The four women and their new companion arrived at the nearest chapel. They stood in front of a desk and looked around for anybody that could help them in the slightest. Jade noticed a bell on the counter and tapped it with her index finger. Pretty soon an older man walked form a backroom with a car salesman smile plastered on his face.
"Hello, folks. How may I help you?" He asked.
"Hi. My friends and I are here to inquire about a wedding that occurred here last night, specifically between these two," Jade gestured to Monet and Adrián. The man looked at the curvy woman and the well built man. An expression of realization came onto his features at the sight of them.
"Oh yes. I remember these two. They came in wanting to get married as quickly as possible," He informed them, "This young lady here was quite frisky."
Monet's face burned with embarrassment while Yvette looked off to the side to laugh at his comment. The curvy glared at her friend icily for even laughing. It wasn't funny that somebody else had witnessed her drunken tendencies.
"So they did get married here?" Jade asked ignoring her laughing cousin.
"Yes they did. Would you like to see the pictures?" He inquired.
"No!" Monet shouted mental.
"Yes please," Adrián responded from beside her. Monet and Adrián stepped up towards the counter as the man took out a photo album. He flipped through and finally landed on a page. On that page was a picture of Monet and Adrián standing at the alter together in the clothes they had on now. The only thing different was the fact that Monet had a veil on in the photo. In that same picture, they were kissing each other passionately while the Elvis cosplaying priest stood with a smile behind them.
"Wow. It's so cliché that it is true," Josie remarked.
"Is there any way to have this annulled?" Jade asked.
"There is a way to do it, but they'll have to wait a year," He responded.
"A year?!" Adrián and Monet exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yes. A year," He answered, "You two signed the marriage contract along with a witness, which was officiated by one of our ordained ministers. You even paid a seventy-seven dollar fee as well."
"They paid? With what money?" Jade asked. The man brought another book and showed them a receipt.
"This just keeps getting more and more complicated as it goes," Adrián remarked.
"Uh-huh," Monet agreed. So it was official. Monet had officially been married to a complete and utter stranger in Las Vegas. Why the hell did she go and do something as cliché as that? God. What the hell was wrong with her? What was she going to do? What was she going to tell her parents?
Jade took notice of the distressed expression on her best friend's face and then turned to the man.
"Do you mind giving us that certificate?" She asked.
"Sure. It's all yours," He answered, "Did you all need help with anything else?"
"No, sir, we do not. Thank you for helping us," Jade answered taking the certificate from him.
"No problem. Enjoy your stay here in Las Vegas and congrats on your wedding," He said. They all left the chapel together and they walked to the car.
"Okay, you two. Since this marriage is real and not fake at all, you two are going to have to stick it out for a year and let it expire," Jade said.
"She's right," Yvette chimed in, "As much as I can tell that you both don't want to be married to a complete stranger, you have to."
"Look on the bright side, at least you don't have to get married," Josie spoke up.
"Yes, but what do I tell my parents?" Monet asked.
"And mine too?" Adrián muttered under his breath, "My mom is going to kill me for eloping."
"See? Now you both have something in common," Yvette said. Everyone gave her an incredulous look as soon as she said that. It was not the time for Yvette's sometimes hilarious antics.
"Between the both of you, now is not the time for your bullshit," Josie gestured to Jade and Yvette.
"Sorry," They mumbled feeling ashamed of their earlier actions.
"Anyways, like the man said before, all you two have to do is just let the certificate expire and then boom. You're not married anymore and you can go on with your lives," Josie explained.
"That's true, but there's the problem of me getting married in a couple of days," Monet spoke up.
"That's true," Josie mumbled.
"Wait. You were supposed to get married in a couple of days and you don't even like the guy?" Adrián asked.
"No," Monet shook her head.
"That's stupid. Why not call it off?" He asked.
"Because it's...it's complicated," Monet sighed heavily.
"Well, wife of mine, I've got all day to listen to you," He told her.
"Oh ha ha," Monet rolled her eyes.
The three people that were with them had been completely ignored as they began to bicker. They did not mind being ignored because it was entertaining watching this married couple go back and forth with each other.
"They really do sound like a married couple," Jade remarked. Yvette and Josie hummed in response.
"You're so annoying!" Monet cried out in frustration.
