I suddenly remembered a story I saw online a few days ago about a girl who won a million after breaking up with her boyfriend. On a whim, I walked over.
It was my first time buying a scratch-off ticket, and I didn't know how things worked. Acting out of spite, I handed the shopkeeper a hundred dollars.
"I'll take a hundred dollars' worth of scratch-off tickets."
The shopkeeper opened a pack of tickets and tore off two, handing them to me.
I instantly regretted it. The tickets were expensive, which cost me a hundred dollars for just two. But I thought, why not? If I didn't win, I would just take it as a way to get back my luck.
I sat down at the table in the back of the shop and started scratching.
The first ticket had five rows, and I scratched off five symbols, but they were only worth ten dollars each. Altogether, it was fifty dollars. At least I broke even. Hopefully, the next one would be the same.
I pulled out the second ticket. In the first row, there was nothing.
As for the second row, it had nothing again.
I thought I was about to walk away empty-handed and shook my head in resignation.