A THRIFT SYSTEM

chapter one

I never thought betrayal had a sound-until I heard her laugh. My heart beat fast, hoping I heard wrong.

You know that kind of laugh you hear that made your heart skip for joy knowing fully well she was yours.

Yes, exactly that kind of laughter but it wasn't it for me.

It wasn't just a giggle. It was a full-blown, head-thrown-back, soul-cutting laugh. The kind of laugh that used to be mine. The kind she used to give me when I said something stupid, or when we'd lie under the stars and talk about our future.

Now she was laughing like that in someone else's arms.

In his arms.

I stood there, frozen in the corridor outside the music room, the door slightly ajar. I hadn't meant to snoop. I came with roses. Stupid, right? She liked lilies, but I couldn't afford them, so I settled for cheap roses from the street vendor. I just wanted to surprise her.

All my life, I had always prioritise just one person. She ment the world to me and I would even go to the end of the earth to get her what she desires. I would risk even my life to give it to her even if it meant me going broke or getting kicked to the earth.

That was the kind of love I had for her but everything was going to nut right before me. I had hoped I was hearing it wrong. That I maybe be wrong.

But the surprise was on me.

"God, you're so much better than him," she whispered. I could hear every word.

He chuckled. "He's a nobody. You were wasting your time."

She didn't defend me. Not once.

Didn't even hesitate.

"You think he suspects anything?" the guy asked.

"He's too dumb to notice. Honestly, he should thank me. I was doing charity work dating him. I wish he even caught us in the act. It is high time I let him know we are not compatible.”

They both laughed again.

My fingers loosened, and the roses dropped to the floor with a soft thud.

That was when the door creaked open wider, betraying my presence. I wanted to go into the room with fury and knock the teeth out from his mouth but then I know I would only be doing him a favour and I would end up being the scape goat.

And she saw me.

Her smile didn't falter. Not for a second. My face went pale.

How could she?

She behaved like I didn't mean a single thing. Like It didn't matter if I had caught her cheating which I did.

"Oh," she said, stepping away from him like she was bored. "Guess the charity case showed up."

I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. My throat burned, my chest felt tight, and my world spun like I was falling off a cliff with no end.

He looked at me like I was a stain on his designer shoes. "You can leave, man. She's done with you."

"Tell me it's not true," I croaked. "Tell me this isn't real."

She laughed again-God, that laugh. " You were convenient, Pointus. You walked me to class. Helped with my homework. But you've got nothing. No money, no future, no status. Why would I waste my youth on someone like you?”

I don't remember how I got out of that room. I think my body moved on its own. I was outside before I realized I had tears running down my cheeks. I wiped them away quickly. Men aren't supposed to cry. That's what my father always said, before he left.

He was this type of man that would instill in me want it meant to be a man but today I was not.

I was another cry baby who was pained for seeing the girl he spent all his life worshipping.

But I cried anyway.

I wandered aimlessly, numb, past students laughing, past couples holding hands. My legs led me to the bridge near the river. The one everyone warned people about at night.

I stood at the edge, looking down into the dark current.

Would they miss me?

Would she miss me?

Probably not.

I took one step forward.

That's when it happened.

A flash of light.

I stumbled back, shielding my eyes. I thought I was hallucinating. Maybe this was what dying felt like.

Then I saw it-floating right in front of me. A glowing, translucent screen with strange letters that morphed into words I could understand.

[SYSTEM ACTIVATION DETECTED]

[User: Pointus Gray]

[Emotional collapse registered. Survival probability: 4%. Intervention approved.]

[Welcome to the Fortune System. Your first task has been issued.]

I blinked. "What the hell..."

The screen shifted.

[Task One: Spend $1,000,000 in 72 hours.]

[System Rules: ]

[You must spend it all. ]

[You cannot reveal the source of the money. ]

[ The money will self-destruct if not used in time. ]

[Completion unlocks greater power. ]

Timer Begins: Now.

A digital countdown started ticking in red.

71:59:59

"Is this a joke?" I whispered.

But then a phone vibrated in my pocket. Not mine-it was new, sleek, and unfamiliar. I pulled it out. On the screen was an app I didn't install, already open.

It displayed a digital bank account.

Balance: $1,000,000.00

My heart skipped.

I looked around-no cameras, no prank show crew, no laughing students. Just me and the night.

The screen still floated, glowing softly in the darkness.

Was this real?

I didn't know what to believe anymore.

My girlfriend of two years had just destroyed me, turned me into a joke for everyone to laugh at. I had nothing. No family, no friends, no future. I was invisible.

But now... I had a million dollars.

And maybe, just maybe, a chance to become something more.

I looked back at the water.

And back at the new phone that got into my pocket in an unexplainable way. My breath etched in my throat.

"Is this real?" I said with my eyes almost poping out of their sockets..