Special Day {Kellan}

[✿ngela wingrose]

She was sitting at Kellan's dresser, looking at all the photos. There were some of her, and a lot with Kenneth, and they all made Angela smile.

She sat in a pink baby doll dress with matching pink high-heeled sandals, and her hair swept into a large butterfly clip. Angela looked down at her phone and saw that Kellan's lunch hour would start soon. Her skin glowed with a thin layer of persperation; she had exhausted a lot of energy trying to make it in time. She sent her friend a text just an hour earlier.

Happy bday bb! Lets do lunch, i have a present for you!

On Kellan's bed was a long bag with a clothes hanger poking out the end. It was draped delicately over the end of the covers, and the bag was completely white; no hint of what was inside could be found. Angela looked over at it and started to get a little nervous.

[Kellan Grace Callahan]

The moment Kellan’s eyes fluttered open six minutes before her alarm clock went of, she wondered if she was supposed to feel different than she did when she went to sleep the night before. She wiggled her toes – they felt the same. She stretched her arms over her head – her joints still moved the same way. She rolled out of bed and stared closely at her reflection in the mirror that sat over her dresser – she looked the same. She could still remember what she ate for lunch yesterday and what her siblings’ names were, so she couldn’t be suffering from Alzheimer's or dementia. From what she could tell, she hadn’t turned into the old lady she thought she would over night when she made that epic (and disgusting, in her mind) switch from seventeen to eighteen.

The first half of her day had gone smoothly. She had received the occasional Happy Birthday text or call from family and a couple friends, but that was it. That was exactly how she wanted things to go – her birthday virtually ignored. But when Angela’s text came in, Kellan couldn’t help but get excited. Not because Angela was sending her birthday wishes and not because her best friend said she had a gift for her. Kellan was grinning from ear to ear because she hadn’t spent time with Angela in such a long time, and her best friend wanted to go out today. Forget birthdays! She just wanted to spend time with Angela.

As soon as her class got out, Kellan bolted down the hall, practically knocking down a pair of younger students, and rushed to her room. After winding through hallways and staircases and a sea of students, she just about crashed through the doorway of her bedroom. She wasted no time carelessly tossing her school books to the floor and practically attacking her best friend with a high-pitched squeal and a ridiculous hug that could only be brought on by the reunion of two girls who had spent way too much time apart.

“Angelaaaaaaa!” she greeted, still clinging to the other girl. She didn’t let go for what could have been forever, but she eventually released her grip on Angela and took a step backward, looking happier than a kid on their first trip to Disney World. “Oh my God, I missed you! Do you have any clue how much it’s sucked without you here?”

[✿ngela wingrose]

Angela jumped up when the door opened, and when Kellan flung herself at her, Angela squealed and did the same. The two girls hugged and jumped and were totally crazy for a good thirty seconds before Kellan had the strength to let go. Angie hung on a little longer - she was scared that if she let go, she would lose her again. Stupid Cairo. She wanted to stay grounded with the school, because that's where she felt at home. Not in some strange small town with people who would soon be her family. It felt so closed off, and she was developing a severe case of claustrophobia sitting around Kennedy's sister-in-law's house.

"It's sucked a lot without you too!" Angela exclaimed. The girl smiled despite her unhappy thoughts and pulled Kellan's pretty blonde hair gently, "You look incredible!"

It wasn't a lie. Kellan looked happy and healthy and that spark in her eye still hadn't faded. Angie hoped it never would. She wasn't sure, but she could swear that her 'spark' was gone. She found it difficult to make herself excited over things she should be excited about. Like wedding plans and dress shopping... but seeing Kellan again generated some genuine enthusiasm, and it was refreshing to feel this young again.

"Firstly, Happy Birthday!" Angela cried, clapping her hands and hugging Kellan again. "Secondly... does anyone know I'm here? I'm a little worried because... well... oh nevermind!" It was Kennedy's fault she was 'exiled' from the school in the first place. If Angela was spotted by anyone who could do something about it, she would... she would... well, she'd cross that bridge if she got to it. But she didn't want to worry about that now, so she went back to 'Firstly'.

