Leafy's alarm woke her up and she groaned in frustration, she had no energy for a new day even though she didn't have to go to work.
She needed to pick Grove up from Coiny and Pin and then figure out what to make for dinner.
She begrudgingly got up, pushing the stuffed animals off her and went to go freshen up in the bathroom.
Once she was done she went downstairs to make herself a coffee and watch the news. She always liked being up to date on current affairs, it helped her feel attached to things.
She checked her phone for any messages and saw she had gotten one from Pin.
Hey Leafy, I have an offer for you.
Leafy rolled her eyes, when Pin had an offer it was never good.
What is it Pin?
Well, why don't we have a Girls Night tonight? Grove can stay at my house again and we can just go out and have fun!
Pin you know how I feel about Girls Night.
Aw come on Leafy we haven't done this in forever, it'll be good for you.
Everytime we do this you try to set me up with some weird co-worker you know.
But it won't be like that this time, I promise! It'll just be you, me and Golfball.
I highly doubt that.
Please Leafy, I'm worried about you. You need to start getting back out there.
If it shuts you up I'll go but if there is even one guy tries to get with me, I'm out.
Great! You won't regret this!
Let's see.
Leafy sighed as she put her phone down, Pin was always way too quick to answer texts.
Now she had to find suitable clothes and take a shower.
She liked to take her time in the shower, letting the water properly wet her skin and lathering in the shampoo and conditioner.
In recent years she had learned to take time for herself so she could feel good.
But there wasn't time for that, she needed to drive to Pin's house to check in on Grove and meet with Pin and Golfball.
When she was out of the shower, she looked for some clothes, Pin had told her to wear something "fun" but Leafy didn't understand what she meant so she put on some tight, black jeans and a shoulderless white blouse along with black high-heels.
She decided to go the extra mile and curl her hair slightly and put on a bit of makeup, all in all she liked how she looked.
She grabbed her car keys, turned off the lights and left the apartment, making extra certain she double locked the front door.
She went downstairs to the underground car park and hopped into her car.
She pulled out of her spot and exited the car park, driving out onto the busy city streets.
The traffic wasn't heavy today so she made it to Pins in thirty minutes instead of the usual hour.
Pin had given her the access code to her private parking space so she had no issues with finding a place to park.
Leafy made her way up to Pin and Coiny's apartment and rang the doorbell.
She heard quickly running little footsteps and a small voice saying
"It's mama, it's mama!"
She smiled as the door was opened and the little boy jumped out for a hug.
"Oh I missed you Grovey," Leafy said as she held him tight.
Coiny appeared in the doorway and greeted Leafy.
"Pin's just finishing her makeup, she'll be with you in a few minutes," he said.
Leafy shook her head in mock disappointment.
"Thank you so much for looking after Grove for me, he really likes spending time with you," she smiled.
"It's no biggie, I love lookin' after the little guy. We're partners in crime, right Grove?" Coiny held out his hand for a fist bump which Grove eagerly returned.
"But seriously thank you, I don't know what I'd do without you and Pin," she sighed.
"You wouldn't be able to come out with me!" a voice called from inside.
Pin walked out the door, dressed in a short pencil skirt, a crop top and a baggy denim jacket.
"Hello Pin, you're looking... Fun," Leafy put emphasis on the last word.
"At least I look like I'm going out! You look like a glamorous office worker," she responded.
"We aren't going clubbing, we're just getting a few drinks," Leafy said, exasperated.
"Yeah, yeah I know," Pin laughed.
"You both look great, just go off and have a nice time," Coiny shooed them away.
"Bye Coiny, thanks again," Leafy called as she left.
Pin kissed Coiny on the cheek and followed after Leafy.
The plan was to take a taxi to the bar where they would meet Golfball and they'd call another one when they wanted to leave.
The taxi ride went smoothly, with Pin babbling on about how good the cocktails in this place were.
Although Leafy would never say it, she enjoyed her best friend's ramblings and was greatful she cared about her enough to invite her out like this.
Once they arrived, Pin paid the fare, they went into the bar and eventually found Golfball.
They all sat and chatted together, Golfball getting mad at Pin when she found out how persistent she had been to get Leafy to come out.
"I told you if she didn't want to you weren't allowed to force her," she snapped.
"But I could tell she wanted too! She just acts like she doesn't wanna go out," Pin insisted.
Leafy rolled her eyes but laughed softly. She had to admit it felt good to be sitting with them again.
They all ordered drinks and Leafy allowed herself to relax since she really had nothing to feel upset or anxious about.
