The Green Ticket Read Online Free PDF Page A

My sister and I could pass for twins, if you ignore the ten-year age difference: identical red hair, though mine was almost to my waist and always frizzy, whereas Alicia’s was just past her shoulders and always shiny; same green eyes and were both exactly 5’5” and weighed around 110 pounds. Did I mention she had given birth to five children–– two of them twins? Maybe after I had kids my hair would finally be smooth. And I would still be skinny. I can be hopeful.
    “Everything is good here. Lila and I just got home from the gym a bit ago. We both worked at Tastie’s today.”
    “How is your work?”
    I paused, debating whether to tell her about wanting to apply for the manager job. But I didn’t want to get my hopes up any more than they already were, and telling another person–– especially my cheerleader sister ––would only crush me more when ––I mean if–– I didn’t get the job.
    “It was okay. Short shift. Friday night was one of the best tip nights yet, though.”
    “And how are your classes?”
    “Good. Music Appreciation is more boring than I thought it would be. I thought we would be, I don’t know, listening to music, but all we do really is just study the history of it.”
    “Is it too late to change your elective?”
    “I think we can by next week, but I’ll probably just stick with it. There really isn’t anything else I’m too interested in.”
    Alicia and I chatted for a few more minutes about our usual topics, and then Carly got on the phone to say hi. Carly was seven, and I was pretty sure she was a fashion model in training. Alicia said that she had taken to stealing her digital camera and taking pictures of herself, and always strutting around the house, treating it as a makeshift runway in Milan. Alicia has thought about putting her into pageants, and I think the following year would be the first time Carly could finally get the go-ahead to compete. I would definitely be there to see my precious niece go for the crown if Alicia did decide to okay it.
    Alicia and Craig’s other four children weren’t divas like Carly. Candace, the oldest at nine, loved to read and had very high emotions. I swear, if one of her brothers or sisters got hurt, Candace felt their pain and cried along with them. She was fairly quiet, and I think she took her role as the big sister pretty seriously. Their youngest daughter, four year old Caitlin, was the complete opposite of Carly. She was the tomboy and loved soccer. She refused pink clothing or wearing her red hair in pigtails like Carly often showcased.
    Then there were the boys, Todd and Tyler, identical twins. While all three girls got the red hair and green eyes from their mother, the boys got their looks from their dad with dark hair and eyes. They were two, and it was no joke when people said they had the terrible twos. I had no idea how my sister handled them, especially with three other kids vying for her attention and rides in their brand new Lexus RX. Alicia would never be caught dead driving a mini-van. Neither would I for that matter.
    After talking to Carly, who dominated the conversation about her new pink glitter shoes, Alicia got back on the line. “The other girls are still playing outside and the boys are in the bathtub. Maybe next week you’ll have more kids to talk to.”
    “That’s okay. My friend just got up here to help me with some, errr, homework, so I need to get going anyway.” I waved to Hannah as she walked in. She looked very Hannah-like, wearing brown cords, a simple white sweater and brown flats, with her wavy blonde-ish hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her eyes were cornflower blue (according to her), and she always had an innocent look on her face. That was our Hannah. Innocent, slightly boring, but smart as a whip and a great friend. I disconnected with my sister, and we got to work on fixing up my résumé. 
    It was after eight when Hannah and I finally agreed that my résumé was perfect. She made