Page 7 of The Winning Ticket

“Remember Jake Boyd?” she asks, looking up.

I nod. Hard to forget the guy you spent most of your childhood and teen years crushing on.

She goes back to digging through my clothes. “Well, he won an apartment in one of those prize home charity things, and we’ve organised a party there tonight.” Morgan finds the dress she must have been looking for and nods before throwing it at me. “Put that on. You look hot in that.”

“I didn’t think anyone ever actually won those things? I always assumed they were rigged.” I screw my nose up when I look at the dress she’s chosen for me. “I don’t want to look hot. I want to hang out in tracksuit pants, wear no makeup and not brush my hair. Why do I need to make so much effort to look nice for the people we’ve known our whole lives?”

“Two reasons. One.” She holds up a finger on her right hand before pointing at the dress and then at me. “This apartment is seriously fancy. Therefore, only well-dressed people shall be allowed in. And two, I am not letting you wallow over that dickhead. He was never good enough for you, and I will not sit by and watch while you feel bad for even one more moment because of him. So, we’re going out. You’ll see people you haven’t seen in years but who all still love you very much, and we will never discuss he who shall not be named again.”

I gulp at the determination on her face before saluting and peeling off my favourite tracksuit pants and my senior jersey that I’d found in a drawer in my room. After years of having to dress like one of the Real Housewives of Richard and Co, I was really looking forward to embracing my inner slob, but I guess that will have to start tomorrow.

“You know, Richard wasn’t that bad. Well, before how he ended it,” I say.

Morgan shoots me a disgusted look. “Do not defend him. No decent guy ends a five-year relationship by locking their girlfriend out of their apartment, transferring her plane tickets to his supposed assistant, and just leaving her a fucking note,” she says, her voice shaking.

I swallow hard. Both Morgan and Chris are convinced that Richard has been cheating on me with his assistant. It’s not something I’m ready to think about yet while I’m still processing the humiliation and hurt from the way he ended the relationship.

Once I pull the little black dress into place and rearrange my boobs, I stand before my sister so she can inspect her handiwork.

“Much better. Right, we’re going back to mine so I can get all dressed up, and then we’re catching an Uber to Jake’s. Chris is already there. I dropped him off this morning.”

I’m looking forward to seeing my almost brother-in-law. He has been around for so long that he’s already a part of the family and is the older brother I never had.

“Who else is coming?” I grab my handbag and follow her out of the room after giving my bed one final, longing look.

“The usual crew and a few others we’ve collected over the years will be there. Tara and Kylie are going to be there.”

I smile at the mention of my two best friends from high school, whom I haven’t seen for over a year.

But then the anxiety I’ve been fighting against for the last three days starts to knock on the door once again. I had become so distracted with my life in Sydney that I hadn’t been that close to the people who had been my whole world growing up. Will they even want to see me?

If Richard had left me so easily, maybe my old friends wouldn’t have missed me anyway.

I do my best to push my feelings back down into the box that I’ve been keeping them in since I picked myself up off the floor in that hotel room.

We pass by our parents, who are sitting on the couch watching the cricket. Well, Dad is watching the cricket. Mum is reading a book on her Kindle and shooting dirty looks at the TV. Maddie is curled up in a ball beside her, having made herself right at home. I can tell Mum is happy to have the little fluff ball around to spoil as she affectionately rubs Maddie’s soft ears.

“You girls off now? Have a great time. Send me a photo of this apartment.” We both give Mum a quick peck on the cheek and wave at Dad, who nods without taking his eyes off the TV.

“Thanks, Mum. See you in a bit.”

Morgan laughs. “No, she won’t. She’ll see you in the morning.”

I shoot my sister an alarmed look. “What do you mean? Morgan, all I want to do is sleep, and now you’re saying I can’t even come home?”

I feel like I’m on the verge of a meltdown, but my sister gives me a sunny smile while she waves her hand at me.

“We’re staying there, silly. There are four bedrooms and several couches. This is going to be a big night.” She swans out the door without a care in the world, and I stare after her for a moment, feeling a lump forming in my throat.

Great… Now, I really wish I was back in my tracksuit pants.

4

SOPHISTICATED PARTY

JAKE

Morgan had insisted on making this a ‘sophisticated’ party, which the guys and I thought was hilarious because none of us are even slightly sophisticated. But being the good boys we are, we let her have her way, and I am now spraying on cologne and putting product in my hair. Outside the bedroom, I hear Chris and Will letting people into the apartment, each person making exclamations about how over the top everything is.

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