"Her or me?" A tear rolled down Michelle's puffy cheek, "You have to make a decision."
For Michelle, life has always been about control-control in the studio, in her friendships, and even in the secrets she hides. But with an unexpected pregnancy...
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"Michelle!" Amy runs over to me as she notices that I'm here.
I feel her arms around my body as she hugs me enthusiastically. I force a smile on my face because I wouldn't want to seem rude.
"You look great!" She compliments me.
"T- thanks."
She then says, "That dress is to die for!"
"Thank you."
I'm then immediately swarmed by everyone in the room, and I have to spend time greeting and hugging each and every one of them. I can feel myself already getting overwhelmed, but I can't show that I don't exactly want to be here.
"Come and see the cake!" Lily grabs hold of my hand, dragging me over to the back of the room.
Sitting on a table is a beautiful pink cake, decorated with items that are associated with babies.
"Wow, t- this is great!" I muster up a false smile. "Thank you, everyone. It's so nice of you all for coming today."
"Of course," Lily says.
She then speaks to the crowd that's gathered, "Okay, now everyone go and party! Give her some space!"
"Shoo! Get back! That's it!" I watch as she's able to get everyone to give me some space.
I look around the room, seeing the effort that Emily has put into making this perfect for me. It confuses me further as it doesn't add up with the way she's been acting around me recently.
I notice the balloons and how they're all different shades of pink. I then see the confetti covering the floor— pink too, of course. I then take in just how many people she was able to get to come, and it makes me think that maybe she does actually care...
Suddenly, I hear her voice. "So... how do you like it? Great, isn't it?!"
I nod, "Yeah, everything actually came together. You put a lot of work into this, didn't you?"
"Yeah, well, I put a lot of work into everything I do."
I turn my head to look at her. "But you didn't have to do this for me, so why did you?"
"Because-." She then asks, "Should I not have?"
I decide not to ruin the party. "No, it's amazing. Thanks, Em."
"Yeah, it's okay. You don't have to thank me. This is just what I do."
I then remind myself to be mindful of how I'm presenting myself today. I note that I need to keep a warm smile on my face, I wonder how many times touching my bump would look excessive, and I remind myself that shaking hands is mandatory.
