Amber and I have always been extremely close. She’s been my best friend now for decades, and she has always had my back when I needed it, but lately, I’ve been feeling slightly guilty about her supporting me without fail. Last September, she stood up for me once again, but this time it had serious consequences for her. Have you ever had a friend that stood up for you no matter what? Well, for me, that friend is Amber. We met each other in kindergarten, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. Our birthdays are a week apart, so we always held a joint party when we were kids, and we would even celebrate together during college,

As we both grew a bit older and got jobs, we were afraid we might drift apart, so we reserved Sundays for catching up. We’d get together somewhere and vent about our weeks, gossip about our love interests, and just generally enjoy each other’s company. Eventually, Amber and her boyfriend became quite serious, and he proposed. I was over the moon for her and helped him plan the entire thing. Wedding preparations soon followed — Amber never postponed anything — and everyone was excited for the big day. Amber and Donovan reeled me into the wedding planning,

presumably because they didn’t want me to feel like they were leaving me behind now that they were taking the next step in their relationship. And I enjoyed helping my best friend plan the perfect wedding. Pretty soon, we had everything in place. The bridal shower was done and everything else was set for the big day,

We spent the last few weeks before the wedding meticulously going over every detail to ensure we didn’t miss a thing, and when the day finally came, Amber could get ready without worrying about anything going wrong. She had also asked me to be her maid of honor, and I naturally enthusiastically agreed. The morning of the rehearsal dinner, Amber and I spent getting ready.