I thought I could handle not winning the tournament—as long as I wasn’t last. I didn’t think about how I’d feel to get so close and not make it. It seemed like victory was almost mine.

I really wanted that change jar. I was going to buy the coolest stuff. It was going to be soooo great.

Alex claims that the guys would have shared their change jar with me if I’d asked. Yeah, right. Like anyone would do that. Easy to say when you can’t prove it.

I practiced a lot and I really tried. I worked so hard. I played some great hands. I can’t believe that I gave it my best and it still wasn’t good enough. The universe can bite me.

I should have noticed that Lisa knew what she was doing. I’m so used to her being on my side. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea of her beating me.

Lisa was wicked cool, though. She never raised her voice, lost her temper, or bragged about how great she was doing. She knew what she was doing every minute of that game. She was smooth.

I hate losing, but it’s not like I was tricked or cheated. Lisa won because she’s great. I feel bad that I walked away without congratulating her.

Lisa and Trish are out somewhere. When Lisa gets back, I’m going to make this right.