As the evening progressed more people came into the bar and music started playing.
" Oh god, Pin is this a young people's bar?" Golfball asked.
"Hey, we are young, we're all only 25!" Pin said taking a sip from her drink.
"Yeah, and I'm a mom, some of these guys are probably still living with theirs," Leafy said looking around the room.
The trio ordered more drinks and Pin was starting to laugh at everything.
"H-hey Leafy, I-I love you, alright ? And like you're a massive inspiration to me, like seriously you rule," Pin's words were slurred as she pointed at Leafy.
"And Golfball, you're just so smart, Tennisball is lucky to have you. You're literally the best,"
"Oh god, she's in that stage of being drunk,", Golfball face-palmed.
"Yeah, maybe we should start leaving, I don't like the way people are starting to dance," Leafy murmured.
The people around them were getting too flirty with eachother and there was a bit too much making out going on for Leafy's comfort so she was glad to be leaving.
Golfball called the taxi and Leafy excused herself to go to the bathroom.
Leafy waded through the sea of people and finally reached the bathroom and there was a surprisingly small queue.
After she was done using the facility she stood outside the restroom and checked her phone when she heard someone speaking to her.
"Hey, what's a woman like you doin' here,"
She looked up to see a pair of boys who looked like they were in college, clearly starting to get drunk.
"I'm afraid that's none of your business," she shrugged.
"Aw come on, we're just being friendly," one of them said.
"Yeah, we're just curious. You don't look like you come to this kinda place often," the other nodded.
"You'd be right about that," she replied, not looking from her phone.
"So are you like, a mom or something?" the tallest one asked.
"Excuse me?" Leafy looked up sharply.
"It's just, you know," the shorter one said as they both snickered.
"No, I don't know," Leafy snapped.
"You know, you got them mom hips," they burst out laughing.
"Ugh, shut up ," she shouted, blushing crimson as she stormed off
She went back to Golfball and was told the cab would be there shortly so they made their way outside.
"That was nice," Leafy said as she breathed the night air.
"It was nice to spend time with you Leafy, Pin has been ranting about this for a while now," Golfball responded.
"Maybe we should do it more often, I know we meet for coffee and stuff but maybe Pin is right," Leafy said thoughtfully.
"Don't let her hear you say that, she won't let you have a peaceful night in again," Golfball joked.
Pin was asleep against Leafy so there was no fear of her hearing.
The taxi arrived and they all got in, Golfball lived the closest to the bar so she was dropped off first, she paid her part of the ride and said her goodbyes to Leafy when she got out.
Leafy instructed the driver where to go to drop Pin off and as they drove Leafy asked Coiny to come down to the main entrance of their apartment complex to make sure Pin didn't die walking up the stairs.
They pulled up infront of the complex and Coiny was there in his pajamas and he helped Pin out of the car and he paid for Pin's part of the journey.
Leafy then told the driver how to get to her house and sat in the back of the taxi with nothing to do.
The driver offered to put some music on and so Leafy took the offer and so she sat there listening to the current most popular songs.
At long last she got to her destination and paid the taxi driver and thanked him.
She got out of the taxi, making sure she didn't leave anything behind and then she looked up at her apartment window.
She was surprised to see the living room lights on.
The driver asked her if she was alright but she assured him she was.
He believed her and then drove off.
Leafy stood there for a moment trying to remember if she had turned all the lights off when she left.
She was certain she had but maybe her mind was playing tricks on her, she was tired and had alcohol in her system.
She took out her phone but didn't call the police yet incase it was just a light she left in but she had the number on speed dial.
She got in the elevator, her heart beating quickly as her mind race's through every possible scenario as she prayed it was just a light.
She got out at her floor and slowly walked toward the door.
It was unlocked.
She had double locked that door, she never leaves it unlocked.
There was someone in her house.
She quietly opened the door and picked up Grove's baseball bat, and raised it up ready to attack.
She walked into the living room but there was no one in there.
"Come out here, whoever you are and get the hell out of my house," she yelled.
There was silence for a few moments until she heard footsteps coming down the stairs leading to the bedrooms.
She braced herself as they came closer.
She held her breath as they made their way down but nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.
"What," she gasped.
Her voice caught in her throat as she locked eyes with the intruder.
"Who the hell are you," she choked.
The man standing infront of her looked confused and a bit hurt.
"Leafy" they began "It's me,"
"It's Firey,"
But this shouldn't be possible.
Firey died four years ago.