"So are you!" Adrián countered. They continued to bicker again for moment until Yvette broke it up.
"Okay! It's getting annoying as fuck now," Yvette states truthfully.
"She's right. Let's just calm down and at least get some food," Jade suggested, "We need to know the man that our friend is married to."
"Why? It's not like we'll ever see each other again," Adrián rolled his eyes.
"He's right. There's no point," Monet agreed.
Jade leaned in and whispered to Yvette, "At least they have one thing they agree on."
"You don't know that," Josie waved them off.
"Yes I do. I live all the way in New York right now," He responded.
"New York? What part?" Yvette inquired.
"Brooklyn," He answered.
"Boy, we live there too," Jade said.
"Wait. What? You're joking right?" He asked.
"Nope," Monet shook her head, "We're from New York."
"Well then I guess you guys will be seeing more of each other," Yvette smirked.
"Just because we're in the same state and city that doesn't mean anything at all," Monet said.
"She's right and it's not like I want to see you anyway," He replied.
"I had the same sentiments, jackass," Monet hissed. They both glared daggers at each other before huffing and looking away.
"Like an old married couple," Jade joked. Yvette and Josie laughed at the joke.
"Since they're married, the only way to resolve their issues with each other is to just go to counseling," Josie said. The three women laughed even more at the joke. Those three continued making jokes at their expense and much to their chagrin. At least somebody was having fun with the situation.
Speaking of situations, Monet was still fearful of what was soon to come when she got home and relayed the news to her parents. She knew the outcome was going to be horrific and filled with lots of shouting, anger, and tears. She knew that once she go home and told her parents of the situation that they would be livid. She just knew that things weren't going to end all that well for her once she broke the news.
Jade, after having calmed down, saw that same distressed expression form on Monet's face. She knew that her best friend was worrying over what was going to happen when they got back home. She knew that her best friend was already mentally preparing herself for the worst.
While the others were so wrapped up in the conversation, Jade pulled Monet off to the side to talk to her.
"I saw the look on your face, Mo. C'mon. Talk to me," Jade said.
"You already know what's going on, Jay. It's just that I'm worried about what's going to happen when I get home and tell my parents about this whole thing. You know how they are," Monet confessed.
"Yeah I know," Jade sighed. She knew what happened with Monet's older sister, Tyra, after she got pregnant. Their parents kicked her out and erased her out of their lives completely. They made sure to use Tyra as a arming towards what would happen if Monet and her brother made mistakes like that. Jade knew that her best friend getting eloped with some stranger was going to be much worse and have a bigger blowout than before.
"If, and hopefully they won't, kick you out, you can move in with me. I've got a second bedroom in my apartment and it's all yours if you want it," Jade informed her, "All you have to do is say the word."
"Thank you, Jade," Monet smiled.
"You're welcome. Not only is this me showing some hospitality, I'm also finally achieving my dream of having you, my best friend, move in with me," Jade said.
"Of course you had ulterior motives," Monet chuckled sniffling. Jade pulled her best friend into a hug as she began to cry. Monet was very grateful to have Jade as friend. She was very caring and kind towards her no matter what. Jade was always there for her in her time of need and always assured her that she would have her back no matter what. Jade was the type of person that Monet had wished to be blood related with.
"Money, are you okay?" Yvette asked with concern in her voice. Monet kept her back turned for a minute after pulling away from Jade to wipe her tears.
"Yeah I'm fine," She smiled assuringly.
"I can clearly see that you've been crying about what's going to happen when you get home, but just know that you have a place here in Vegas if you ever want to get away," Yvette said.
"Thanks, Yvette," Monet smiled.
"Even though we've known each other a couple of hours, I have your back like these two do," Josie responded.
"Thanks, Josie," Monet chuckled.
"See? We've all got your back, Mo," Jade said.
"I see and I appreciate it. Thank you for being there for me," Monet replied.
"You're welcome. Now let's go grab something to eat because I'm starving," Yvette said.
"Me too. I didn't want to say anything earlier since it would be insensitive given the situation," Josie added.
"Wait. What are we going to do about our new friend?" Monet asked.
"Aww crap," Jade hissed, "I forgot about him for a moment."
"Me too. I guess we'll take him wherever he needs to go," Yvette said.
"That's a good idea," Josie agreed.
