lottery winner ✔️ h.s.

four

May 20th, 2013

The sky is now a bright orange. The traffic is bumper to bumper here in downtown Phoenix. The lottery office has been open for thirty solid minutes. They're patiently waiting for the person with the winning Powerball ticket. The person is going to claim one of the largest jackpots in history...

That person is me. Harry Edward Styles. 18 years old. I'm a high school dropout from Portland, Oregon. Two years ago, at 16 years old, my parents kicked me out. I spent the first year in Portland, jumping from friend's couches. After that, I found myself in Tucson, Arizona.

How? I got involved in drugs. I met some drug dealers one night while I was on the streets of Portland. One night, I took the money and ran. It was a couple thousand dollars and it got me to a random city away from Portland. I've been hiding in Tucson ever since. That's why Big Mike told me to go somewhere no one would find me. I told him about the drug dealers. And I know that if they ever found me, they'd kill me. And now that they know I have all this money, I'm sure they're gonna come looking for me.

I am going to be famous. Infamous? Maybe. I just know when I sign for that money, it's my name and face broadcasted for everyone to see. For my parents to see. Can I change? Where should I go? Maybe a vacation out of the country for a while?

"What are you doing in Phoenix today, young man?" The taxi driver asks. He's an old white man and he reeks over cigarettes and sweat. I lean forward and read his name tag.

"I don't know yet, Toby. Might explore the city. Might catch a flight to Italy," I'm barely containing my laugh. He catches my laugh change back to a straight expression real quick.

"Everything okay?" He asks, glancing back at me. The traffic has begun moving again and we're only a few miles out.

"I'll tell you when we get to the destination," I say with another chuckle.

Minutes pass and we are now only a few moments away from the lottery office.

"What is the destination anyways, Mr. Styles?" His look of confusion is obvious as we make turn after turn in the busy streets of Phoenix. I eventually see the lottery office in my sights and I can't stop the words.

"The lottery office," I say quietly. 

He pulls into the lottery office parking lot and loudly sits back in his chair like he just had to go through hell to get here. "Why here, sir?"

I quickly grab my backpack and get out of the car. I shut the car door and as loud as I could possibly be, I looked him dead in the eyes and said, "I just won the lottery."