The Twenty Dollar Betrayal

It was my eighteenth birthday party, my official coming-of-age. And my cousin, Trevor, handed me a half-scratched lottery ticket as a gift.
A cheap joke. Until I actually won twenty dollars.
Then, he suddenly offered me forty thousand dollars to buy the ticket back.
The absurditythe sheer, bizarre leap from a $20 win to a $40,000 offermade my stomach clench. It felt wrong, utterly grotesque, and I refused.
Trevor went ballistic. He screamed obscenities, cursed me to hell, and in front of every guest wed invited, he shoved me off the balcony of our high-rise apartment.
Dozens of people were there. My own mother and father stood watching. They all silently approved, chiming in with the chorus of curses that proclaimed I deserved to die.
I opened my eyes again. Thirty minutes before.
Trevor stood before me, his smile a cruel, familiar twist, holding out that half-scratched ticket. The words were the same, too.
1
Sierra, dont call me cheap, okay? This baby is worth two hundred thousand dollars!
I scratched half of it myselfjust to eliminate half the wrong options for you. Whatever you win is all yours, little cousin.
I automatically reached out for the card, but the moment my fingers brushed the cheap, shiny paper, I snatched my hand back as if burned.
I looked up at the wall clock: 11:00 p.m. Exactly thirty minutes before I died.
No one knew I was back.
Tonight was supposed to be my eighteenth birthday celebration, the dinner party where Mom and Dad hosted all our relatives.
Trevor, the cousin who never missed a chance to look down on me, had come, and hed used a half-scratched lottery ticket to publicly humiliate me.
Last time, Id been mortified. The surrounding relatives, smiling placatingly, had encouraged me to scratch it off. Were family, sweetie. Just do it.
Trapped in that raw, humiliating spotlight, Id scratched it off. A measly twenty dollars.
And then Trevor, who had been waiting for the punchline at my expense, had suddenly surged forward, his eyes burning. He offered $40,000 cash on the spot.
Id always been cautious, a habit reinforced by all the college fraud warnings. Trevor despised me; the sudden, massive overpayment for a $20 ticket screamed trap. Id flat-out refused.
Thats when hed snapped. Bitch. Jerk-off. Ingrate. Every poisonous word he could spit. He screamed that if I didnt give him the scratcher, hed kill me.
He pushed me backward, hard, until I was stumbling against the window. Id screamed for help, but the same relatives whod been all smiles and "family" moments before had faces twisted with pure malice. Even my parents had joined the chant: I deserved it.
Hed finally shoved me out. I died on the pavement below.
Until the moment I hit the ground, I didnt understand what I had done to deserve that.
Maybe it was a cruel joke, or perhaps the universe took pity on me. I was back.
I acted immediately, cutting him off with a bright, tight smile. No need, Trevor. You should keep that two hundred thousand dollar value all for yourself.
Trevors smug expression curdled instantly. Sierra, you are truly ungrateful. You think youve hit adulthood and grown wings, so you dont have to show respect to your cousin anymore?
My mother, Elaine, quickly scooped the ticket up off the floor. Sierra! Are you insane? You dont turn down money!
Wed never had the financial standing of Trevors family, and since Trevor had a high-paying finance job in the city, my parents always deferred to him. They felt perpetually inferior.
The other relatives chimed in, their voices a practiced chorus.
Sierra, just take your cousins generous gift. Scratch it now. Who knows, maybe you really will win that two hundred thousand dollar jackpot!
I wanted to refuse again, but my eyes locked with Trevorsicy and calculating. What if a firm refusal landed me back over that railing?
I took the ticket. Ill scratch it later, at home, I said, trying to sound casual. Weve all come together for my birthday, Trevor. It would be rude to hold up the party with a silly game.
He leaned in, his voice dangerously low. Dont insult me, Sierra. If you dont like my gift, just say it. Dont you dare shame me by calling it a delay.
Trevors mother, Aunt Lisa, yanked him back, shooting me a hateful glare. So dramatic. Take it or leave it, brat.
Trevors father, Uncle Mark, lit a cigarette, a mocking chuckle escaping his lips. Got into college, now she thinks shes somebody, huh?
That single sound sent a wave of panic through my parents. They instantly redirected their fear and shame onto me. Sierra! Who taught you to be so materialistic and spoiled? Your cousin is being generous, and youre making excuses?!
I tried to object, but Mom grabbed my hand, pressing the ticket hard against the tabletop. She used her own fingernail to viciously scrape the surface.
My nail plate tore, and a bead of blood welled up, but Mom didn't even flinch. Her eyes were glued to the winning number area. Suddenly, she shrieked excitedly. Its a winner! Twenty dollars!
A cold, heavy rock settled in my chest. In my peripheral vision, I saw all eyes snap to me.
Trevor slammed his palm on the table and lunged across the dinner setting, his gaze fixed on the hand I was instinctively tucking into my pocket. Damn it! It really is a winner!
The next second, he spoke the exact words that had started the chain reaction last time.
Sierra, Ill give you forty thousand dollars. Sell me that scratcher.
I held the small ticket tightly in my fist and smiled at him. It was a cold, empty smile.
Trevor, Mom must have misread it. Why would I ever have the luck to win the lottery?
Trevor wasn't an idiot. Offering $40,000 for a $20 ticket meant something massive was wrong. I could take the money, but if he regretted it, I knew he wouldnt hesitate to kill me for a second time.
I absolutely could not give him this ticket.
No win?
He didnt believe me. He reached out a demanding hand. Let me see it.
A spike of panic hit me, but I steadied myself and calmly pulled a ticket from my other pocket, handing it over.
Trevor snatched it and scrutinized it. He flipped it, scratched areas he'd missed, and finally, confirming it was a complete loss, he let out a frustrated shout. He threw the ticket on the ground and ground it under his heel.
