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“Ha! Two numbers!” I’m a millionaire. Not.
25
Three numbers! This is going to be a horrible letdown.
40
“Oh my god.” My voice escalates with four numbers.
55
“Holy hell.”
29
I freeze. I can’t breathe. All six numbers. That perfectly match.
Panic and excitement collide, sending me into a frenzy. My hyperventilating turns into screaming and jumping around my tiny apartment, my shouts filling every corner, “Oh my god. Oh my god! Oh. My. God!”
A firm knock at the door snaps me out of my hysteria. I swing it open, looking crazed, with a grin plastered across my sweaty face. I attempt to contain it. “Hey, Murphy.”
He peers at me, his brows knitted and his glasses perched low on his nose. He leans over to look past me. “You’re not supposed to be having a party after nine.” Even his typical squeaky voice doesn’t bug me. Lucky me having the manager of the apartment building be my neighbor. “The rules were very specific when you moved in here.”
I blow out my bangs hanging in my face. “Sorry. I just…got some good news.” His gaze darts to my hand where I’m holding the lottery ticket. I yank it behind me, hoping he couldn’t tell what it was. “I’ll keep the noise down.”
“Yeah, you do that,” he grunts, already turning to leave.
“Wait, Murphy, can I borrow your phone for a sec?”
“When are you going to get your own phone?” He sighs, yet he fishes it out of his pocket. Real soon. I promise you.
I hold up a finger and shut my front door. He grumbles on the other side about taking his phone. “I’ll be just a minute.” I can’t help but let the corners of my mouth twitch upward, barely containing my excitement. Leaning against the door, my heart pounds against my chest as I dial Pearl’s number.
She answers on the second ring. “Murphy, what in the world are you doin’ calling me this late?”
Does she have everyone’s number on her phone? “Pearl, it’s Kali. I need you to come over. Like right now.”
“Girl, what is burnin’ in your britches that you made me put on a bra again and come all the way over here? You know how much I hate this thing,” Pearl says, strolling in. She startles when I let out a loud squeal. I throw a hand over my mouth to stop myself, imagining Murphy’s ear glued to the other side of the door, knowing Pearl is here. “Girl, what has gotten into you? I haven’t seen you this happy since…well, ever.
“Promise me you won’t scream. Murphy’s probably listening.”
She waves her finger in front of my face. “I’m not the one having a problem holdin’ screams in,” she teases.
I blow out a breath and shake out my hands, trying to control the frenzy inside me. “I won,” I whisper-yell. She blinks, confused. I still keep my voice low when I say, “I won the lottery.”
“Say what, sugar? I don’t think I heard you right.”
I pull out my lottery ticket from my back pocket and show her the numbers written on my palm. Her eyes jump from my hand to the ticket, then she looks up. Her eyes are the size of saucers.
“It was you,” she quips, but then she repeats it with higher octaves in excitement. “It was you!” We both jump up and down, screaming. The adrenaline pumping through my veins is a rush I’ve never felt before.
Pearl knocks over a lamp, and it shatters on the vinyl floor. “Oh my! My tush did a little more push than I thought!”
“It’s okay.” I laugh, grabbing her hands and pulling her back into my celebration, bouncing up and down. “I’ll buy another one!” Because I can freaking afford it.
I’m not surprised at the pounding on my door. Pearl rolls her eyes, and we simultaneously scream, “Go away, Murphy!” We hold our breath, listening for a few moments, expecting more pounding, but to our surprise, it stops.
We both fall back onto the couch, sweaty and giddy. Shock slams into me, quick and fast. She’s still squealing as my rush comes to a complete stop. She rolls her head toward me, her laughter fading. “You didn’t have a heart attack on me, did ya?”
