"That's it."

10.17 AM

"Wait, so she just blurted it out? Like randomly without being involved in the conversation," Veronica asked through the Bluetooth enabled speaker in Stella's car.

Stella softly pressed on her brakes as the street light turned yellow. Glancing up, she looked back in her review to see if there was anyone behind her. Thankfully, there was not.

"Exactly, I was so caught off guard. I had no idea what to say." Stella drove off once the light turned green. She thought about if she wanted to stop for coffee. She was in the mood for a White Mocha. She dismissed the idea, deciding to make a brew at home. "I mean, who does she think she is?"

"Was she cute?"

Veronica's voice rang in Stella's ears, and she gripped the steering wheel tighter, annoyed. Her face popped in mind.

"Your silence speaks volume," Veronica noted.

Stella looked out the passenger window and flicked on her blinker before merging right. She rolled her eyes," Yeah, okay, she's decent. Still, who says those things? I mean-" Stella broke off unsure what to say.

"Confident people. Confident people say stuff like that," Veronica clarified.

"More like cocky people say that," Stella concluded. Stella was tired of talking about Tré. "Are you at the house now?" Stella turned her wheel down the next street. She was almost there herself.

"Yeah, Malorie and I are both here. I'm glad you left the spare key in the same place."

Stella smirked," I'm surprised you remem­bered considering we were hammered when I grabbed it that one night." Stella, to her dismay, recalled last Christmas crystal clear considering the amount of alcohol they had consumed that night. In an attempt to properly commemorate their twenties before they all entered the adult world of their thirties. They decided to get sloshed and walk around the neighborhood, fighting inflat­able Christmas decorations. Malorie almost got decapitated from a moving Olaf that rotated every five seconds. Imagine a drunkard swinging mid-air only to get knocked to the ground because she didn't duck in time and landed on her back. Honestly, the funniest situation Stella's had the pleasure of watching. By the end of the night, Veronica and Malorie stayed over at Stella's.

"True," Veronica agreed, remem­bering the night as well.

Stella could hear her smiling. "Anyway, we're waiting for you now."

"Yeah, your messages appeared urgent," Malorie added.

Stella was wondering if she had been listening in on the conversation. Biding her time with the perfect moment to chime in. She had texted both of them this morning, mandating they swing by her place during their lunch hour. She gave vague details, yet ensured the topic was a high priority. Clearly, that grabbed their attention, and they each took an early lunch. Stella almost felt bad for her bleak mandatory meeting. Almost.

"Yeah, Stella, what's going on? Are you okay, your messages were sporadic."

"I'll tell you when I get there." Stella dismis­sed their concerns. She reversed parked into the driveway's pavement and looked up at her house, perched a few yards away. On the side street parked her best friend's Nissan Rogue. She hoped their wait wasn't too long. Stella pushed down her emergency brake and opened her door. Pressing her phone to her ear, she climbed out of the car. "I'm actually about to walk through the front door now." Stella's stilettos clanked in the background with each step she made towards her 4-bedroom house.

"Perfect, we left the front door unlocked," Veronica said before hanging up.

Stella tucked her phone away and stepped inside. She softly closed the door. Leaning over, she took a moment to remove her shoes and tucked them in the shoe rack pushed against the wall. She recognized Veronica's and Malorie's shoes. Pushing her hair back, Stella stood and rounded the corner to her kitchen.