The Stand-in Bride

RAVEN

“Where is your sister?” Their voices rang through my ears in unison the minute I walked through the door. I looked up at them with the wet umbrella in my hand dripping water on the marble floor.

“What?” I asked confused

“Where is Julia?!” My father screamed at me

How was I supposed to know that?

“I-I-” I tried to speak but I was so caught off guard by the whole interaction that I didn’t know how to speak properly. I had been working back-to-back shifts at the bar for the past two days, barely getting enough sleep between them.

I was extremely exhausted and just wanted to lie in bed and get some proper sleep.

“The wedding is tomorrow, do you fucking know what that means!” My father yanked his hair tightly pacing the living room

The wedding!

It finally registered in my brain what the chaos was about. My father looked furious and frustrated at the same time, while Helena kept weirdly staring at me. I didn’t know what the look was about or even cared to know, it had nothing to do with me and the best thing I could do was get out of their hair like always.

I walked behind the couch quietly trying to go up the stairs without being noticed but before I could take a single step, Helena fired

“Did you just hear what I said?”

“The wedding is tomorrow” she repeated which I already heard loud and clear but it had nothing to do with me.

All I knew about it was that Julia was set to get married to someone from the Blackwood family. I knew that because of how much she spoke about being a wife, she was over the moon about it. I didn't know who it was or what he looked like, I was never carried along in anything that went on in that house.

“I had a long day at work” I tried to defend myself

“And whose business is that?” She asked with a scowl

“This is a family problem!” She shouted

“Family? Yeah right” I almost scoffed

“Shouting isn't going to help honey” my father spoke again

“She can act like she isn’t part of this family for other things but this is serious” she began ranting out of nowhere

“Do you know what happens if the marriage doesn’t happen?” She asked

“It throws us into debt” she answered her question

I didn’t see how that had anything to do with me but why did she run away? Because for all I knew she was excited to be a wife.

“You would just have to get married in her place” Helena shrugged, I stared at her confused and still trying to figure out the gibberish that was coming out of her mouth

“What?” I turned to at my father when he said nothing

All I wanted to do since I walked through that door was jump in my bed and get under my covers, I had had the roughest day anyone could have. I was barely holding it together.

I decided not to say anything else and just pretend I never heard a word. I continued to walk up the stairs ignoring the whispers behind my back.

“Aren’t you going to say something?” Helena whispered through her teeth to my father

“Raven” my father called just when I got to the last stair, my heart did a somersault in my chest and my throat went dry.

“No!” I screamed before he could say anything else

“I would not be replacing anybody, find your daughter and leave me out of it!!” My voice was shaking as I spoke

“You are getting married tomorrow” he firmly said and I let out a shrieking scream

“No!”

“I have a boyfriend” I began to sob but no one was listening

“You are not married” my father countered

“I am not marrying a stranger!!” I stomped my feet in protest but my father didn’t even bat an eye

“It’s finally Raven that’s the only choice we have” he plainly said

“It is Julia, not me!” I screamed running down the stairs

“I am not anyone’s stand-in” I rushed for the door

“Where are you going?!” Helena tried to stop me but I pushed past her and jolted out the door.

I wasn’t buying the sudden disappearance of Julia, if it meant looking for her that was exactly what I was going to do.

I didn’t care about the heavy rain falling, I ran into it. I ran a distance until I got to a friend of hers who lived around. The rainwater kept blurring my vision, so I kept wiping my face with the back of my hand as I rang the doorbell.

“Who is it?” I finally heard someone ask through the intercom

“It is Raven, Julia’s sister!” I shouted over the loud clattering of the rain

“Is Julia here? So you have any idea where she can be?” I asked

“I don’t give a fuck about that bitch” she hardly said

“Please do you have any idea where she can be? It is an emergency” I asked

“I hope she is found in a ditch somewhere!” She shouted

“Can I have the number of another friend?” I asked but was met with silence

There wasn’t any surprise with her response even as someone who was her supposed friend because Julia was a big-time bitch to everyone.

I stood in the rain on the verge of breaking down, I knew if I didn’t find her just like my father said. I was going to get married in her place regardless of whether I wanted to or not.

Should I run away too?

Running away meant leaving everything behind.

My boyfriend.

How was I even going to survive?

Tears filled my eyes instantly. Not in a million years did I think as I walked through the door from work I was going to be hit with the news of getting married.

If I had known, I never would have shown up.