"Okay. We can take him where he needs to go," Jade nodded. The four women walked back towards the car to find Adrián leaning against it.
"What took y'all so long?" He asked.
"We were just talking," Monet answered. He nodded.
"Well do you guys mind dropping me off at my hotel?" He questioned.
"Nah we don't mind. Where are you staying?" Jade asked. He told them the exact hotel and surprise, surprise. It was the same one as Jade and Monet. It seemed as if today was filled with a lot of coincidences.
"Wait. You're staying there?" Jade asked.
"Yeah," He answered.
"I don't believe it," Monet mumbled in disbelief.
"Don't tell me that you all are staying there too," He said.
"No. It's just us," Jade gestured to herself and Monet.
"As for us, we live here in Vegas," Yvette gestured to herself and Josie.
"What the hell is up with these coincidences?" He muttered. The four women just shrugged.
"Since you're going to the same place as us, we're going out to eat," Jade responded.
"What? Why not drop me off at the hotel?" He asked.
"Because I don't feel like it and if I go there, then I'll just stay there all day and sleep," Jade answered.
"So c'mon, son. We're going to eat and celebrate your marriage to our friend," Yvette joked. He rolled his eyes at her remark.
"Fine. I'll come with, but I have no money," He said.
"I'll cover you," Monet offered.
"Thanks, but I don't think I can allow you to do that. I'll just-" He was cut off by the sound of his stomach growling.
"Well your stomach doesn't seem to have any objections to me paying," Monet smirked.
"Fine. I'll let you pay, but I'm paying you back," He firmly stated.
"Yes, sir," She giggled. They all piled into the car together. Somehow, Josie, Jade, Yvette thought they were slick by having Monet and Adrián sit beside each other in the second set of passenger seats while Josie sat in the very back by herself. The two said nothing about it, but they noticed how slick those three thought they were.
As they rode to the nearest breakfast spot, music was playing and Yvette and Jade were singing while Josie types away on her phone.
"Earlier we got off on the wrong foot," Adrián said.
"Really now?" Monet sarcastically asked.
"Yes we did, smart ass. I just want to apologize and start over," He responded.
"What made you want to do that?" She asked.
"Well we are technically married and there's no point in acting like an old married couple," He replied.
"But you said that we wouldn't see each other again," Monet reminded.
"Yeah I did, but it seems like there are a lot of coincidences happening with us," He said.
"That's true," Monet chuckled.
"So what do you say? Do you want to start over?" He asked.
"Sure. Let's start over," Monet smiled. He held out his hand.
"Hi. I'm Adrián Castillo," He said.
"Monet Simmons," She shook his hand.
"Well, Mrs. Castillo, it seems as if last night you were a little wild than expected," He smirked.
"Oh God. Please don't tell me that," She groaned.
"It's true. I have scratch marks on my back and quite a few hickeys on my neck," He laughed. Monet had noticed the marks she left on him earlier and she was hoping that he wouldn't notice or say anything. She didn't need him bringing it up right about now.
"Please don't say anything around them," She mumbled.
"I won't," He laughed, "However, I did leave some on you."
"Ugh. I'm sure they noticed," Monet groaned.
"I wouldn't put it past your friends to let something like that go unnoticed," He chuckled.
"Of course they wouldn't. As soon as you leave, they'll start hounding me with questions," She rolled her eyes.
"I'm sure they can't be th-"
"Bitch, fuck out of here with that bullshit. Talking about some, 'he was interested in me and not you'," Yvette kissed her teeth.
"Oh fuck you too, you delusional ass hoe. He was feeling up on me all night," Jade said.
"And he was feeling up on me too and he took me to the bathroom to eat my coochie out," Yvette gave her the finger. Jade began to gag as soon as she heard that.
"Hold on. Are you serious?" Jade asked in disgust.
"Mhm," Yvette proudly smiled.
"Uh-uh. I'm about to throw the fuck up," Jade said.
"What? Why?" Yvette asked.
"Because he kissed me," Jade answered.
"Oh hell nah. That nigga is nasty as fuck," Yvette said.
"Yes he is and I should whoop his fucking ass," Jade replied.
"I'll help," Yvette agreed. After hearing that conversation, Monet turned to Adrián with a cocked eyebrow.
"You were saying?" She asked.
"I take it back. They are that bad," He responded.
"Mhm," Monet said.