Shortly before 7:30, Dave and Carson strolled towards Brett's house, keeping an eye on their phones.
"Any minute now," Dave muttered, grinning with anticipation.
Inside the house, everyone else had gathered in the main hall of the mansion. There, a stage had been set up on which Brett stood next to a rotating lottery cage filled with numbered balls. Rather appropriately, he had dressed up as a king, complete with a garish crown tilted playfully on his head and a short red robe over his shoulders. His hand held a decorated scepter which he had likely made himself. On anyone else, the getup would look ridiculous, but somehow, it fit for him.
Jon and Karyn watched from the side to avoid the press of the crowd but stayed close enough to get a good view. As one might expect, Zoe and her friends hung around the back.
"My honored guests," Brett called out. "Thank you for being here for my last party before graduation."
"Brett's the MAN!" One of the guys shouted, followed by series of grunts echoed by some scattered others. "Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"
"I'll miss you, Brett!" A girl called out.
Brett pointed at the ones who shouted. "Thank you, Roger. And Tina, I'll miss you, too. I know I will miss you all, so I want to make this the most unforgettable event possible. That said, it's that time we've all been waiting for, the BrettFest Raffle!"
The audience erupted into rowdy cheers until Brett motioned for them to be silent. "And now, as we count down to 7:30, I will draw the first number!" Giving the cage a few spins, he put his hand inside and glanced at his watch. "Ten nine eight "
Everyone else joined in, and soon, it resembled a new year's celebration. Even Zoe found herself chanting along with them.
" three two ONE!"
