Page 16 of B-Side

Chapter 6

I won the Jeep.

I was listening to the raffle results that afternoon with the rest of the crowd, and it was a completely surreal moment when I heard my name ring out over the speakers.

I walked toward the stage with people patting me and pushing at my back like I was the star of some kind of movie.

It was a brand-new Jeep Wrangler with sport tires and a soft top. It was the perfect shade of grey—a color I would have chosen myself. I experienced a dreamlike afternoon before that happened, so the wholenew carthing sort of mixed into the haze. I had actual papers to sign and then I drove off of the school property and to my apartment in a new Jeep, leaving my Honda Civic sitting in the school parking lot.

I had been on my own for years.

I had no one to talk to about my financial decisions. My parents, sadly, were less savvy than I was with money.

I would sleep on it and decide if it would be smarter to keep the car and sell the Jeep or vice versa. I knew I could get a lot more money for the Jeep, but I sure did like it. Maybe I would take more than a day to think about it. There was no harm in keeping the Jeep for a week or two, even if I decided to sell it. I wasn't in a bad place financially. I had a little student loan debt, but I was budgeting well and even setting a little money aside for what would eventually be a down-payment on a house.

I would think about the Jeep for a while, and then my thoughts would drift to Alec. My mind was busy all evening. I was physically pumped as a result of all the stimulation and I wound up cleaning my apartment from top to bottom.

It was a small one-bedroom place in a large apartment complex. I had a numbered parking spot, and I was still uncertain which vehicle would ultimately get the spot.

I came really close to texting Alec and telling him I won the Jeep. I knew he would be excited for me and I wanted to let him know, but I didn't let myself.

I took a drive that night to prove to myself that I didn't need the thing. Unfortunately, I fell in love with it more each time I got into it. It was so nice and new, and I had bought my Civic used so it was almost ten years old by now. It still ran great, but goodness, the Jeep was such an upgrade.

I went to church the following morning, and it felt weird yet wonderful to get out of that new vehicle and walk into the building. I was two steps into the door when Carmen Hall, one of the teachers at my school, came rushing up to me.

She was coming from the children's ministry, and she had a toddler on her hip.

"Girl, did you win that Jeep yesterday?"

"Yes. Can you believe it? You weren't at the picnic. Did you see me pull up just now?"

"No, we had to go to Tyler's mom's birthday, so, I couldn't make it to the picnic, but I talked to Tasha, and she said you won that thing. She said you bought five thousand dollars in tickets!"

"No, I did not. I bought one."

"One thousand?"

I made a face. "One ticket. Twenty dollars. One ticket for twenty dollars."

She looked totally confused. "Tasha's dad was all tied-in with the raffle organizers. He told her that the girl who won bought five thousand dollars in tickets. And I was like,that's pretty smart because you get a brand-new car for five thousand, but then there's the chance that you'll do that and not win it, like that one guy. I think he bought two thousand worth. It's like he just gave away two thousand and didn't win." She shrugged. "But you could have given away five thousand and still lost, I guess. I bought a ticket and so did basically everyone I know, so I guess we all took a chance and lost."

It sounded like she was rambling on and on. I heard her speculating about odds for the raffle, but I was lost in thought as she spoke, and her words sounded a bit like wa-wa—wa-wa-wa-wa.

"But it's cool that your gamble paid off," she said, capping off her long string of statements.

"Yeah, that is cool, but I bought one ticket," I said, trying not to sound as breathless as I was. I smiled and shrugged innocently. "Must've been a mix-up."

I turned from Carmen with a blank smile and nod and headed into the service. I was so taken off guard by the information she had provided that I was on autopilot for the rest of the morning.

I thought about it and I texted Alec as soon as I got home.

Me:

Did you buy any raffle tickets?

I heard back within seconds.

Alec: