Twist and Shout - Chapter 2: The Ceremony

Almost as soon as he had left the bathroom, his mom abandoned him to the wedding party. He found himself pulled by the hand by someone to a boy a few years younger than him. What new torment was this?

"This is Noah. You'll be walking with him." Noah, in his navy blue suit, complete with vest, looked so normal that Jimmy knew he would do anything to trade places with him. Noah smiled shyly at him, eyeing his dress. Jimmy knew from experience that boys had a disdain for dresses. He wished he could whisper to Noah that he was a boy too, but what good would that do? It would just make things worse for him.

“You two are going to walk down the aisle together.” The attendant said. “Noah, you’ll walk alongside the flower girl as she sprinkles rose petals the whole way, okay?” She smiled at the pair. “Isn’t she beautiful, Noah?” Noah bashfully nodded, looking away. “You might just upstage the bride, cutie!” She reached out and touched his curls. “Did your mommy make you sleep in curlers?” Unsure of what to say as she inspected his wig, Jimmy simply nodded, the bouncing of the curls seeming to delight the admiring woman. She surveyed them again and smiled happily. "Maybe in a few years, it'll be you two getting married." She laughed at the two mortified faces looking back at her.

“She doesn’t have cooties, Noah.” One of the bridesmaids said, smiling at Jimmy. “Remember what mom said? Be a little gentleman and compliment her.”

“Um,” the scarlet faced boy said, staring down at Jimmy’s skirt. “Your dress is pretty.” Jimmy groaned inwardly as he curtseyed again. Was he really going to have to keep this up all day?

“Alright, let’s line up, folks.” The attendant said, smiling at Jimmy once again. Noah seemed unsure of what to do with the girl beside him, reaching to take Jimmy’s hand, but then thinking better of it. Jimmy tried to take charge, but the attendant was really the authority, taking first Jimmy and then Noah by the shoulders to position them.

“Are… are you a princess?” Noah whispered. Jimmy groaned and shook his head. Learning that he was not, in fact, a princess seemed to relax Noah.

The music began to play and it was soon their turn to make their way down the aisle. Jimmy was almost relieved by the basket of petals he held as it meant Noah could not try to hold his hand. Still, sprinkling rose petals as he walked only made Jimmy feel even more like a sissy. Every eye seemed to be on him and there had to be at least a million people there. He spied his mom and Sarah in the crowd. His mom smiled sympathetically at him, but Sarah looked as if she might explode with joy at seeing her dorky little brother all dolled up and sprinkling rose petals. He felt like he might die as he was guided into a chair right in front, his voluminous skirt making it so that Noah had to sit a chair away. His knees knocked, but he knew no one could tell in his ridiculous dress.