"Ok I brought you a couple presents! First of all... this one!" She motioned to the bed where the concealed garment was draped lightly over the edge. "I wasn't entirely sure of your measurements so I bought it a bit bigger than you'll probably need, so you might have to get it fitted," Angela babbled, more than a little nervous as she stepped closer to it.

[Kellan Grace Callahan]

God, it felt so nice to see Angela. It was bad enough when almost all your friends were a year older than you and were already out of school, but it was even worse when your best friend was out of school and across the country. Angela was one of only two people who could turn her into a squealing idiot, and while it was obvious that the first of those two was Kellan’s best friend, she would never admit, especially to him, that her boyfriend was the second.

“What are you talking about? I look exactly the same as the last time you saw me four-hundred years ago,” she exaggerated , though she really did appreciate Angela’s compliment, even if she was sure she just said it because it was something you’re supposed to say after seeing someone you hadn’t seen in a while. “You’re the one who’s… with child and still looks like you could go be in like a Victoria’s Secret ad or something!”

Kellan was still getting used to the fact that Angela, the best friend who was only a year (okay, so maybe it was closer to two…) older than her, was not only getting married, but having a baby too. It was just like she had told Angela’s fiancé when he asked her to help him find the perfect ring – she could never see herself doing it in a million years, but if that was their plan then she had no choice but to be excited for them and offer nothing but the best support.

She rolled her eyes and muttered a reluctant 'thanks' when Angela told her Happy Birthday, though the gesture was accompanied by a smile. She was really hoping that the whole day could just go unnoticed, and that everyone would just think that April 19 was just another little box on their calendars.

“No, I didn’t tell anyone you were coming, but everyone in class looked at me like I was crazy when I checked my phone and yelled, ‘Shut up, no way!’ in the middle of class,” she answered. “But don’t worry, we don’t have to stay here or anything. I have another class later on, but as soon as I found out you were coming I knew I wasn’t going to go to it.”

She looked over at the bag Angela had draped over her bed skeptically. More than the whole ‘hoping people forget it’s my birthday’ thing, Kellan really hoped that that would mean no gifts.

“Angela, you brought me a dead body?” she joked, the garment bag reminding her of a flattened body bag. “The next time you kill someone, don’t bring them to my room.”

[✿ngela wingrose]

Angela giggled, "Oh, Kellan," She knew as a responsible adult, she should scold Kellan for skipping her class, but Angela knew she would have done the same were their positions switched, plus she really didn't want to have to say goodbye to her friend so soon. So for selfish reasons and the many unwritten rules among girlfriends, Angela would do nothing but support Kellan's decision to ditch her last lesson of the day.

"Alright, well you open your present, and then we'll go out and celebrate with coffee or milkshakes or omigosh I am craving a banana split right now. And don't give me wierd looks if I ask for mustard," Angela joked, although the thought of chocolate sauce and mustard didn't disgust her the way it might have five months ago.

"And fiiiiine," Angela whined dramatically, "so when I kill Kennedy I'll stash his corpse somewhere else. But since you didn't warn me till now," Angela patted the 'body bag', "you'll just have to deal with this bloody mess right now." She really wanted to rip the cover off and reveal it to her, but she also wanted Kellan to open it herself. Torn, Angela hesitated, thinking in what manner she should give Kellan the gift. Then with a grin and a touch of impatience, Angela unsheathed the present and held it up with obvious admiration.

"Your maid of honour dress," Angela announced, grinning from ear to ear. She really hoped Kellan liked it. She took photos of her friend into the bridal party stores and showed her to the matrons for their opinions. They helped her pick out a dress, and after debating colours, Angela opted for the sunnier cousin of the deep pink gown she knew Kellan might not like because of the femininity it exuded.

