I followed Jenny around a little and made sure she had everything she needed. The DJ played some hip-hop music so of course the wedding party had to have a dance off on the little makeshift grassy dance floor we’d created. After Jenny kicked everyone’s ass by pulling out all the stops and yanking her dress up to do the Michael Jackson splits, I skipped up to the cottage to grab a sweater. There were only two bedrooms in the cottage—the smaller one I was staying in and the one that Jenny’s parents would stay in that night. Jenny and Tyler were getting swept away to some secret spot his parents had paid for and most of the other guests were either going back to the city or staying in a hotel nearby.
I opened the door and noticed right away a couple was in the room. They didn’t notice me because they were partially hidden by an old-fashioned privacy screen, plus they were… occupied. I squinted my eyes but couldn’t make out exactly what I was seeing and then I heard what was sadly becoming a familiar sound: Audrey and Will having sex. I backed out of the room, begging the universe to let me remain unseen. I shut the door and turned around to walk away when I ran smack into Will’s chest.
“Have you seen Audrey?” he said. I did a double-take. I must have looked as confused as I felt. Who the heck was in there with Audrey?
It wouldn’t be long before I found out. “What, Mia?” he said seriously and then Dustin walked out of the room and stood behind me, closing the door behind him. Will glanced at Dustin and then back at me. He looked dumbfounded and ruined like he was going to cry and then he whispered, “Oh no. Really? Really, Mia? You and him?”
Dustin and I stood there frozen and then with perfectly shitty timing Audrey opened the door and walked out. It was only a matter of seconds that we stood there, but it felt like an eternity. I couldn’t find the words to tell Will that I wasn’t part of it. His voice suddenly got loud and high. “What?” he said through crazy laughter. He was laughing and it was scary and then his expression turned to bewilderment and then disgust. “The three of you? What the fuck?” He turned on his heel and headed down the hallway, waving his arms around and mumbling something I was sure none of us could understand.
I turned and looked at Audrey and Dustin. “You guys are serious assholes. You should leave.” They looked blankly at me like idiots. I ran after Will, but I was a ways behind him. Every one of the guests watched as Will grabbed a giant bottle of whiskey and headed toward the dock. “What are you doing, Will?” I yelled after him.
I noticed Audrey and Dustin hadn’t taken my advice yet, because they came rolling out behind me. When I got to the top of the dock Will had already rowed himself to the middle of the pond in the tiny wooden boat. “Come back, Will, let’s talk,” I said, pleading with him.
“I’m not. Talking. To. You. Ever!” It was lunatic Will.
He stood up in the boat, looked at me, Dustin, and Audrey and flipped us off with both hands, then yelled, “Fuck all of you!” And then he lost his balance and the boat started rocking. He fell but sat right back up and started rowing away. “Don’t look for me!” he yelled as he rowed farther into the darkness.
All the wedding guests looked on with amusement. I looked at Jenny and mouthed, “Sorry.” As I turned to head back toward the cottage, I stopped in front of Dustin and Audrey, “Come on, the screw-happy drummer? So cliché, both of you. Just leave.” They turned and headed for their cars without a word.
I went to cottage and finally got that sweater and then I exchanged my heels for some Converse, grabbed a flashlight, and headed back out. The pond was only about the size of a football field and there was an easy-to-navigate footpath around the entire thing. I walked around to the other side where I found Will sitting in the boat on the shore, taking continuous swigs of whiskey.
“Will?” I said in a low voice.
“Don’t fucking come near me, Mia. I swear to God I will row myself into the middle of that Goddamn pond and stay there till next year.”
I stood still and spoke calmly. “I walked into the room and thought you and Audrey were having sex. I couldn’t see who it was behind the screen. I tried to sneak back out and that’s when I ran into you. I was confused.”
“Go away, Mia.”
I knew Will believed me because he knew me, but he was hurting and I wished I could comfort him. I looked back at the wedding where I could see the party winding down and people leaving. Seeing the lights from a place so dark was enchanting, but it made me sad that two people who were supposed to care about him had ruined such a beautiful place for Will. I went back to the wedding where everyone was cleaning up. I worried about Will, but he was surprisingly responsible for someone who could act so erratically. I knew he wouldn’t do anything stupid.