Author's Note: First chapter I've written for 2012! Read and enjoy! Thanks for the support!

*The title of this chapter is named after a song by The Mamas and The Papas*

For some people, time seemed to have flew by whereas others felt as if time dragged by. It was December and Rhonda was lightly tapping her pencil on her desk, trying her best to focus on her final exam for her Introductory Calculus class at Zax-Scesney University. Although she was close to six-months pregnant, Rhonda had spent the entire first semester studying and working hard rather than fully experiencing the beauties of Los Angeles. However, she did have to go shopping for maternity clothes quite often to accommodate her growing belly. At times, her diligence and ambition was challenged due to the overwhelming pregnancy complications. However, nothing could stop Rhonda Lloyd when she put her mind to something.

"And time's up!" announced the portly, bearded Professor Rose.

"Shit!" Rhonda hissed.

The professor and some of the students casted blank stares in Rhonda's direction.

"Sorry," she apologized for her language.

"Forgiven," Professor Rose said, sarcastically." Everyone, please pass your papers forward so I can collect them.

Rhonda sighed as she reached back and grabbed the two test papers from the students sitting behind her. From there, she handed the papers to the student in front of her and then shook her head.

Goddamn it! I wasn't even finished! Rhonda thought. I had five more questions.

Letting out another sigh, Rhonda decided not to panic. Luckily, it was one of those exams where no points are gained or lost in blank answers and Rhonda was confident that she did well on most of the other questions that she answered. As she and the rest of students left the classroom, they were all relieved that the semester was finally over. As beautiful and extravagant as the campus was, Rhonda lived off-campus. Her parents had given her a lot of money which she used to finance her apartment located over two miles away from the school. After all, she couldn't possibly raise her baby in the dorm. Since the semester was over, Rhonda planned to go back home for the remaining length of her pregnancy. She was taking the entire spring semester and summer off. Therefore, she wasn't going to return to school until next fall.

As Rhonda headed outside, she couldn't help but to appreciate the beautiful California weather. It was December yet it was nearly sixty degrees outside; therefore, she only wore a long-sleeved red blouse with some black pants. She remembered when Curly told her that guys wouldn't give her a second look once they see that she's pregnant but the truth was guys couldn't take their eyes off of her. Even with a big belly, Rhonda had a lot of admirers. As she confidently walked through the campus, stares and greetings followed.

"Hi Rhonda," a stocky guy flirted.

"Hello," she responded.

"Hey Rhonda, you're lookin' good today," an African-American guy complimented her.

"I look good every day, sweetie, but thank you," Rhonda told him, with a smile.

"I can't wait to see you next semester," a very tall guy said.

"Sorry hun, I'm taking next semester off," Rhonda stated." I'll be back next fall."

When she came upon an empty beach, Rhonda took a seat and rubbed her belly. Also, her doctor informed her that her unborn child was a boy. Rhonda glanced over to her right and saw two girls with long blonde hair glaring at her rudely from another bench. Rhonda tried to ignore them at first. She had better things to do than to let a couple of jealous nobodies get a rise out of her.

"That red shirt totally makes her look like a massive tomato," the first girl joked.

"Yah, like totally," the ditzy second girl agreed.

They giggled and slapped each other a high-five. Rhonda lost her patience right then and there.

"Hey airheads, shut up!" Rhonda snapped." Just because I'm pregnant it doesn't mean that I can't turn that bench into a permanent extension of your ass. Care to try me?"

The girls remained silent.

"Didn't think so," Rhonda sneered." Zip it, bimbos."

As the two blondes stood up and walked away, Rhonda couldn't help but to feel proud to know that wherever she went, her HBIC(Head Bitch In Charge) status seemed to follow. LA was a far different city than Hillwood and much more difficult to fit in. However, Rhonda had little to no trouble fitting in. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Matt," Rhonda said, in a flirty tone.

"Hey Rhonda," Matt responded." Need a ride home?"

