"Peaches, today's your birthday, right?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, it is." Momoko didn't even look up from her laptop. "How'd you know?"

"You said something a few days ago, remember? About turning twenty-three on the twenty-third? About how it was funny?" Dane looked over at her from the kitchen.

"Did I?"

"Yeah, you did." Dane reminded her. "And you told us you always get that cake from the bakery on Mercer? And Jude and Sully got online and ordered it that night, remember?"

"Right, right."

"Momoko, what in the world are you looking at? You're not even listening to me," Dane complained, coming around to see her screen.

Momoko finally looked up, smiling at him. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to learn how to make this stew, I thought we could try it here next time we cook, you know?"

Dane climbed over the back of the sofa to sit next to her, scooping her into the curve of his arm. "What kind of stew?"

"Beef, though I'm sure it would work with whatever kind of meat we wanted to use," Momoko said. "See, right here? I've watched a couple of times, I don't get why they do that? Why roll the meat in flour?"

Dane and Momoko peered at the video intently until Jude emerged from the shower.

"What are you two staring at so seriously? You look like teenagers watching your first porno," he teased.

They didn't even respond.

"Have either of you seen Sullivan?" he asked. "We were supposed to go out and run some errands, pick up Momoko's cake and that."

Just a head shake from Momoko, no response from Dane. Both were completely immersed in the mysteries of the making of the stew.

"Look at how quickly he chopped those onions, wow!"

"I know!"

"I guess I'll just hang up this towel and go walk up and down Bleecker completely starkers," Jude remarked.

"Okay," Momoko said.

"See you," Dane added.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Jude rolled his eyes and went to his room to get dressed.

The front door opened and Sullivan came in, hot and sweaty from running.

"Hey, guys," he greeted Dane and Momoko on his way to the shower. "Jude around?"

"In his room," Momoko answered without looking up. "He said something about going for a walk."

"What? No, we're supposed to go out and do stuff."

Momoko shrugged and gestured vaguely in the direction of Jude's bedroom.

Sully knocked on Jude's door. "Jude? We're going out, right? To get Momoko's cake and all that?"

"Yeah, I'll be ready in ten minutes."

"Okay, I need to take a shower still, so gimme twenty."

"Sure."

The door to Tommy's room flew open and he appeared in the doorway, blinking. "Jesus, it's like Grand Central out here. Can I guy just take a fucking nap, please?" He muttered something vaguely predatory sounding in Spanish and disappeared back into his room, shutting his door behind him.

Sullivan headed off to the shower, and the stew making video ended.

Momoko and Dane looked at each other.

"Wanna watch it again?" Dane asked.

Momoko nodded enthusiastically and hit the arrow and they leaned in together, heads nearly touching.

🎂 🍰 🎂 🍰 🎂 🍰 🎂

"We're back!" Sully and Jude crowed as they opened the door. "We got the cake, the decorations, all that good stuff. Sushi here yet?" For Momoko's birthday, they'd ordered sushi from her favorite Japanese restaurant.

"You guys, I'm twenty-three, not five," Momoko said. "You didn't have to do all this."

"Come on, it's fun for us," Tommy said. "We're romantic souls, we want to spoil the shit out of you, Peaches."

"Well, when you put it that way, how can I say no?" Momoko responded with a laugh.

"Cake goes in the fridge," Sully put action to the words, "Dane, you're in charge of the streamers," he handed the colorful packages to Dane, "Tommy you put up the letters," he tossed them to the drummer, "and last but not least, I will do the balloons." And he pulled out a helium canister.

"Oh my god, you got helium balloons?" Momoko asked, delighted.

"Hey, how come you get to do the balloons?" Jude asked.

"You want to help?" Sully asked with a grin. "Okay, Jude will be helping me with the balloons."

"I want to help, too," Momoko insisted.

So the five of them spent a happy hour or so decorating the apartment, sucking up helium and laughing together.

The buzzer rang around 6:30, and Jude pressed the button to open the gate. "Sushi's here," he said. "We ready to eat and start the movie?"

"I'm starving," Sully declared in his funny, helium voice. "What's the movie called again, Momoko?"

"The English title is 'One Cut of the Dead,'" she told him. "It's this great Japanese movie I found. It was made for pennies, practically, by some Japanese students, and has already grossed millions of dollars."

"A zombie movie, right?" Dane asked.

Momoko shook her head. "You think it is at the beginning, but it's not. And it's not over when you think it is, either. It's the best movie I've seen all year, anyway, and you guys are going to love it."

"Sounds great," said Jude from the door where he was waiting to let the sushi guy in. "Anybody got a tenner to tip the guy? I only have two dollars."

"I do," Tommy said, pulling out his wallet as he walked to the door.

Jude opened the door, saying, "Please just set it right there, mate--"

It wasn't the sushi guy.

"Momo?"

Momoko looked up from where she was inhaling fresh helium from a purple balloon and laughing with Sully.

"Oh shit," she said, her voice humorously high, though there was nothing humorous about this situation.

Hunter stood in the doorway holding a bottle of wine.

"Please, just hear me out," he began.

"How did you find out where she lives?" Tommy asked, barring his way.

"Momo, it's your birthday, and we always, always celebrate it together, you know?" Hunter asked, ignoring Tommy.

Momoko stood motionless, holding the purple balloon.