He shot a venomous glance at my mother. Aunt Elaine, you seriously need to get your eyes checked.
Mom flinched, not daring to speak. The other relatives quickly bent down, jostling each other to pick up the ticket, then sighed in a dramatic, pitying unison.
I quietly let out the breath Id been holding. Thank God I hadn't washed these jeans.
About two weeks ago, Id bought a losing scratcher on a whim and shoved it in my pocket. It had just saved my life.
But my relief was short-lived.
My younger sister, Piper, spoke up, her voice sharp and eager. Wait, Sierra. Didnt you buy one downstairs earlier today? You didnt mix them up, did you?
My mothers eyes lit up with renewed fury. She rushed at me, gripping my arm until her nails dug into my skin. Sierra! Did you hide the winning ticket?! I knew I didnt see it wrong! Hand it over, now!
Trevor, feeling manipulated and robbed, returned, his hand whipping out and connecting with my cheek in a stinging slap.
You little tramp! You think you can play games with me? Give me the real ticket, or I swear Ill beat it out of you!
I told you, it didnt win! I cried. Why would I lie?
Piper added, But I didnt see you throw anything away!
Just then, my father, Robert, who had been silent, stepped in front of me.
I thought he was going to protect me. Instead, he struck me across the other side of my face.
I collapsed to the floor. He leaned over me, screaming.
You wicked girl! Hand that ticket over to your cousin right now! If you mess this up, Ill personally destroy you!
A tidal wave of black despair washed over me.
My mother sneered, rolling up her sleeves as she approached. Just wait. Ill search her pockets myself. If I have to, Ill strip her down to nothing. Shell talk then.
I screamed, Mom! Dad! Are you insane? Youre turning my eighteenth birthday into a nightmare over a stupid scratcher!
Trevor kicked my side. Sierra, if you keep this up, forget your birthday. Ill make sure you lose that scholarship and never step foot inside that college you worked so hard for.
I looked at my parents, incredulous.
They met my gaze with cold, contemptuous smiles. Sierra, we dont have money. Your cousins family is paying your way through college. You want to go? You do what Trevor says!
Before I could fight back, several relatives grabbed me, pinning me facedown across the dinner table.
In front of everyone, my mother tore at my clothes, desperately searching for a second ticket.
Shame flooded every nerve ending in my body. Tears streamed down my face.
After fifteen minutes of invasive, degrading searching, they found nothing.
Mom threw me away from the table, spinning around to slap Piper across the face.
You stupid girl! Say one more lie and Ill sew your mouth shut!
Piper clutched her red cheek, her eyes blazing with hatredaimed not at my mother, but at me.
Trevor just stood there, staring, his eyes unreadable.
The party was a disaster. On the day I was supposed to celebrate a new chapter, I was subjected to the greatest humiliation of my life over a slip of paper.
I couldn't stay in that house for another second.
Just after midnight, I quietly slipped out and made my way to Liams apartment. Liam, the boy next door, my best friend since kindergarten.
The moment he opened the door, he pulled me into a fierce hug, his voice thick with concern. I wanted to go to your place, but they said you were busy. Then Piper told me what happened. Sierra, you didnt deserve that.
I broke down. All the raw, accumulated trauma of the daythe murder, the rebirth, the betrayal, the shamepoured out in tears.
Liam held me, soothing me, even offering to go find Trevor and fight him.
No, dont, I pleaded, holding him back. Dont be reckless. I still dont know why Trevor did any of that. If we move too fast, we might fall right into his trap.
Liam was silent for a moment. Then he asked, his voice soft, Sierra, was the ticket you gave them the real one?
Looking up into his gentle, familiar eyes, I almost told him everything. After all, Liam hadnt been present when they murdered me.
But as I opened my mouth, I caught a flash in his gazea sharp, desperate eagerness.
My throat tightened. It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing my windpipe, and every alarm bell in my brain screamed: Do not tell him!
Liam nudged me for an answer. I feigned annoyance. They searched me until they nearly stripped me naked! Even if I had superpowers, I couldnt hide anything after that.
The truth was, the winning ticket was taped under a serving platter back at the house.
When Mom had screamed about the $20 win, Id quickly swapped the real ticket for the old, losing one in my pocket and shoved the real one under the platter while everyone was focused on the cash value.
Seeing Liams continued skepticism, I forced myself to sound indignant. Do you think Im an idiot? Would I hide a twenty-dollar ticket and turn down forty thousand dollars?!
Liam stroked my hair, a look of manufactured affection in his eyes. Of course not. My Sierra isnt stupid.
My heart hammered against my ribs. I had to know what was going on. But Liam, what do you think made that scratcher so special? Why was Trevor so desperate for it?
He shrugged, his tone dismissive. Its just a lottery ticket. Whats the big deal? Maybe he just went crazy and used it as an excuse to mess with you, you know? Hes always hated you being smarter.
Trevor definitely resented my grades and my college acceptance. But not enough to kill me over a $20 prize.
The questions piled up inside me, stealing my appetite.
Liam took me back to his place. You can stay here tonight, safe. Tomorrow, Ill go with you and talk some sense into your Mom and Dad.
I tossed and turned that night, unable to sleep.
Sometime after 3 a.m., I heard the distinct click of the doorknob turning.
My heart seized. A burglar?
But then I realized we were twenty-six floors up. A burglar was impossible. Only one person could be entering.
It was Liam.
Sure enough, Liam tiptoed to the bedside. He whispered my name once.
When I didn't respond, he started meticulously going through my discarded clothes.
I heard him muttering to himself. Where is it? Is it really gone?
Then, louder, a voice filled with rage Id never heard from him. Damn it, I drugged her for that ticket! I have to find it tonight!

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