Rigged Draw: No More "Stay" for Me

Synopsis

I spent over 9,000 dollars to book a family trip for four. It was supposed to be Mom, Dad, my fiancé Evan Brooks, and me. But then, Claire Lynn, my younger sister, got dumped and started crying, saying she was heartbroken. Mom looked at me with a troubled expression. "There are only four spots. Maybe you two should draw for it again?" she suggested. Before the drawing, I saw Evan slip a folded piece of paper into Claire's hand. I kept quiet and pretended not to notice. I picked an envelope, like we always did. The slip inside read, [Stay.] Claire hugged Evan, tears in her eyes. "Evan, with you to comfort me, I'm sure I'll get over my ex," she said. Mom announced, "The results are in. Summer, you're staying home to watch the store." I picked up the remaining envelopes on the table and opened them one by one. Not a single slip inside said, [Travel.] Every last one read, [Stay.] I looked up. "You've been rigging this draw for a whole decade. "Every year, I end up with the 'Stay' slip. Aren't you sick of playing this game yet?"