She twisted it from side to side.

"What do you think?" She asked nervously.

[Kellan Grace Callahan]

Kellan did in fact give Angela a disgusted look when she mentioned a banana split and mustard in the same sentence. She had heard storied about women craving the strangest things when they were pregnant (she remembered her mother had woken up at 4 in the morning for six months straight craving apple sauce before Hailey was born), but mustard and ice cream? That just gave Kellan one more reason to never want to reproduce. Ever.

She watched carefully as Angela picked up the white bag. Clearly, Kellan didn’t really think that there was a dead body stuffed in there, and it was obvious that it was some kind of article of clothing, but what was it? Once Angela pulled the dress out of the bag, Kellan’s first reaction was ‘Oh man, it’s yellow.’ In those brief seconds, she was thinking about how she never wore the color because she thought she looked stupid in it and how she was going to have to pretend to love it even if she didn’t. But then Angela told her what the dress was for, and all of a sudden it was the most gorgeous dress she had ever seen in her life. Yellow, pink, green, turquoise, or clear – it didn’t matter one bit.

“M-my what?” she asked as though she hadn’t heard Angela correctly. She stared at her best friend and blinked a few times, mouth slightly ajar, before she was able to say anything else. “You want me to be your maid of honor? Shouldn’t that be for like… for like Morgan or someone? Or… or some kind of family? Wait - you’re not messing with me, right? Because I swear to God Angela, if you’re just kidding and getting my hopes up for nothing then I'll kill you!”

It wasn’t that Kellan thought that Angela would do something so mean, so deceiving, but she was just so damn flattered that Angela would even consider Kellan to be her maid of honor that she didn’t want to be let down if it wasn’t true.

[✿ngela wingrose]

Angela shook her head at Kellan's uncertainty. "Of course you're going to be my maid of honour. And as great a girl as Morgan is, you are my best friend, and the only girl I would ever consider to be my maid of honour," Angela was a little teary-eyed from her speech. "That is of course, if you're saying yes," Angela added, not wanting to add any pressure. But she knew Kellan would be thrilled to play the part, so for jokes she added, "because if you say no, Kenneth was really jumping to get the chance." Picturing the bulky boy wearing Kellan's yellow dress made her nose wrinkle at the thought, but she wound up giggling over it anyway.

"You like it though?" Angela was still really nervous, and she desperately needed Kellan to proclaim her love of the dress before she would be satisfied. She had been so sure at the store because of all the saleswomens' praise of the dress that she hadn't thought twice when they told her it was final sale. And it hadn't been an inexpensive dress - it was another pretty penny that she and Kennedy shouldn't be spending if they wanted their own place together, but for Kellan... Angela simply had to. Even if they hadn't set the date. Even if Kennedy didn't feel like talking about it whenever Angela brought it up. Angela had to invest in something for the wedding to assure herself that it was going to happen.

This dress represented her security on the whole ordeal, and if Kellan didn't like it, it would be a bad omen for everything. That was why Angela was sweating.

[Kellan Grace Callahan]

“Are you kidding? Of course I’m yes!” Kellan practically blurted out. Did Angela really have to ask? “I don’t usually like weddings because of all the dancing and drunk uncles and annoying aunts who always tell you how you were only thiiiiiiis big the last time they saw you and what a beauuuutiful young lady you’ve become, but none of those weddings were ever my best friend’s wedding. I get to like… throw you a huge party go to appetizer, no, hor'dourve tastings and hold your dress when you pee and stuff.”

Only Kellan could possibly be excited about that…

She was absolutely thrilled… until Angela asked about the dress. What was she supposed to do, tell her that she didn’t really like it at all? That she never wore anything in yellow and gold family because she looked awful in those colors? That a dress like that was made for someone tall with long legs, not someone who was barely pushing 5’2 on a good day? That the little… whatever it was in the front looked like extra fabric that someone forgot to cut off before they put it on the rack? She could never do that to Angela.