"You know it, boo," Rhonda replied, with a smirk." Meet me at the usual spot. See you in a few."

Without waiting for a response, Rhonda hung up the phone. For nearly a month, Matthew "Matt" Mapston has been Rhonda's unofficial boyfriend and he was also an economics major and a junior at ZSU, thus making him three years older than her. Their relationship wasn't serious and they were definitely not sexually intimate. Matt was fully aware of Rhonda's pregnancy but it didn't stop him from wanting to talk to her. Due to Rhonda's committed focus on her studies, she only had time for Matt to take her out on two dates so far. However, he was giving her a ride home practically every day. Rhonda's car was still at her parents' residence in Hillwood.

It didn't take long for Matt to meet Rhonda by the bench. He was a tall, lean guy with short brown hair and hazel eyes. Like Rhonda and Lorenzo, Matt had expensive taste in fashion and came from a privileged background. He greeted her with a smile that revealed perfectly white teeth.

"Hey Rhonda."

Rhonda smiled back as Matt took her hand and gently pulled her to her feet. He put his arm around her as they walked to the parking lot. Matt was a proud owner of a silver Audi R8 convertible. Once he and Rhonda got into his car, he drove out of the parking lot and the two of them commenced to converse.

"So, when are you flying back home?" Matt asked.

"My flight leaves at 2:25 tomorrow afternoon," Rhonda replied.

"Wow, I can't believe it's going to be almost a year before I see you again," Matt said.

"Hun, you know you can visit some time in between," Rhonda assured him." My little prince is due in March; I'll still be in Hillwood until the end of August. You can visit me—no, you better visit me."

Matt chuckled." Of course, babe."

Rhonda smiled and slightly adjusted the passenger's seat for back comfort. Most of the ride was quiet as they breezed through the LA traffic, listening to the rock station on the radio. Moments later, Matt pulled up in front of the fancy apartment building that Rhonda lived in.

"Thank you," Rhonda said.

"Um….so…..," Matt began to say.

"Um, so what?" Rhonda peered at him.

"This will be your last night in LA for a while and…..do you really want to spend it alone?" Matt asked, with a smile." Would you really feel…safe by yourself?"

"Haha, nice try," Rhonda responded, recognizing where he was going with his question.

"Yeah, nothing gets past you," Matt said, with a soft laugh.

"Nope," Rhonda smirked.

Matt chuckled again. He couldn't help but to respect an outspoken girl like Rhonda who sticks to her guns at all times. In return, Rhonda didn't feel offended that Matt clearly wanted to have sex with her because there was no pressure from him at all. Nevertheless, even though she broke up with Curly, Rhonda wouldn't dare sleep with another guy while she's still carrying her ex-boyfriend's child. Doing such a thing would make her feel dirty.

"Okay, how about I take you out to dinner tonight?" Matt offered." I'll take you to one of the finest restaurants in LA."

"Sounds like a plan," Rhonda agreed.

"Sweet. I'll pick you up at eight tonight?"

"Sharp," Rhonda emphasized.

"No problem."

Matt got out of his car, walked around to the passenger's side, held the door open for Rhonda and helped her step out of the car. They shared a brief yet tender kiss.

"I'll see you tonight," Matt said.

"Okay."

As Matt headed back to his car, Rhonda entered her building, checked in with the doorman and then proceeded to go onto the elevator.

Later in the evening, on the opposite side of the USA, Nadine was at home standing in the kitchen preparing dinner. She was wearing some comfortable pajamas to accommodate her growing stomach. While Rhonda and Patty were both expecting boys, Nadine was the only one expecting a girl. Nadine was attending a nearby university, majoring in biology. Several other students that she went to high school with also attended the university, including Patty, Curly, Sheena and Gloria. When her cell phone rang, she picked it up.

"Rhonda! You haven't called in like two weeks, you bitch!" Nadine answered, excitedly.

"I told you I was going to be studying for exams, you whore!" Rhonda responded, playfully.

Both girls laughed.

