“Okay, so we have a whole day to go check out potential venues for the wedding.” Laura informed Wanda and Judith, as she got in the minivan, which was going to be driven by none other than a bored Scarlet.
“Why are you taking me with you, let me stay at home and drown in my sadness.” Scarlet grumbled as she hit her head against the steering wheel lightly.
From beside her, Clark grumbled as well, “Why do I have to be tortured as well?”
“Because you’re my assistant and if we’re getting no work done, it’s your fault.” Clark gave the woman a look of disbelief as he leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed. “It’s not even my family or wedding.”
“Yeah, well, this was precisely why I was trying to convince Lauren to have our wedding in New York. But no, she wanted it here.” Scarlet mumbled to herself with a frown while Clark rolled his eyes at his boss.
Not far from the minivan, Kevin whispered into Vanessa’s ear as she watched her daughter play with Pudding. The dog yipped behind the child while Samantha giggled adorably. The two were playing in the front yard since practically all the Payne adults were outside of the house.
A few of them were getting ready to go book a good caterer while the women and Scarlet were going to go check out venues.
“Do you think Scarlet should go to choose the venue, I mean, she has good taste in fashion and women, but she isn’t so hot when it comes to picking places for important events.” Vanessa frowned following Kevin’s line of sight, who was staring at the dark-haired woman in the car banging her head against the steering wheel lightly, as if it was torture for her.
Vanessa didn’t know why Kevin thought that, but she didn’t have to wonder long since she got a clear memory of her sister booking a marriage hall for Vanessa’s graduation party. And to top things off, she even invited a clown to perform. It was all so embarrassing.
But, this was her own wedding now, the girl wouldn’t choose a bad place for her own wedding ceremony, now would she? Vanessa had a clear answer. Yes, yes, she would. But, Vanessa didn’t care.
“Eh, let her decide. It’s her own wedding, anyway.” Kevin gave his wife a horrified look before he lightly pushed her towards the minivan that was almost prepared to leave.
Wanda and Judith were busy loading up the last basket which contained small home-made treats, courtesy of Laura, who had woken up early to bake and make all the cookies and sandwiches she could.
“Go get her out of there before you regret not doing so in the future.” Vanessa frowned at her husband before she complied.
Walking over to the minivan, she took a long breath. “Mom, I think it would be better if Scarlet sits this one out.” Laura stuck her head out of the small window of the car, already frowning with confusion. “Why?”
“Um, because Scarlet is bad at decision making?” Laura raised an eyebrow as Vanessa stood nervous on what to do now. “Hey! I am not bad at making decisions!”
Vanessa gave her sister the stink eye, which was an effective way to shut Scarlet up without another word out of her mouth. “Leave Scarlet at home, you can take Juliet with you.”
“I am not going anywhere!” Juliet yelled from somewhere in the front yard. Vanessa rolled her eyes at her cousin. First her sister, then her cousin, there was no one that listened to her. Kevin didn’t even listen to her when she told him to leave Scarlet as she was.
Sighing in frustration, Vanessa looked at her mother patiently before speaking, “I’ll volunteer to go, but just don’t take Scarlet.” The mentioned woman stared at her sister with curiosity. She didn’t know why her older sister was being so kind, but Scarlet wasn’t complaining. She was happy that she could escape from the day out with her aunts and mother. She really did want to go decide on a venue but that wasn’t for her. Lauren was the one that usually decided on important things.
Scarlet was suddenly reminded of Lauren and how the blonde woman wasn’t with her at the moment. This made her sadder.
“Okay then, but Clark stays.” Laura bargained as she moved her head back inside the van and signaled Vanessa to take Scarlet’s place at the driver’s seat. “Why me? I am bad at decision making too.” Clark spoke helplessly while Scarlet got out of the minivan with a happy expression.
She would just laze around the whole day and maybe call Lauren to see how the blonde is doing, but majorly because she wants to hear her fiancé’s voice.
“Shut up.” Vanessa spoke sharply as she turned her head to glare at the innocent man, before glaring at a woman that was happily skipping inside of the house. Scarlet hadn’t even stayed to say her goodbyes to her sister or mother.
From a small distance away, Kevin gave his wife two thumbs’ up as he smiled widely. Vanessa only threw him a glare before they were ready to leave.
She backed the minivan out of the driveway before driving away from the Payne residence.