“I love it. It’s perfect” she gushed, using all her energy to sound as convincing as possible. Everyone who knew Kellan knew that she was an awful liar. She was just hoping that Angela would be too caught up in the moment and too naïve to notice.

[✿ngela wingrose]

Angela sighed her relief at Kellan's 'approval'.

"Alright," She beamed, "And I got you one more thing. It's nothing huge, and I don't expect you to wear it like, ever," Angela assured her friend, taking out a small, soft, square parcel from her purse. It was a little scrunched, but she smoothed it out with no problem.

She tried keeping a straight face, but it was impossible as she handed over the little package. Her present was folded so Kellan would only read 'America's Next Top A' until she unfolded it, and Angela just wanted to see her face. It was all for jokes and smiles, and she could barely wait for the day when Kellan's new niece or nephew entered the world.

[Kellan Grace Callahan]

As relieved as Angela was that Kellan “liked” the dress, Kellan was probably twice as relieved that Angela actually believed that she did. Surely Kellan could just force herself to like the dress Angela picked out with time, right? Right? It didn’t really matter what Kellan though, really. It was going to be Angela’s wedding day, not Kellan’s, and if her best friend wanted her to wear an awful yellow dress then that was exactly what Kellan was going to do.

The younger girl groaned when Angela told her that she had another birthday gift for her. She should have expected this from Angela. With a roll of her eyes (and of course a smile), Kellan took the package and unfolded the shirt. She read the words printed on the front and burst out laughing as soon as she did.

“Angela, you’re such a dork!” she laughed. She held the shirt up in front of her and read the print again, her reaction the same as before. “But I love it – thank you. You know, I would wear this every day just because it’s from you but that would take the ‘secret’ out of this whole secret pregnancy thing. Which reminds me…”

She saw this as a great opportunity to turn the attention of her birthday away from her and over to Angela instead.

“When are you going to tell everyone that there’s a little you crawling around in there?” she asked, eyes moving to Angela's stomach. It was killing Kellan to keep Angela’s secret for so long. She was dying to tell someone, anyone, but as promised, the blabbermouth had kept her mouth shut for months.

[✿ngela wingrose]

Angela grinned at Kellan's reaction to the joke, laughing with her. Then the question came up about revealing her secret to the world and the older girl wrinkled her nose.

"Not until I tell my father. I don't want him hearing from the grapevine - he doesn't even know I'm getting married yet!" Angela added, the worry evident in her exclamation. The model sighed and slung an arm around Kellan, "But when I tell him, I'll tell you." One more squeeze of her friend's shoulder and Angela released her, and picked up her purse.

"Okay, coffee! No, ice cream! And we'll catch up some more!" Angie marched to her friend's door and opened it, gesturing her to hurry with a frantic, circling hand. "Let's go go go!"

[Kellan Grace Callahan]

Kellan could just picture Angela’s father finding out through a friend of a friend of a friend that his only daughter was pregnant and getting married, and while she had never actually met Travis Sivart, she knew that it wouldn’t be a pretty sight. It made her wonder what would happen if she were in Angela’s shoes. Neil Callahan would die of a heart attack right then and there as soon as Kellan told him. Her mother would curse in Italian and cry about how Jesus did not die for Kellan to go and get pregnant. Reese would demand she tell him where to find the guy because he was going to tear him apart with his bare hands. She was too scared to tell her family that she was even dating Kenneth, none the less having his child. She hoped her best friend would make it out better than she would if their roles were reversed.

“Okay, okay. I’m coming, calm down!” Kellan was absolutely beaming as Angela rushed her out of her room. She had missed this. She missed being able to exchange class time for best friend time. Distance definitely made the heart grow fonder, that was for sure. It was so nice to have Angela back in town and have a girl to talk to. There were few things that Kellan really thought were necessities, but her best friend was definitely on the top of that list.