O N E
The Golden Ticket

IT WAS ONE of those nights in which would have been absolutely uneventful if it weren't for the phone call that changed the night's plans. Only, in this case, it was a good old fashioned letter instead of a phone call.

The rain outside was pattering gently against the windows, a slight hum that brought in great soothing comfort for my nerves as I sipped on the cup of steaming hot coffee, a book in my lap. This was the way in which I had spent many of my days after my descent from the throne of high school, reduced to nothing but my absolute deepest core: a girl who loved to read and hated the ticking of time.

The clock that hung on the plain ivory colored walls of my home ticked as the seconds went by, the consistent noise echoing in the otherwise empty household as I curled deeper into the sofa chair that was set up in the corner of my bedroom. Furrowing my eyebrows in annoyance, my eyes darted to examine the damn clock with absolute distaste every once in a while as it took my attention away from the story in which I was currently attempting to read.

"God damn it." I cursed once under my breath before abruptly getting up, slamming the hardcover book against the small round glass table. The noise echoed within my room and eventually the rest of the empty house, but it did not last long enough to completely block out the dreadful ticking that soon returned. "Damn thing can't shut up. How am I supposed to read like this?"

Exasperated, I crossed my room quickly before rising to the tips of my toes, reaching for the clock and unscrewing the back of it with a random screwdriver that was kept in the drawers of my writing desk. I pulled the batteries of the clock out before screwing the back of the clock in again, placing it back to its original position on the wall with a satisfied grin.

You see, these nights are often the hardest to get by. What could've been supposedly the best day of my life, also known as my big twenty-first birthday celebration, ended up being one of the worst. Never mind that my oh so wonderfully kind boyfriend had decided to break up with me mere days before my birthday, but the knife that came right to my back when I had found out that he had gone out with who I thought was my best friend felt worse. To top it all off, I had to end up spending this momentous day all by myself, with nothing but an aggravating ticking clock keeping me company.

How did I even end up here?

How did I even end up like this?

In my own humble opinion, I was a wonderful human being that attended church every Sunday as a youth. I always greeted all of my elders, treating them with nothing but respect. I had studied diligently back in high school, even going as far as to take a few extracurricular lessons to broaden my set of knowledge and skills. Not to toot my own horn, but I was also popular, well-liked and praised before I had left for college.

So why was it that I am now spending this day alone at home with no one else to celebrate my most momentous birthday with me?

Even with all my years of education, all my years of research on miscellaneous topics, that was a question I can never answer in all of my life. Perhaps I was just ever so down in the luck department ever since birth.

"Face it, Addison. You are just not important enough to get the birthday bash you had always dreamed of. So much for twenty-first birthdays." Succumbing to the temptation of ranting to myself, I began to whisper resentful words under my breath, sulking my entire way through as I made my way down the steps of my house and into the living room. "Even Bella and Minnie are too busy to give you the best night of your life. Too busy to spend a night over with ice cream and break up movies to ease the burden of heartbreak."

Sad to say, I was a very bitter girl when left forgotten. But could you truly blame me? When one grew up in the limelight along with enormous amounts of love and an entourage of worshipers, it was only natural that I had assumed all of my life that I would be treated the same way.

I was born as the only child in the family and as a result, my family showered me with humongous amounts of love and adoration. I was a little princess in their eyes. And in school? I was the queen. Back in the days, I had been with the 'in-clique' and my friends and I ruled the hallways of high school. Students both feared and idolized me, to the point where it fed my already inflated ego.

Hence one can see why I did not react particularly well to a change in events such as one like this.

My feet paddled down the wooden floors, surveying the living room before deciding to settle on the couch with a good movie to entertain myself towards the countdown to my birthday. After all, it was an undoubted fact that all the best movies were aired on New Year's Eve, along with the best celebrations.

But before I could even reach for the television remote, a small creaking sound that came from the front door veered my eyes over. Immediately, my attention was switched from the television to my door when a hint of a sparkle caught my eye before it fluttered towards the floor.

With one eyebrow raised in question, I made my way over, bending down and gingerly picking up the letter that was dropped into my home. The beautiful gold flake encrusted piece of paper was extravagant, catching the light easily whenever I moved my hand in the slightest bit. The rays bounced off of it in a rich manner, and a good sparkle had always caught my eye, naturally.

"And what do we have here?" I asked out loud, clicking my tongue lightly before peeling the envelope open with great care. My eyes scanned the words that were written in a bold cursive, signed off with great flair.

To: Miss Addison Pilediah

You have been cordially invited to attend the annual Countdown Weekend Celebration at Riverside Boathouse this New Year's Eve as a guest of honor. As such, you may bring as many guests as you wish. The details are as follows:

Time: 8.30pm, New Year's Eve, 31st December

30 Rivervalley Drive

Please do dress comfortably. There will be no need to bring further belongings. All items will be provided at the boathouse.

Hope to see you there.

D.

My forehead creased slightly as I skimmed the contents of the letter. It was short and simple, holding only the barest of information needed. Yet I knew what this letter was indicating without even a need for confirmation.

The Riverside Countdown Party was an event in which only the truly elite could attend. It was a party, or as I had heard from the rumor mill back in high school, which consists of all night drinking, pool parties, club-like scenes and it was exclusive to the special people of the town. All my life, I had yet to receive a single invitation before, much less receive one as the guest of honor.