Inside the Payne residence, Scarlet went to the basement where she immediately laid down on her movable mattress. A sigh escaped her lips as she turned on her side before taking out her phone from her pants.
It was the best time to text Lauren to see if the blonde was free or not. As if, she would be busy in the first place, she only had a mother and a brother to handle, while Scarlet had the complete package.
It wasn’t that Scarlet was ungrateful – she was always happy to have a family no matter how weird and embarrassing they all were. But, there was a limit to how much she could handle her family on regular days, and since Scarlet was growing older and she had found a strand of white hair on her head, she was really intolerable now.
Typing into the phone, Scarlet smiled at her message before pressing send.
What you doing pretty thang? – Scarlet [11:03]
It was only a minute of wait for the dark-haired woman as she got a reply instantly.
Thinking about you. – Lauren [11:04]
Scarlet couldn’t help but to find herself turning a little red at the reply. She smiled as she looked at how the blonde girl was typing something again.
I miss you :_( - Lauren [11:04]
I miss you too :_) - Scarlet [11:05]
“Scarlet! Where the hell are you!?” Scarlet clicked her tongue before throwing her phone beside herself on the mattress before getting up. “What!?” She answered back in an exclamation to Blake’s annoying voice.
A minute later, the man came through the doorway of the room Scarlet was in. Juliet and Katie followed him.
“We’re gonna go visit Lauren, you wanna come.” There was a smirk on the man’s face as he looked at Scarlet suggestively. The dark-haired woman raised a questioning eyebrow before looking at all three of the people in front of her.
It wasn’t that Scarlet didn’t want to go visit Lauren, it was just that this offer was coming from two of her evil cousins and an ex that was giving her a smirk. It all seemed pretty suspicious.
“What’s the catch?” Scarlet folded her arms across her chest, which made Blake chuckle annoyingly. “You know us so well, dear cousin.”
Scarlet’s eyebrow remained raised as she looked at Blake, who answered her, “We want to arrange your bachelorette party.”
The horrified expression on Scarlet’s face was enough for the three stood before her. They knew the answer which was coming, but they still tried to think positive.
“Hell no! Clark is gonna do that.”
“Clark? He’s not even your family!”
Scarlet rolled her eyes at Blake before going back to looking at her phone.
“Aww, come on, don’t you remember how much fun we had at Vanessa’s party.” Juliet chimed in, but it made things worse for them.
“Yeah, and you made a stripper give grandma a lap dance!”
“O-kay, I wasn’t told that.” Katie turned to look at Juliet and Blake questionably, but she was ignored by the two as they looked at Scarlet. “That was only one time!”
“Yeah, and how many of us have been married before, you dimwit?” Scarlet hissed as she shook her head frantically while continuously saying no under her breath.
“Oh, come on, stop being such a wuss.” Juliet rolled her eyes as she crossed her arm with attitude. Scarlet stared at her cousin with a frown. A wuss, she was just being cautious.
“I’m out of here.” She threw her hands up in exasperation before leaving the room, leaving her cousins and Katie behind.
“Okay, so plan B now.” Juliet mumbled loud enough for her two companions to hear. Katie looked at her with a frown while Blake give his cousin a shake of the head. “That would be going too far.”
The terror on Blake’s face was enough to make Katie re-think her decision to joining the two in their mission. “Uh, I think I’ll just go watch some TV.” Katie mumbled nervously as she turned to leave the room as well but she was held by Juliet, who grabbed her shirt from the back.
“Nuh, uh, you’re not leaving here.” Katie gulped, feeling herself suddenly scared of the red-head. “If you don’t help us, then you’re against us.”
Blake widened his eyes knowing well that anyone who went up against Juliet was a dead person. He suddenly remembered that eight grader that had once pulled on Juliet’s braid, he got kicked in the nuts and didn’t show up to school for a whole week. He stayed far away from her after he started coming to school again.
“Uh, Jules, let’s not fight amongst ourselves now.” A sharp look from the red-head made Blake shut up for a while. Katie turned to face Juliet, who looked quite scary at the moment.
“Um, okay, so what’s plan B now?” The terrified woman asked as she regretted her decision of helping Juliet.
Blake sighed a breath of relief when Katie didn’t go any further with her rebellion.
The red-head’s lips stretched into a wide smile as she thought of the only way to convince Scarlet. The only woman besides Lauren that could control Scarlet: Mrs. Laura Payne.
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