"I had exams too," Nadine insisted." You still could've called or answered my calls."

"I'll be back home tomorrow night, so hush," Rhonda told her, with a chuckle.

"I know," Nadine said, gleefully." I'm so excited, Rhonda. I miss you so much. You have no idea."

"I miss you too, Nadine."

"Aren't you relieved that the semester's over?" Nadine asked.

"Totally," Rhonda replied." I worked really hard, so I know I did well."

"That's great, Rhonda," Nadine said."Same here."

"Yeah, we ought to be proud of ourselves," Rhonda commented." So, what are you up to now?"

"Cooking," Nadine replied." My dad's still at work. My mom went to Trinidad two days ago to see her aunt; she'll back next week. And Sid's upstairs in my room. He stays here so much that he practically lives here. But hey—I'm definitely not complaining."

"Nice. So what are you cooking?"

"I'm making lasagna for the first time," Nadine said.

"Lasagna?"

"Yeah," Nadine said, with a quiet laugh." Sid found his mother's old list of special recipes and he gave it to me."

"Aaaw, that's sweet," Rhonda said.

"Yes, it is," Nadine agreed." I hope this meal comes out right. You know me. I usually cook a lot of Caribbean dishes that I learned from my mom but Sid's too much of a wimp to handle spicy food."

Rhonda laughed.

"Since his family's Italian, most of the recipes on his mother's list are pastas," Nadine continued." So, I decided to take a shot at making lasagna. Wish me luck."

"You'll be fine," Rhonda said.

"So, are you still seeing that guy?" Nadine asked." What's his name again?"

"Matt. And yes, I'm still seeing him," Rhonda told her." He's actually taking me out to dinner tonight. I gotta get ready soon."

"Awesome."

"Yeah. He's a really nice guy," Rhonda stated." I mean, he's not perfect, he still has some typical guy tendencies and desires—if you know what I mean."

"Ooooh, he wants to get laid," Nadine teased.

"Exactly; but he knows that he has to wait until after I have the baby," Rhonda said." I will never have sex with any guy while I'm pregnant, unless it's the father of my child. Since Matt is not the one who got me pregnant, he has to wait—and so far, he's been very patient. He's a total gentleman."

"Oh, that's good," Nadine said.

"I don't know if it's true—but they say that sex with a pregnant girl is supposed to be exceptionally pleasurable," Rhonda stated." I'm sure that Sid is glad that he has that luxury with you."

"Oh please. Sid wouldn't know the difference," Nadine chuckled." I'm his first and only. I've been pregnant ever since I took his virginity, remember?"

"Yeah, how could I forget?" Rhonda laughed." That's quite the story we're going to tell our children—that you, me and Patty all got knocked up on the same night."

"Funny, isn't it?" Nadine responded." That story will never get old."

"Totally. Anyway, how is Patty?" Rhonda asked.

"Hmm, she's getting grumpier and grumpier every day," Nadine replied.

"Pregnancy hormones," Rhonda insisted." You and I, of all people, should understand."

"No, it's not just that," Nadine explained." She's getting really frustrated with Harold—and I don't blame her. Their baby will be here before they know it and Harold still hasn't even attempted to find a job."

"Wow," Rhonda murmured, shaking her head.

"As a soon-to-be-dad, Harold really should grow up already," Nadine continued." Sid still hangs out and chills with the boys but at least he has a job. I don't blame Patty for being pissed."

"What a shame," Rhonda commented.

Suddenly, Nadine heard the honking of a car horn outside of her house. So, she told Rhonda to hold on for a second as she made her way into the living room and peeped out of the window through the blinds. Nadine recognized Stinky's slightly beat-up, used 1996 Honda Accord outside.

"Rhonda, I'll speak to you later," Nadine told her." Have fun on your date, sweetie."

"Okay, honey. Later," Rhonda said.

After hanging up with Rhonda, Nadine opened her window and shouted out." Hold on, Stinky! Sid's coming!"