"I asked how you found out where she lives?" Tommy repeated, putting a restraining hand on his arm.

Hunter sighed. "I knew she'd want that same peanut butter cup cake, so I hung out at the coffee shop across the street from the bakery, and I recognized you two when you went in to pick it up, and I followed you back here," he admitted, nodding toward Sully and Jude.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Sully asked furious. "You stalked us?"

"You're way over the line," Momoko said, her voice returned to normal. "You need to get out of here, right now, Hunter. Right fucking now."

Hunter set the bottle of wine down on the window sill and advanced a few paces into the room, even though Tommy still had a hand on his arm.

"Come on, baby, hasn't this gone on long enough? I can't eat, I can't sleep, I miss the fuck out of you," Hunter pleaded, looking at Momoko in obvious agony. "Look how beautiful you look."

Momoko sighed. "Hunter. Please listen. I'm sorry our break up has been so hard for you. But I'm no longer your baby, and you're no longer part of my life. We're over. I've moved on, and you have to, too."

Hunter shook his head. "No. No, you don't mean that. We're soul mates, we're meant for each other. When we were together, it was so amazing, I mean, I never had sex like that with anyone, and you can't tell me you did, either, baby, you can't."

Momoko wiped her mouth with her hand and let it flap against her leg. "You really want to have this conversation now, Hunter? Do you?" She took a few steps closer to him, and Jude moved on a path to intercept her, stopping when she did. The tension in the room was intense.

"Most of the time with you I faked it, okay?"

"What?"

Momoko nodded. "You heard me. When we fucked, I faked it most of the time because I loved you and I enjoyed being with you and I figured it didn't matter. Then, near the end, right before we broke up, I'd just fake it so it would be over sooner. "

Dane bit his lip and looked at the floor.

"You bitch," Hunter said, his voice soft. "I came here because I love you and want to be with you. You belong to me, and nothing you say is going to change that. Nothing."

"Get out, Hunter." Momoko's voice was tired. "Please don't come back, or I'm calling the police. I never want to see you again. I didn't want things to get this ugly, please remember that. I didn't, but you forced me."

"You heard her," Sullivan said, taking a step toward where Hunter stood. "Get out. Now."

"You going to make me?"

"You think we can't?"

The four young men gathered in front of Momoko, who stood like a taut rubber band, fists at her side.

Hunter finally turned to go. "This isn't over," he said from the porch. "Not by a long shot. You're mine, Momo, you always will be, don't you forget it." He walked down the stairs, punching the side of the building on the way down.

Momoko shook her head and sighed after Jude shut the door.

"Again, so sorry, guys."

"Again, not your fault," Dane told her, enveloping her in a hug.

"But he's in your life because of me, and now he knows where we live," Momoko said, her voice hopeless. "I had no idea he was so crazy. God, he's nuttier than a fruitcake."

"Hey, at least he left the wine," Jude quipped, picking up the bottle. "And it's your favorite, Peaches! Now we have three bottles!"

The buzzer rang.

"And there's the sushi at last," he added.

"Please check this time," Momoko begged.

🍣🍷 🍣 🍷🍣 🍷🍣

They enjoyed the movie, the sushi, and the wine, very much.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm too full for the cake," Momoko lamented. She leaned over and kissed Sully, then sat back, patting her tummy. "I thought tonight would be a good night for some group activities, too, but I'm even too full for that," she said sadly.

"I never thought I'd say this, but me, too," Tommy said, setting his wine glass aside. "How much sushi did we eat?"

"Well, I ordered enough for about eight people," Dane said. "I think it cost about $500. And we ate all of it, oh my god."

"And we drank all the wine, too," Jude said mournfully, looking at all the bottles. "All of Momoko's favorite stuff, and a few other bottles from the wine fridge. I'm good and pissed."

"Well," Sully said, ruffling Momoko's hair, "if there's no sex in the offing, I'm taking my drunk self off to bed, I guess. I hope I can find my room. Happy birthday, Peaches. It was a fun one, your dickhead ex notwithstanding." He leaned in, gave Momoko a whopping kiss, and made his way carefully to his room.

"Me too," Dane said. "I think I'll make a pitstop in the bathroom first, though," he added woefully. "I'm not feeing too well." And he made walked unsteadily off to the blue bathroom, from whence some very sad noises began to emanate.

"You good to get to your bedroom on your own?" Jude asked, smiling.

"I'll be okay," she assured him.

He nodded, kissed her, and took himself to bed, leaving Momoko and Tommy alone.

"Well, I'm off as well, Peaches. Happy birthday, sweet girl," he told her, leaning in to kiss her.

"Good night, Tommy."

Momoko wobbled off to bed herself, stripping off her clothes, stomping everything into a pile and climbing into bed in her underwear. She checked the time, and saw that it was after midnight.

Her LSAT score would be up, then.

She debated waiting until tomorrow, but she knew that, even as drunk as she was, she wouldn't be able to sleep without knowing what it was. Was she hoping for a really good score, like 175 or higher, or or something really bad, like below 165?

She wasn't sure.

If it was below 165, the decision was made for her. At the very least she'd have to take the test again, because no school of consequence would take her. This was a dilemma she never thought she'd have. She logged onto the sight and entered her password, going quickly to where she needed to go. She swallowed and clicked on her name. The number flashed at her, seeming in her inebriated state almost to glow.

178.