Cristina groaned, as she opened her eyes. Tonight was the wedding rehearsal and dinner for her older sister, Clarissa and her fiancé, Justin Morelli.

"Oh, my God. Why me?" she shrieked to herself. The 15-year-old had never wanted to be part of the bridal entourage but she had been forced into it by her mother. When Clarissa had told Cristina about her lavender bridesmaid dress, the teenager had balked at the thought. "I am not going to be one of your stupid bridesmaids," she told her sister.

Clarissa had burst into tears and had run to their mother about what Cristina had said. Her mother, Helen, had come in and scolded her younger daughter about it. Helen said that Clarissa was under so much pressure about the wedding and the least that she could do was agree to be a bridesmaid.

"But she already has a maid of honor and four other bridesmaids," Cristina protested. "Why does she need another one? I would have to wear a dress, Mom, and you know how much I hate dresses." Helen was aware that her teenage daughter was a tomboy, who lived in jeans and t-shirts on a daily basis.

"You are her only sister, her baby sister," Helen said. "How would it look that her own sister couldn't stand up for her at her wedding? I mean Cristina, it's only for a few hours. Can't you do this for your sister? Wear the dress and the high-heeled shoes for a few hours. It's her wedding day and it is very important for her."

"What? High-heeled shoes, too? I just can't believe it. It is getting worse and worse," Cristina said, stomping up and down in her bedroom.

"Cristina! Stop being so childish," Helen said. "You are going to be a bridesmaid. I have tried being reasonable but I guess I just have to lay down the law, here. When it is your turn, I hope you remember this. I am sure that Clarissa will do all she can to help you."

"My turn, Mom? I am never getting married," she declared. "Never." Her mother looked at her youngest child with disdain and left the room. Thus, since Helen had declared it, Cristina had no choice but to be a bridesmaid.

She remembered that terrible day with tears in her eyes. Besides having to wear a dress and high-heels, there was another reason that Cristina did not want to be a bridesmaid. Being a member of the wedding party meant that all eyes were going to be on anyone, who was a part of it. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. She didn't want people looking at her. She was at her most awkward stage of life. Her curly hair was out of control and she didn't know what to do with it. Her mother had forbidden her to cut it because since she wore tomboyish clothes, she didn't want people thinking that her daughter was a boy. So there she was with the thick, uncontrollable curly hair, glasses and braces. Not the most attractive combination, she thought.

She got out of bed and stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. "Good God, is that a zit I see coming up on my chin?" she shrieked. "Just my freaking luck." As she brushed her teeth, she told herself that she needed to just get through these two days. Then, her life would go back to normal.

She changed her clothes and went down for breakfast. Her mother, her father and her sister were all down there.

"So there you are," Clarissa said. Twenty-three year old Clarissa, with her long, perfect,straight hair, beautiful teeth and flawless skin, gave her a beaming smile. Cristina grunted.

"Cristina, stop acting this way," Helen warned her younger daughter.

"I need something to eat," Cristina said. "Then, I can be civil."

"Okay, there are scrambled eggs on the stove. You can have some toast, too. There's orange juice, too or you can make a cup of tea," Helen said. Cristina made herself a cup of tea and grabbed some toast and eggs. She sat opposite her father, who gave her a wicked smile. She grinned back at him. Her dad, Joseph, was her only ally in the house. They were both kindred spirits. While Helen and Clarissa were closer, she and her dad were best buddies.

As Clarissa and Helen chatted away about all things wedding-related, Cristina chomped down on her eggs, turning off the sound of their conversation in her head. When she was finally through, she got up and washed her dishes. She walked back to the table and sat down. "What do you need me to do?" she asked. She was hoping that they wouldn't ask her to do anything.

"It's okay, Cristina. We don't need any help with anything," Helen said. "The wedding planner has everything under control."

"All we need for you to do is to be ready on time for the wedding rehearsal," Clarissa said. "Everyone is going to be there. Your groomsman is Justin's cousin, Sam. So be nice to him. Also, Justin's best man, Owen Hunt, is flying in from Thailand, today. Hope he makes it on time."

"Thailand, wow," Cristina said, very interestedly. "What does he do?"

"He works for this company where they build these multi-million dollar projects all over the world," Clarissa said. "He joined the company, right after graduation last year."

"Hmm," Cristina replied. "That must be one awesome job. Okay, since you guys don't need me, I will be in my room. Dad, you know where I am." Her father nodded. He didn't say much but he and Cristina had a silent language.

Cristina spent most of the day in her room, online. She complained to all her friends about the wedding. It was at 5 p.m. that she got the knock on the door to get ready for the rehearsal. "Wear something decent," Helen said. Cristina groaned.

She went to her wardrobe and pulled out her best pair of jeans. It was black and a designer pair that her dad had bought her for her 15th birthday. She looked at her tops and figured she could wear it with a white peasant blouse. She dressed and slipped on a pair of ankle boots with a stacked heel. She figured she looked decent enough. She put her unruly hair in a ponytail, applied some moisturizer on her face and gloss on her lips.

As usual, everyone was waiting for her, so they could leave. Her mother gave her a top to toe inspection. She said "hmmm" and Cristina knew that she had been given an approval.

Everyone got into the car and headed to the church for the rehearsal. Father Assante was there, along with all of Justin's family. Clarissa and Justin were getting married where the Morelli family worshiped. The other bridesmaids and the groomsmen were also there. Clarissa's friend Mindy was the maid of honor.

