"Tonight is going to be totally awesome!"

Midafternoon on Friday, Ruby, Belle, Aurora and Mulan were incredibly enthusiastic for their big night out in town. They were going to 'bombard' -as Ruby put it- 'the biggest and most famous club in the entire world.' Ruby had been planning the night for around four weeks, and had been non-stop talking about it since.

"Yeah, you said that already!" exclaimed Aurora, with a grin on her face.

"Sorry, guys, I'm just really excited," beamed Ruby. "It's gonna be a night we'll remember for years to come."

At their regular table at Granny's, each girl sipped on a fancy glass of iced tea- a drink that Belle had introduced to the group. They were known to be 'the noisy ones' at the diner, usually for their constant uncontrollable laughter.

"What are you going to wear?" Aurora asked, turning to Mulan.

Mulan's cheeks reddened. "I… I don't know yet. Probably something casual, I guess."

"Are you fucking kidding me, right now?" Ruby slammed her glass down on the table, almost smashing it in the process. "Go wild; or go home, girl! Besides, it's probably Aurora's last night out before her baby pops out, and then it's goodbye nightlife, hello motherhood."

Aurora had announced her pregnancy just a few weeks ago, so the girls were having one last night out to celebrate. Of course, it had to be bigger, and better than ever.

"If you're going to wear makeup, wear winged eyeliner to bring out your eyes," suggested Aurora. "Seriously, you'd look smoking hot."

Mulan smiled shyly. On the occasion that Aurora paid any slight attention to her, it made butterflies spawn in her stomach.

"So, what time are we meeting again?" pondered Belle. "Eight thirty?"

"Nine thirty," corrected Ruby, rolling her eyes. "God, Belle. You'd forget your head if I wasn't around."

Belle shook her head. "Thank God you're here, then," she said sarcastically.

"What would you ever do without me? Actually, what would you all do without me? I'm sophisticated, sexy, and organized."

"Sure. That explains why you were late for your shift earlier," noted Aurora. Belle and Mulan snorted.

Ruby shot them all a look. "Shut up. Geez. Need I remind you that drinks are on me tonight?"

"And I have a feeling taxi money will be on me if you drink so much you forget your own name like last time. Remember?" said Belle.

"That wasn't me," claimed Ruby.

"Uh, yes it was," agreed Aurora. "You kept on calling me Marianne, and trying to squeeze my boobs."

"Fair enough. But that was years ago." Ruby attempted to brush away the subject.

"Three months, actually," said Mulan.

"Guys, can we just drop it?" Ruby snapped. "Let's talk boys. Ladies, how many men do you think I shall be able to hook up with tonight?"

"None." The three replied in unison, resulting in sniggers.

"Wow, you all have such optimism. It's my one free night in forever, yet none of you are looking forward to it."

"We are," replied Belle. "We just can't wait to see you puke your lungs out, film it, and put it on YouTube!"

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with you people."

"Can't I just wear jeans?" Mulan changed the subject. "I mean, I look no good in a dress."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Aurora. "How are you supposed to get laid in jeans?"

"Maybe I don't want to get laid."

"Show off those legs, girl!" smirked Ruby.

"Maybe I don't want to show off my legs," said Mulan.

"Let Mulan wear what she wants," interrupted Belle. "Tonight's about celebrating, not arguing about what someone wants to wear. As long as she's comfortable, everything's fine."

Thanking Belle, Mulan nodded and smiled towards her. Once they made eye contact, Belle returned the smile.

"So, Ruby. Is Dr. Whale still creeping on you?" asked Aurora.

"He tried to persuade me to come home with him last night, when I was walking home," explained Ruby. "I sent him packing, though. Gotta admit though- it is quite fun being eye candy. Even if it is for middle aged creeps."

"You're such an attention whore," stated Aurora, absentmindedly twirling a strand of her auburn curls.

"Whatever," said Ruby.

Sensing a little tension in the air, Belle stood, and picked up her near empty glass of iced tea. "Who's for another round?"

"Not me, the stuff is foul," said Ruby.

"What? I thought you liked it." By the tone of her voice, Belle almost seemed offended that Ruby didn't like the taste of her favorite drink.

"That was three glasses ago. I don't understand how you live on the stuff."

Though she knew it had been said lightly, Belle couldn't help but feel slightly offended by Ruby's spiteful comments recently. Perhaps it was just showing off, or rather just a different side to her friend's personality.

After looking at her watch, Aurora was next to stand. "I've gotta go guys."

Shouts of "Really?" "Already?" "You just got here!" were immediately spouted.

"Sorry, guys, but I'll see you tonight." Without so much of a goodbye, Aurora had left.

"Well, that was weird," uttered Belle.

"It's Aurora, what do you expect?" said Ruby.

Alone in her apartment at 8pm, Mulan was carefully applying eyeliner to her eyes when her phone buzzed from across the room. Curious on who could be calling her at the time; she scampered across the room to where it was charging. Butterflies reappeared in her stomach when she saw the caller ID. Since she was only wearing a thin bathrobe, she felt bare and on instinct attempted to cover herself up when she answered. "Hello?"

"Mulan," Aurora's voice was wheezy and barely audible. Although, she seemed grateful that Mulan had answered her call. "I- I don't think I'll be able to make it tonight."

"What?" Mulan couldn't hide her confusion. "Why not?"

"I just don't feel up to it." The more she talked, the more it sounded like an excuse.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm great. I'll talk to you soon, ok?"

"Hey, if you just feel like having a girl night in, I could come over. We could order pizza, watch a few chick flicks…"

"Honestly, Mulan, I just want to sleep at the moment. I seriously love you for caring, though."

"Ok, then. Talk to you soon."

Like always, Aurora hung up first. Mulan snapped her cell shut, then placed it back on the table. She returned to her mirror, picked up some makeup wipes, before starting to remove the eyeliner. There was nobody to impress, as well as no reason to impress anyone at the club anymore. The only person she was really looking forward to seeing tonight didn't want to see her at all. Sure, Mulan understood that her best friend was without a doubt hurt for an unknown reason, but wanted to be left alone. Still, she wished she could do something to make her feel better.