"Bella, please stop calling. Kelsi is fine. I'm sure she hasn't even noticed you're gone. Me, on the other hand…"

"She's five months, Ang. Five months! What if she talks? "

"Like you said…she's five months," and with that snarky response, she hangs up.

I'm honestly not as annoying as I seem to be these days. I've hardly been away from my little baby Kelsi since she was born. I've been a nervous wreck all day in preparation for tonight.

I'm not even sure why I'm here. The whole "favor for your friend" thing isn't really working anymore. Sigh. Why did I let Lauren drag me out tonight? My old friend had insisted that I owed her, using the past as leverage.

"Hey sexy," hot breath surrounds my neck and I cringe away from it, "Are you an overdue book? Because you've got FINE written all over you." Oh God, another amateur.

I wince, preparing to reenact the same scene for the second time tonight. Before I can turn around to dismiss him, I feel a light tap on my ass.

"Nice and tight. I can't wait to work this—" I spin around fast enough for my hand to collide with his face before he can finish.

"Bitch! Ow!"

"You liked that?!" I sneer at the overweight man with the fitting receding hair line. He looks to be thirty or so, which would be four years older than myself.

"Bella!" I hear as I am forcibly yanked away from the offender, "Bella, what the fuck! I invited you to come to this party with me because I wanted to get your lazy ass out." Lazy? The perfect adjective to describe a mother of a few months.

Lauren smooths back her unnatural blond hair and arches one of her sharp brows.

I guess she's pretty. I've never been a woman focused on putting down other women, but the list of the many procedures she's undergone to get 'prettier' have left her a little lopsided.

Her boobs and their highly noticeable nipples are one cup short from poking a hole through my virgin margarita glass. Another change, unnoticeable without her high school background, is her change in name. Jessica Stanley became Lauren Mallory about halfway through college and I gave the smallest fuck to ask why. She said it was too slutty of a name for her, but in hindsight I thought it was appropriate. Lauren went through a couple name changes in college.

"He slapped my ass Lauren. What would you do if that happened to you?" I immediately want to take back my question. One look at Lauren and anyone would know that answer.

"Well I wouldn't slap him," she rolls her eyes and I have the strongest itch to roll my own in unison. I fight the urge after remembering how appreciative I initially was of her offer of a night out.

"I'm sorry Lauren. Okay?"

"No. It's not okay. You can't just show up to a party as hot as this, slap two guys, and think it's okay." She puts on the bitch face that's temporarily broken up our friendship many times and glares at me.

"I wouldn't exactly call The Warehouse a hot party." Surprisingly, that came out a lot bitchier than I intended. "Look, I'm sorry Lauren. I really appreciate this, but I don't think this was the right night."

"It's never the right night for you. Is it?" she says and mutters a quick "bitch" under her breath. I would've let it go had it not been the second 'bitch' of the night.

"Okay. I think you need to pipe down all this bitch talk, Lauren." I say as I take a small step towards her.

"Or what Bella? I invited you here for our last hurrah. You and I have both changed since high school, and I can't be your leader anymore."

My leader? Lauren couldn't lead an ant to a cracker.

"Excuse me?"

"Bye Bella". She spins on her neon yellow heels and leaves me completely annoyed, but somewhat relieved. Those things were flagging down every creep in this party.

I exit the dingy place and walk down to the end of the block towards my black Nissan Altima. I haul myself in and head home. Leaving the party is the best feeling I've felt since leaving my house.

xx

"Hey Bella," Angela calls before the door has even closed and clicked.

"Angieeee," I stress her name, "Please refer to me as mommy when Kelsi is up." I know I have a couple more months before I'll get a syllable of baby talk, but I digress. It's worth the try.

"I love you and all Bella, but that is just too kinky for me." I slip her the middle finger before I spot my baby in her arms. Her brown eyes go wide when she sees me and she whimpers and reaches out toward me.

The day Kelsi was born I couldn't contain my happiness over her features. She had a full head hair resembling my own chocolate brown and her eyes matched mine as well. The only distinguishable features she gained from James were her nose and crankiness.

"My sweet baby," I coo and fawn over her just like the day she was born. Thank heavens for these two ladies. I don't know how I would've gotten through my pregnancy without Ang. You can meet lifelong friends in college libraries your freshman year.

"If everything's okay here, I'm gonna go. Ben and I have a date," Ang stands and leaves Kelsi a gentle kiss on her dark brown curls, "We'll talk tomorrow. Okay?" You can also become made-of-honor material a few years after. Ben Cheney and Angela also met freshman year eight years ago, at Seattle's own local college. I was there for it all. Surprised us both when I ended pregnant first.

"Later Ang. Thanks again." I wave goodbye after walking her out and watch her speed off. I lock the door and head upstairs to rock Kelsi down to sleep. Later that night I lay awake in bed, dreading work the next day. What a shitty night out.