Nadine completely lost track of time and forgot that Stinky was there to drive Sid to work. She just hoped that Sid remembered that he had to work that night. Nadine headed into the hallway of her house and stood near the bottom of the stairs.

"Sid!" she called.

No answer.

"Sid! Stinky's here!" she called out again.

Still, no answer.

"Sid, do I really have to climb up these goddamn stairs?" Nadine yelled, annoyed.

Suddenly, she heard some footsteps from upstairs but she realized that it was just her twelve-year old brother. He was carrying his skateboard as he started walking down the stairs.

"Noah, where are you going?" Nadine demanded.

"Outside," Noah replied." What does it look like?"

"Didn't Dad tell you that you're grounded?" Nadine reminded him, sternly.

"Ugh! Fine!" Noah groaned, as he headed back upstairs to his room.

Nadine rolled her eyes at the fact that her brother tried to get away with something. However, that was the least of her worries; she was more concerned with Sid. So, Nadine walked up the steps holding onto the banister. After that, she entered her bedroom and saw Sid sleeping on the bed, clutching a pillow to his bare chest.

"Sid, get up!" Nadine shouted.

Sid popped up like a jack-in-the-box. His eyes bulged in paranoia." Huh? What? What happened?"

"Stinky's waiting for you outside, dummy, you're going to be late for work," Nadine snarled." So, get your skinny ass up—now!"

"Oh shit," Sid groaned.

Wearing nothing but his boxers, Sid managed to pull himself out of the bed. Luckily, his black work uniform was ironed and hanging over a chair, so that saved him time. As he started getting dressed, he was bombarded with his girlfriend's nagging.

"You get on my goddamn nerves sometimes!" Nadine yapped." I was just on the phone with Rhonda telling her how proud I am of you and how responsible you are. But noooooo—you can't even be ready for work on time!"

"Nadine, you should know why I'm tired," Sid insisted." I had to go with you to your doctor's appointment early this morning, I had to take you shopping for some new clothes and then I had to sit in the salon for hours while you were getting your hair done."

"Don't even try to pin this shit on me, dude!" Nadine argued." You're tired because you decided to stay out all of last night like a dumb ass smoking weed with Harold, Josh and Stinky. So, don't even try it!"

"Okay, okay babe—I'm getting dressed," Sid decided not to argue any further.

Nadine rolled her eyes and left the bedroom. As she headed back downstairs, she smelled the stench of something burnt.

"Oh no—please don't tell me…..," she whined.

Nadine hurried into the kitchen, grabbed a towel and opened up the oven. She gasped as she noticed that the lasagna was burnt and ruined.

"Shit! Damn it!" she cried, disappointedly.

When Sid finally finished getting dressed in Nadine's bedroom, he hurried downstairs and made his way into the kitchen. He saw Nadine leaning against the counter, sobbing with tears running down her face. Sid rushed over towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Babe, what's the matter?" he asked, desperately." I'm sorry. Whatever I did—I'm sorry."

"No Sid, it's not you," Nadine cried, softly." Look….."

She pointed to the aluminum pan of burnt lasagna.

"Oh," Sid uttered.

"I just wanted to do something really nice for you," Nadine continued to cry." I know how much you miss your mom's lasagna and you haven't had any since she died and all I wanted to do was make it for you the same way. And I screwed it up…"

"Nadine….." Sid said, softly.

"And now it's not even edible," Nadine kept crying." I couldn't even get it right. I just wanted to make you happy. Baby, I'm sorry…."

"Nadine….."

"I'm so sorry, Sid."

"Nadine!" Sid exclaimed.

Nadine snapped back to her senses and wiped her tears. Nadine was never even close to being that emotional before she got pregnant.

"My God," Sid gasped." Relax babe. Everyone says I freak out over everything but look at you."

"I'm a pregnant emotional rollercoaster, Sid," Nadine insisted, glumly." I have an excuse."

"Okay but it's really not a big deal," Sid told her." You'll get the lasagna done right next time. I appreciate the effort though."

