Just My Luck

Casino

(Wow!!!! 200 readers!!!! That's CRAZY!!!! I hope you enjoy!!! I really appreciate it!!!!❤️)

The play was a success, and she walked home, with Avery and Michael. She hadn't gotten the chance to see her dad, but she wasn't worried about it.

The next morning, she got to the library early, so she could do some reading. She loved books now. Each was so unique, and had its own journey. She couldn't wait to read more, and thought about the books while she was working.

She stayed late, and decided to use the computers to help her solve this problem. She looked up the address, and it was in fact, a casino. They had a special on Wednesday.

The jackpot. It was poker, and the winner got an added percentage from the casino. She walked out of the library, a new plan turning in the cogs of her mind.

She got home, and planned everything out. She went into the very back of her closet, and pulled out a shimmering magenta dress. It was in great condition, even still in the dry cleaning bag from many years ago. She slipped the bag off, and laid it out on her bed.

She stripped down to her underwear, looking in the full length mirror. She was average. There wasn't anything eye catching, or that would make someone do a double take.

She was short, about 5"4. She had chunky thighs, and her stomach stuck out over the edge of her underwear elastic, only a bit though. She had a small bust, and thick arms. She sucked in and out, wondering what she would look like. Avery was very skinny, but that was more from her lankiness than anything else.

She wasn't even curvy like the models. She was just plain chubby. Sierra was right in a way. She wasn't anything special. She turned around, and looked over her shoulder. Her thighs touched at every angle. Her butt was visible, but on the flatter side; it was weird how people wanted more fat in some places, and less in others.

She picked up the dress delicately, so she wouldn't damage the hand stitched details. She slipped it on, and smiled. She was special. Her mother had been gorgeous, and people had told her she looked an awful lot like her mother.

The door knob turned, and before she could say anything, her dad was in her room. He stopped in his tracks, and just stared. He hadn't seen the dress in a long time, and something about seeing it on his daughter was comforting.

"Have fun kiddo." He said, and slowly closed the door. She felt reassured by the fact that, even though her dad had no idea where she was going, he trusted her.

She went through the make up she had gotten from Avery. It was all pastel hues of pink and soft powders. Avery had shown her a bit, but she wasn't entirely sure yet.

She pulled out a photo of her mom, from when she was in high school. She had crimped brown hair pulled back with a yellow scrunchie. She applied light strokes on her face, and let the artist take over. Her face was as blank as the canvas she imagined. She painted her lips a dark crimson orange, and splattered her eye lids with cream coloured powder on her fair skin. She stepped back, to look at her self.

Not bad. Pretty decent, if I do say so myself.

She grabbed a white handbag, and left, looking both ways, before walking down the street to where she could only hope answers would be.

The parking lot was crowded, with men and women dressed in formal wear. They walked to the front door, with confidence as they told the bouncer there names.

She could feel her neck and under arms get sticky with an uneasy sweat. She discreetly sniffed, and sprayed herself with some perfume one more time, desperately trying to mask the pungent odour. The couple in front of her had subsided, and now it was just her, face to face with a man, who had muscles bigger then her chunky thighs. He looked her up and down, and stuck his hand out, waiting impatiently for her to hand over her ID.

She fumbled with her purse, and it didn't help that her hands were lathered in sweat. She handed her card over, and purposely stuck her arm at her side, to keep it from shaking.

"Leslie Milton?" He asked. All she could do was nod, and give a closed mouth smile. He looked at the picture, and at her, then down at the picture.

"My wife loves that movie you were in. What's it called again?"

"The Lovely Two."  She smiled. Even though she had never dared to watch it, she had heard it got raving reviews.

"Yeah. That one." He smiled, letting her pass through. Maybe he hadn't read a magazine for the last ten years, she thought.

If the parking lot had been crowded, the lobby was an overflowing monstrosity. People lounged in every nook they could squeeze themselves into. The upperclassmen were clinking glasses, and laughing at who knows what. Probably a mix of nervousness and drunken hysteria. Either way, everyone was so focused on themselves, they'd never piece together the fact that an actress who's been dead for thirteen years was mingling with the elite.

She spotted Todd from across the room. He looked dapper in a white suit and bow tie. He turned her way, a relaxed, charming smile on his face, as he clinked glasses with passerby. He slid easily through the crowd, until they were less then a foot apart.

"Fancy meeting you here." He smiled lazily.

"Is that wine?" Charity asked.

"Maybe." He winked.

"That wasn't the plan!" She whispered angrily through gritted teeth.

"Girl, you need to calm down! Go with the flow." He slurred, wrapping his huge arm around her tense shoulders. She managed to untangle herself from his drunken embrace, when she heard a familiar laugh.

But it wasn't Michael.

She turned around slowly, and locked eyes with the last person on earth she would expect to be at the casino in the middle of the week.

Ms. Locke.

She looked just as shocked to see her daughter's best friend, who also happened to be a minor, staring right back at her. They both looked, away not sure what to think.

Charity took in Ms. Locke's outfit, and couldn't help but do a double take. She was wearing a skimpy sailor girl outfit, with a small navy blue  and white sailor hat. She gave a sheepish smile, and turned away.

Charity walked up to Ms. Locke, looking for new answers. She lightly tapped her on the shoulder, as Ms. Locke politely excused herself from the conversation she was in. Charity and Ms. Locke then walked briskly to the restroom.

"What's going on?" Asked Ms. Locke.

"I don't know! I was about to ask you the same thing Ms. Locke!"

"Call me Janet here."

"Okay Janet, What's going on!"

"I could ask you the same thing young lady!" She stammered, only a tinge of a slur on the end of her words.

"Okay," said Charity, hands up in surrender, "you don't tell my dad, I won't tell Avery."

"Deal." Janet said, leaning forward to give Charity a pinky promise.

"My friend is in trouble, and I thought I would find him here." Sighed Charity.

"I work here at night to help make ends meet." Sighed Janet.

"Really?" Asked Charity. Janet nodded, her fatigue taking over her face.

"So far, Avery hasn't asked any questions about where I get the money for all her medication. I can't work during the day because I home school her." Charity nodded, feeling a pang of guilt. All those pills she had seen, probably cost an awful lot.

"My friend got himself into a bad situation. He owes bad people money." Janet nodded, and linked her arm around Charity's, letting her rest her pounding head on her shoulder.

"How did you even get in here?"

"I used my mom's old ID." She said sheepishly. Janet leaned back to look her in the eye, and laughed, her tired eyes erasing with it.

"That sounds exactly like something your mother would do."

"I had a feeling you would say that." Charity Smiled, an odd sense of pride sitting in her otherwise empty stomach