Paige Turned by Erynn Mangum

Author:Erynn Mangum
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION / Christian / General
ISBN: 9781612918112
Publisher: The Navigators
Published: 2014-03-31T16:00:00+00:00

I turn to Layla, who is slumped over like a Creamsicle sitting out in the sun too long, and poke her shoulder. “Pastor Louis said we can go,” I tell her.

The pandemonium that usually follows our pastor’s dismissal is in fine form today. Kids are yelling, parents are yelling back at them, people are laughing and hugging, and it’s like there’s this uncontainable joy in the room because it’s officially fall and not in the nineties outside.

Layla looks over at me and rubs her blotchy red eyes. “Oh. Yeah. Guess we can go now, huh?”

Peter is busy talking to Tyler on the other side of me, which is just a complete shock because Peter doesn’t talk to anyone. It’s like Layla and Peter have exchanged personalities here in the last three weeks before their wedding.

“You okay?” I ask her quietly.

She nods. “I was up super super late last night. Or early this morning. Or however you would say it.”

“What time did you go to bed?”

She pulls her cell phone out of her purse and squints at the numbers. “Well, if all goes well and traffic is good, hopefully in about twenty minutes.”

“You didn’t sleep all night?” I gasp.

Layla is not like this at all. Layla is the girl who refused to go to summer camp one year because the year before she didn’t get her customary ten hours of sleep every night. She’s been known to miss parties, graduations, and wedding receptions so she can go to bed.

Her mother always said she was the perfect baby.

“I was working on the programs,” she mutters, rubbing her hair.

“Programs.”

“For the wedding? You know, the who’s who of the ceremony.” She sighs. “Apparently it’s a big deal.”

“A big deal to who?”

“Pinterest.”

I close my eyes. “Layla . . .”

She yawns at me.

“Why didn’t you call me? I could have come to help.”

She shrugs. “I figured you were hanging out with Tyler. And plus, I wasn’t even totally sure what I was doing until I finished it.”

“Well. Next time, call me. Please. This is ridiculous that you aren’t sleeping to get things done for the wedding. Isn’t it supposed to be the happiest time of your life?”

Layla waves a hand. “Oh, Rick told us that’s all just a made-up thing by Disney to help them keep selling copies of Cinderella whenever they let her out of the Disney vault.”

Well, that was encouraging.

Natalie walks over then, a drooling Claire on her hip. She’s shoving what looks like a wafer at the baby’s mouth, but Claire is having nothing to do with it.

“Come on, kid, you’re supposed to love these very expensive disgusting treats,” Natalie grouses at her daughter.

“So marriage isn’t really a happy time?” I ask Natalie.

“Not when I’m PMSing and he’s in one of his fatalist moods. But otherwise it’s fine. Why? Who is married and unhappy?”

Layla raises her hand.

Natalie rolls her eyes. “You’re engaged. Big dif, my friend. Engagement stinks. Best thing to do is just accept that fact and plan a short one.” She nods to me.

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