ASSIGNED

Chapter 18

PICTURED: Asha's party outfit

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"Bye mum, I love you!" I hugged her tightly before she got into her taxi. It was five thirty in the evening of Wednesday, July eleventh, and my mum was heading to the airport to go back to Adelaide.

"Be good sweetie, I love you too!" she said, blowing me a kiss out the window as the taxi took off down the street.

I sighed as I watched her taxi turn the corner and disappear, her waving hand visible until the very last moment. I walked back into the house and flopped onto the lounge lazily, turning on the TV and watching the newest episode of 'The Man in the High Castle'.

The next few days of school were boring, but everyone was talking about my upcoming party. There's a chance I had invited a few more than thirty people...maybe fifty...but like, my mum didn't need to know that. Right?

I had my second shift at Zinc on Saturday morning from nine until three, and the amount of pretentious rich people that came through those doors was ridiculous.

"God, are they always like that?" I whispered to Lolita as a lady walked out of the store, purchasing well over seven thousand dollars worth of clothing.

"Yep, but they spend money so we have to be nice," she said with a grimace.

"But she was awful! I mean, my name tag clearly says 'Asha', and yet she insisted on calling me Alice no matter how many times I corrected her because 'Alice sounds nicer'. Ugh!" I scoffed, and Lolita laughed.

"Don't worry, I get people calling me Loretta, Larissa, Latisha...I even had a lady call me Latina once!" she chuckled, and I couldn't help but laugh with her.

When my shift ended I caught the train back to Chadstone station and the bus back to my house. Once I arrived home I messaged the girls telling them they could all come over. They all arrived within thirty minutes and we began to set up the house for the party. We poured packets upon packets of chips, m&m's, skittles and Pringles into bowls and lined an array of different soft drinks on the kitchen counter. We put all valuables in the upstairs guest room and moved the lounges back to create enough room for dancing.

We placed lanterns around the backyard and Lauren had brought over some of her old beanbags which we placed on the patio. There was a large esky in the corner filled with ice for people to put their drinks, and a mini fridge that Dylan had brought over with Amanda in his Ute.

By the time we had all finished setting up the party was two hours away. I changed into my party outfit quickly and checked it in the mirror. I decided to keep it fairly casual, wearing a red bandeau tube top with high waisted ripped jeans. I dressed it up with matching red heels.

The girls and I sat in front of the mirror together and did our makeup, and I finished mine off with a sharp winged liner and nude lip. It was my signature go to look, and I learnt after a drunken night back in Adelaide to never wear dark lipstick if there's a chance you'll be kissing someone. Not that I would be kissing anyone tonight...Bailey made that quite clear. Unfortunately.

"We have an hour left until people start arriving, let's have some pre drinks!" Mollie shouted, pulling a large bottle of vodka from her bag and nine shot glasses.

"You're prepared!" I laughed, accepting the full shot glass from her.

"I carry vodka and shot glasses with me everywhere I go," she said simply.

"Wait, for real?" Casey gasped.

"No, you fuck!" Mollie laughed.

We all held our shotglasses up in the air.