One best friend is getting married while the other is scared of her life changing forever, in this tale by We Are Not Like Them authors Christine Pride and Jo Pia zza

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She’s not naive enough to believe your wedding day is the start of a brand-new life, but she’s going to try like hell to make it that way. I’m getting married today! Jen would scream it to the few people on the street this early, below the hotel balcony, but she’d wake Riley, sleeping in one of the double beds a few feet away. Her best friend’s eyes dart wildly behind her lids, betraying a restless, intense dream.

Between getting in so late, and staying up until 3am talking and devouring the bounty from the mini bar, Riley probably won’t be psyched for the 9am manicure and pedicure appointments Jen booked at their favourite salon, but she wanted one more quiet hour alone with her best friend before all the chaos starts.

Her (almost) motherin-law has a drill sergeant’s schedule lined up, starting at 11am.

Cookie was already none too happy when Jen announced the lastminute change of plans to get ready here in this suite. Originally the plan was for everyone to do hair and make-up in the basement of St Mike’s, where the ceremony was being held. The chapel itself was beautiful, the dank smelly basement with its one warped mirror, not so much.

Maybe she’s not ready to face the fact she might become the worst cliché she could imagine: an unwed black mother

Riley came to the rescue with a reservation at the Loew’s, to which Cookie could only grumble: “Well, that’s going to cost her a pretty penny. I didn’t think someone like her could afford that.”