CHAPTER 17:
On February 9th, some of the Bellas had a long and snowy drive to Providence before they arrived at Esther and Flo's apartment for Esther's 30th birthday.
"That sure was a snowy trip up," Beca remarked.
"Just be glad we didn't have to find alternate routes," Chloe said.
"True that. But I'm just looking forward to spending time with Esther and Flo," Amy said.
"Though something tells me, we might end up having to bunk here until the snow stops," Jessica said.
"I'm sure they won't mind," Ashley said.
After they unloaded the car, they went to ring the doorbell, and Flo answered.
"Hey, Bellas. Come on in," she said as the Bellas did so.
"So, where's the birthday girl?" Beca asked.
"She went to the supermarket to pick up a few things. She should be back soon," Flo said.
"I'm glad that's less of a drive for her than it was for us getting here," Amy commented.
"Was the snow that bad?" Flo asked.
"Yeah. It was snowing non-stop from when we left New York until we got past the Rhode Island state line," Chloe recapped.
"That sure is a lot of snow. How about I make you guys some hot chocolate while we wait for Esther to get back?" Flo offered as the Bellas agreed.
They were all sitting on the couch drinking their hot chocolate when Esther returned, carrying two grocery bags.
"I'm back from the store," Esther said, carrying two grocery bags.
"Happy Birthday, Esther!" Chloe exclaimed.
"Thanks, guys. Wow, I can't believe you all braved that snowstorm to get here," Esther marveled.
"Anything for a fellow Bella, I'm sure," Beca said.
"I should text the others and find out if they're coming," Jessica said before doing so.
Jessica sent a group text to the other Bellas, hoping they could all brave the snowstorm.
Due to the continuous snow level in New Jersey, the majority of the Bellas had to miss the party.
But the snow level was tamer in Hartford, so Emily and Benji said they'd try to make it, and they'd bring their four-month-old son Russell with them. Emily and Benji showed up about an hour later.
"Glad you guys could make it," Flo said.
"We weren't sure if we would make it. We meant to call to see if this party was going to happen. Thankfully the snowy drive wasn't for nothing. It sure was a long drive, but we made it," Emily said.
"I was about to call everyone and ask if we had to postpone the party. Thankfully you could all come," Flo said.
"We only got four inches of snow in New York today. Aubrey told me New Jersey is much worse; they got 10 inches total," Beca said.
"OMG! 10 inches?! I feel sorry for them," Chloe said.
"Me too," Amy said.
"But for those who are here, Jessica and I have a big announcement to make," Ashley said.
"Last Christmas, I told you that I'm pregnant. And we were lucky enough to get an early shot at the baby to find out its gender..." Jessica continued.
"It's a boy!" Ashley exclaimed as the Bellas congratulated the couple.
"This is big news. Let's text the rest of the Bellas right now," Chloe said excitedly as she sent out a group text.
"So was it a hard decision to decide who would carry the baby?" Flo asked.
"Not really. Ashley and I both agreed that me carrying the baby was the better choice. She makes more money at her job than I do at mine. This way, it'd be easier to support our son," Jessica explained.
"I can definitely see that," Flo said.
The text read, "Newsflash: Jessica and Ashley are having a boy." A minute later, there were many responses from the other Bellas congratulating the two.
"Okay, now that we got that big news out of the way, what do you say we get to the cake?" Flo suggested as she brought out the birthday cake.
After Flo lit the birthday candles, the Bellas in attendance sang "Happy Birthday" to Esther before she blew out the candles. Esther then opened her birthday cards and a couple of gifts that the Bellas pitched in to get.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, so every Bella whose birthday is actually known has now had 30th birthday chapters except for Chloe and Emily. Needless to say, I might give the two a 30th birthday chapter in a future story of mine since Chloe's would have to be set in 2020 and Emily's would be set in 2026. So if I do, then keep a heads up for that.