1. **State the problem:** Nicole bought $17b$ cupcakes and gave $5$ cupcakes to each friend. After giving cupcakes, she had $7b$ cupcakes left. We need to find how many friends she gave cupcakes to. 2. **Write the formula:** The total cupcakes given to friends is the total cupcakes minus the leftover cupcakes: $$17b - 7b$$ 3. **Calculate the cupcakes given:** Simplify the expression: $$17b - 7b = 10b$$ 4. **Find the number of friends:** Since each friend got $5$ cupcakes, the number of friends is: $$\frac{10b}{5} = 2b$$ 5. **Interpretation:** Nicole had $2b$ friends at her party. **Final answer:** There were $2b$ friends at Nicole's party.