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I give her a death stare.
"You have got to be kidding me. You guys got engaged!" squeals Cassie, her eyes darting between me and Brad.
"We did," he says.
Cassie's excitement has drawn attention to us, and my parents make their way over to see what all the fuss is about. She holds my hand up to them, showing off my new very special piece of jewelry.
"Congratulations, you two, we couldn't be more thrilled," says my mom with a gigantic grin, and I wait for Dad's reaction. He's the one I wasn't sure would be happy. He has warmed up to Brad over the last six months, but I'm not sure we're at the point of family yet.
"You did it, son," he says with a genuine simile. I look at him, surprised, then to Brad who is smiling, pleased with himself. He must have asked my dad's permission. I had no idea he did that. It's old-fashioned but so sweet and would have meant the world to my father.
"Oh my God, do I get to be a bridesmaid?" asks Cassie.
I look at Brad and shrug. We haven't really talked wedding plans. I don't think we even want to get married any time soon. "I guess all three of you will be? We haven't made any decisions yet."
"You don't get to choose whether we'll be your bridesmaids, Andy. We're your sisters and you can't get married without us," says Jasmine. She is being very bossy tonight and kind of a pain in the ass about all of this. What's her deal? I glare at her. "Sorry, I just mean, some of us might not get a wedding of their own. We might have to live through you."
She says it sadly, and I feel bad for being a bitch. She's the one who always wanted the wedding to the perfect man, the whole fairy tale love story, not me. Twelve months ago, I couldn't give a fuck about any of it. It just hasn't worked out for her yet, but it will. If I'm any proof, it will all happen for her when the timing is right.
Someone calls to my mother, and she takes Cassie's hand and leads her over to a group of people she was just talking with, and Dad and Brad head over to the bar, so I'm left with just Jasmine.
"Jas, it will happen, you know. He's out there. You just haven't met him yet."
"Yeah, I'm starting to believe that's all bullshit, Andy. Maybe it's just not going to happen for me, and you know what… I'm okay with that. Don't need some guy to control my life, anyway. I'm better off on my own."
"Um, who are you and what have you done with my sister? The one who has believed in true love since we were kids and she used to parade around the house in Mom's heels with a pillowcase attached to her head as a veil."
"She gave up. She grew up and realized that's not how it is for everyone."
Jasmine is acting strange. I don't believe her, she's not the type to give up on love. "What is really going on here, Jas? You're hiding something from me."
She looks at me, all sweet and innocent, but it's the blush that rises up over her chest and her face that confirms it for me.
"Spill."
"Okay, fine, you're right, I'm hiding something. Something huge, but you can't tell anyone. Not Luna or Brad, and especially not Amelia or Cassie. The last thing I need is for Mom and Dad to ever know about this."
"Alright, what has my perfect sister been up to?"
"I'm serious, Andy, not a soul. Ever."
I gesture that I'm crossing over my heart. "Your secret is safe with me."
"I wouldn't say I was so perfect anymore." She pauses, and by the look on her face, I'm not sure if she's going to change her mind about telling me or if she'll burst into tears. "Oh my God, Andy, I think I have done something momentously stupid."
She leans in and whispers in my ear, and I glance at her in complete shock. Did I hear her correctly? I'm at a loss for words. My perfect goody-two-shoes sister is definitely not so perfect anymore, and I love it.
Her life just got a whole lot more exciting.