A loud rapping on the door pulled me out of my little daydream, turning my attention back to reality as I peeped through the small hole by the door. There, two girls stood, one with flaming red hair that resembled the burn of a great wildfire's flame and another with dark brown untamable curls stood, mindlessly chatting as a small smile began to grace my features.

After all, that was the normal reaction to have when one sees her best friends.

"Girls!" Pulling the door open with a delighted smile, I beamed brightly as my two friends turned their attention towards me, each bearing matching grins. "You two said you couldn't come! What changed your mind?"

"Addison!" Minnie smiled before tackling me in an embrace. "We wouldn't miss your birthday for the world. I can't believe you actually thought that we would abandon you on your birthday! We just had to visit some pit stops before coming here."

From behind the redhead, Bella raised the two giant plastic bags in her hands, wiggling them slightly with a grin.

"We've got it all here. Everything that ranges from a break-up comfort party all the way to a relaxing gathering with Netflix playing our favorite television shows. You are in for a treat tonight."

My heart swelled in my chest, brimming with sheer happiness as I grinned before jumping forward to tackle the two lovable idiots in my arms. I am grateful, not just for this, but also for all that they had done for me through our many years of friendship.

They had taken my side without a second's hesitation when they found out about Porsha's betrayal.

Porsha, my supposed best friend that had charmed my dishonest ex-boyfriend from under my own nose. I had been with Lucius for years, best friends for many more before we even started dating. Porsha, on the other hand, had always been one of my best friends until recently. When Lucius decided to break up with me for an unknown reason, he had also picked the worst choice as a rebound romance. This choice that he made eventually tore one of my best friendships apart.

After Lucius and I had broken up and he started dating Porsha, everything went downhill from there. Her personality flipped from being a good friend into a backstabbing liar. She began to laugh in my face for things I did as a child and spread rumors about me to everyone within our age group in town.

Even when Porsha offered Bella and Minnie what I could no longer, popularity, they still chose to stand by me till the end of the line. And they proved themselves then and there, and also the fact that it had always been about the quality of friends rather than the quantity I had believed in what felt like forever ago.

"Thank you so much." Wiping away a stray tear of happiness, I pulled them into the house before shutting the door with a slam. "But I just received this a few moments before you arrived."

From the pockets of the baggy sweatpants I wore, I pulled out the golden letter, flashing it in all its glory to my two best friends as their eyes widened with surprise, jaw dropping and almost gawking at the simple piece of paper that I held within my fingers. In that moment, they radiated of awe and bewilderment, more so than I had ever seen before.

"Is that?" Minnie asked with her jaw slightly agape.

"The Riverside Boathouse Countdown Party. Holy shit, Addy, you did not tell us that you were invited!" Bella gasped, taking the letter into her hands as Minnie leaned over to view its contents.

"I did not know until just a few seconds ago, actually." Shrugging, I gave my best nonchalant look, leaning against the armrest of the nearest couch and tilted my head slightly to the side. "Like I said, it arrived seconds before you two did."

"Who's D?" Minnie asked, confusion clear on her face as her eyes darted back and forth between me and Bella, who which rolled her caramel brown eyes with a slight shake of her head.

"Only the host of the party every year, Minnie. Gosh, do you live under a rock or something? He never reveals his name. Only signing off as 'D' in each letter that is sent out. My brother received one during his senior year of college. He never saw the host. No one did and I doubt anyone ever will." Answering almost nonchalantly, Bella handed the letter back into my hands. Then, her voice dropped a few tones lower and into a whisper. "He's a mystery in itself. Just like how awesome his parties are. And they are out of this world."

"Do you think you'll meet him? Tonight?" With a wiggle of her eyebrows, Minnie's hip bumped me slightly, causing me to lose my balance for a second before latching onto the back of a nearby armchair for support. "You are invited as the guest of honor. You might be the first to see him as a result."

"I seriously doubt it." Giving an unladylike snort, I gave a roll of my eyes before bopping the tip of Minnie's nose, to which she crinkled. "It's like Bella said. He is a mystery, an enigma. Nobody knows who he is. Even if I had met him, I might not necessarily know that it is him."

"Are you going, then? To the party?" Bella asked. Her tone was more so than just curious. It was almost pleading. Understandably so, of course, seeing that the party was an iconic event in Riverside Creek.

Nevertheless, an excited grin was on its way onto my face as I pondered over the question. Of course, I already knew the answer the very second that letter had entered my house.

One simply couldn't miss this opportunity of a lifetime.
"It said I could bring guests." I started slowly, shaking the letter slightly in my hands as I placed a hand on my hip. "Fancy coming along as well?"

Seeing the grin on their faces was enough of an answer. Bella beamed with delight, her eyes widening a good few sizes before clapping her hands together in agreement.
"Is that even a legitimate question? Of course we are going! This is the chance of a lifetime. We will never have an opportunity like this again. Besides, I can finally brag to my brother that I stepped into the same legendary party that he did. Just so he would stop boasting about his own invite."

Minnie shook her head in disbelief, her eyes twinkling with good humor.

"It's more than just another party, Bella. We are going to pimp Addison out. Find her a new boyfriend so that Lucius can see that she doesn't need him. He is just as disposable as Porsha is."

At her words, I grinned in satisfaction. "And I have just the right outfit to wear tonight." With an excited squeal, I placed my hands on each of their shoulders. "Tonight ladies, our lives are going to change forever."

[A/N]:

Here are some covers made by one of my closest friends, trinitystories_xo . Thank you so much. ❤️

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