"Great, you're here," Justin said, coming forward to give Clarissa a kiss. He was tall, with dark hair, dark eyes and swarthy skin. "Mrs. Yang, Mr. Yang, Cristina," he added, acknowledging his future in-laws.

"Is everyone here?" Clarissa asked, anxiously. "I really want to get started, so we could make the reservations for 7 p.m."

"The only person missing is Owen," Justin said. "He's coming straight from the airport. He called me and said he was grabbing a taxi to get here. He is on his way. Do not worry, Clarissa."

Another five anxious minutes passed before a tall, blonde man rushed into the church. "I am here, I am here," the man said. Cristina looked interestedly at him. The man was quite good-looking, she thought. So this was the guy, who went all over the world, to build multi-million dollar projects.

"Owen," Justin greeted the man. The two men hugged. Justin and Owen had been roommates in college.

"Long flight from Thailand to get here but I made it," Owen said.

"Everyone, this is Owen, my best man," Justin said. "I guess we can do all the formal introductions at the dinner. So, everyone, take your places."

Cristina knew she was paired up with Sam, Justin's 16 year old cousin. "Hey," Sam said. "Were you dragged into this against your will?" Sam was a geeky, stringbean of a boy with spiky hair and retro glasses.

"Yes, most definitely," Cristina said. "I mean, seriously, she already has four other bridesmaids and a maid of honor. Why would she need me?" The two teenagers sympathized with each other.

The wedding planner painstakingly went through every step of what was going to happen at the wedding. Cristina's eyes glazed over as the woman went on and on. She was so relieved when she finally went up the aisle and took her place on the side of the altar.

The best man gave her a wink and a smile. It was like he could tell that she didn't want to be there. At the end of it, she and Sam went down the aisle, together. Everyone clapped. Cristina was only clapping because she was glad it was over. She could finally get some food at the restaurant.

Clarissa was going with Justin to the restaurant, so Justin had asked if his best man, Owen could get a ride with the Yangs. Joseph agreed and the tall, blonde man joined them in their car. He introduced himself and pleasantries were exchanged.

As they took off, Owen looked across at Cristina, who was sharing the back seat with him. He put out his hand for her to shake. "You're Clarissa's little sister, right?"

"Yes, I am Cristina," she confirmed.

"Very good to meet you, Cristina," he said. "Clarissa, Justin and I go back about five years now, since we met as freshmen in college. Justin was my roommate."

"Yes, I know that," Cristina said. "Can I ask you something about your job? Clarissa told me that you go all over the world, where your company builds multi-million dollar projects. I am very interested in finding out more."

"Well, I do go all over the world and sometimes, it is multi-billion dollar projects. I am only a junior project manager. There are other junior project managers and we do have a senior project manager, who is in charge of all of the junior project managers. He delegates the work to us but he has overall responsibility so he is always on our tails," Owen said. "It is really interesting work and we get to see so many different cultures and places. I was in Malaysia, a couple months ago. Thailand is my second assignment."

"That sounds wonderful," Cristina said. "Maybe something I can consider when I grow up." Owen laughed.

"So young, my child," he said. "How old are you?" He observed the tiny, bespectacled girl with the braces.

"I am 15," she said. "I am a sophomore in high school."

"You look younger than 15," he said. She groaned. She knew that people often thought she was 12 because of her height. He laughed, once again. He found this child quite amusing.

"So where are we going?" he asked. "I am quite famished. That was a long plane ride."

"We're going to my parents' favorite Korean restaurant," Cristina told him. "Since Clarissa and Justin are getting married at the church where Justin's parents attend, we got to choose the rehearsal dinner restaurant."

"Ah, Korean food," Owen said. "I love it. I love all kinds of Asian food. Since I have been living in Asia, I have had the opportunity to try a lot of different types. The street food is amazing."

"Oh, you will love this place," Joseph said from the front driver's seat. "We go there all of the time." Cristina was surprised to hear her father speak. He usually was very quiet, leaving all of the talking to his loquacious wife. They pulled in to the parking lot and were the first ones to arrive. The rest of the wedding party followed, soon after. They had reserved a private room at the back of the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner.

The manager of the restaurant greeted Joseph by his first name and led them to their private room. As everyone sat down and drinks were ordered, Joseph welcomed them all to the dinner. He said he hoped they enjoyed the food because the Yang family certainly did. As if by signal, the food started to come in. First it was the soup, then the appetizers, then the salad, then the main entrees and then, finally the dessert. It was after the dessert that Justin got up and thanked everyone for coming.

"Special thanks to my former roommate, Owen, for flying thousands of miles, so he could be here at my side, as I take this most important step to the most wonderful girl I know," Justin said, as he grabbed Clarissa's hand and kissed it. There was a chorus of "awww" all over the room, except for Cristina who stuck out her tongue in disgust. Owen caught the young girl's reaction and started to laugh. She saw that he had seen her and she grinned back at him. He winked at her. She winked back.

At the end of the meal, Cristina and her parents got back into the car to head home. Clarissa joined them, as she was going home with them. Owen was going with Justin, who was going to take him to his hotel to check in. Owen waved at Cristina, as he and Justin drove away. "See ya tomorrow, Cristina," he yelled.

"Sure will," Cristina said.

As Mr. Yang started the car to leave the restaurant parking lot, Clarissa said, "You seem to be getting along with Owen."

"Yes," Cristina replied. "He is indeed a cool dude." In fact, she thought, he was the only good thing about this whole darn wedding. At least, she had someone she could talk to at the wedding. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad, after all.

A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. It is a new story so feedback is very much appreciated on whether this should be continued. Thanks.