"Really?"

"Yes babe, really," Sid assured her." You're sweet."

Nadine dried the rest of her tears and smiled.

"Come here," Sid said, softly.

He placed his fingers under Nadine's chin and kissed her on the lips.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Nadine responded.

They started kissing again until Stinky honked his horn even harder this time.

"Baby, you gotta go," Nadine urged.

"I know," Sid said." Um…"

He pulled forty dollars out of his pocket and handed it to Nadine.

"Order some food from Mr. Hyunh's for you, your dad and your brother," he told her." I'll eat something from work. Okay? Love you. Bye."

Sid hurried towards the front door, grabbed his coat off the rack and exited the house. Unlike California, it was very cold in Hillwood. Sid left the yard and hopped into the backseat of Stinky's car. Harold was sitting in the passenger's seat. Stinky pulled away from the curb and commenced to drive down the street.

"What's up, dudes?" Sid greeted his friends.

"What in the hell done took you so damn long?" Stinky demanded." I was just fixin' to leave your ass!"

"Yeah!" Harold exclaimed." It's my first night at work and you're making us late!"

"What do you care about being late, Harold?" Sid scoffed." It took you forever to decide that you even want a job. So, shut up."

"No, bitch! You shut up or I'll pound you!" Harold shouted, raising his fist.

"Okay dude I'm sorry—chill," Sid reacted, nervously.

Harold sighed and shook his head." Ugh, I'm not mad at you, Sid. I'm glad you helped me get this job. Patty's so fucking pissed at me that she doesn't even know that I'm employed now because she won't answer my calls."

"I'm sure she'll get over it," Sid shrugged.

"No, she won't," Harold whined, with tears in his eyes." Patty hates me. She should hate me. I'm a dope and a loser and a bum and I'm FAT."

As Harold started crying, Sid shook his head in pity while Stinky had to refrain from laughing.

"Wilikers. Why do you end every statement with "and I'm fat", Harold?" Stinky asked, smirking." That's irrelevant. You don't have to remind us that you're fat, Harold, on account of it's just plain damn obvious that you're bigger than my Grandpa's prize-winning hogs back in Arkansas."

"Stinky, you're an ass," Sid muttered.

"Yeah; fuck you, Stinky," Harold added.

Stinky just chuckled, shook his head and continued to driving. Sid worked as a waiter at a restaurant in Downtown Hillwood and he hooked Harold up with a job as a grill cook. With both of them expecting babies soon, it was far from unreasonable for Nadine and Patty to expect them to maintain some sort of income.

Back in Los Angeles, Rhonda looked flawlessly radiant as she waited for Matt to pick her up for their date. The black dress she wore was sexy yet well-suited for her plump round belly. She complimented the outfit with some matching stilettos, makeup, jewelry and the natural glow to her skin that the pregnancy has blessed her with. Since Rhonda was carrying a baby boy in her womb, anyone who believed in "old wives tales" would think that the gender of her baby determined how beautiful she'd look while pregnant—meaning if she was carrying a girl, she wouldn't look as pretty because the unborn baby would be stealing all of her good looks. Of course, it was merely a myth and an unproven theory.

Matt pulled up at the curb right on time. Rhonda walked over to the car and took a seat inside. They greeted each other with a kiss.

"Ready to go, gorgeous?" Matt beamed.

"Definitely," Rhonda nodded.

As promised, Matt took her out to one of the fanciest and finest five-star restaurants in all of LA. The service and the meals were the epitome of perfection. However, the best part of the night was the simple fact that Rhonda had someone to talk to and receive special attention from since all of her loved ones were miles and miles away. She and Matt conversed, flirted and laughed on the entire date.

Without a doubt, Rhonda was looking forward to returning home but she was definitely going to miss Matt. She wasn't exactly in love and their relationship wasn't too serious but that was the closest she has felt to a guy in a while. However, in the future, Rhonda was bound to experience more than a few relationships before she even finds out who her true soul mate is.