Just Sh*t: A New York City Story

Chapter 34: Drunk Click, Sober Sprint

Flashback to a few weeks prior—late on a Friday night, Jamie was sprawled across the couch with a bottle of whiskey in hand, his cheeks flushed with alcohol-induced confidence. Judah was nearby, casually sipping a beer, his expression as neutral and steady as always. Jamie had reached the point of the night where everything seemed like a good idea, and he felt on top of the world.

"Dude," Jamie slurred, waving his phone around with a smug grin, "I think I'm gonna make some serious cash. Like... serious cash."

Judah raised an eyebrow, looking up from his phone, unimpressed. "Yeah? What're you planning now?"

"I'm rich, bro," Jamie declared dramatically, pointing a wobbly finger at Judah. "Like, I'm gonna invest... in, uh, penny stocks. Those things always go up, right?"

Judah smirked, but didn't bother correcting him. "Sure, Jamie. Go nuts."

Jamie giggled to himself, scrolling through random apps on his phone, not really sure what he was looking for but feeling like he was on the verge of discovering some financial goldmine. Eventually, he stumbled upon a link that seemed promising—something about winning $5K.

His eyes lit up. "Oh, hell yeah," Jamie mumbled to himself, his fingers fumbling as he clicked the link. "Five thousand bucks, easy. I'll buy like, I dunno, a jet ski or something."

Judah watched out of the corner of his eye, bemused but too used to Jamie's drunken antics to intervene.

"Look at me, Judah!" Jamie said proudly, holding his phone in front of Judah's face, showing him the registration screen. "I'm gonna be rolling in dough." He pressed 'submit' with a flourish, feeling invincible.

Judah glanced at the screen and squinted. "You just signed up for a 5K, man."

Jamie blinked slowly, trying to focus. "Yeah... five K... like, thousand dollars, right?"

Judah shook his head with a chuckle. "No, idiot. That's a run. A race."

Jamie's face twisted in confusion as he stared at the confirmation screen, his mind slowly piecing it together through the fog of alcohol. "A... a run? Like... outside? With... people?"

Judah took another sip of his beer and nodded. "Yup. Have fun with that."

Jamie, still clutching his phone, let out a half-laugh, half-groan. "Oh, God... what did I just do?"

But in his drunken state, the absurdity of it didn't fully sink in. Instead, he grinned lazily and looked

Flashback to a few weeks prior—late on a Friday night, Jamie was sprawled across the couch, a bottle of whiskey lazily balanced in his hand. His cheeks were flushed, his head swimming in a haze of alcohol-induced bravado. Judah sat nearby, casually sipping a beer, cool and composed as always. He glanced occasionally at Jamie, half-listening to his drunken ramblings.

"Dude," Jamie slurred, his phone held up like it was a piece of treasure. "I'm about to make some serious cash. Like, serious."

Judah looked over with mild interest, eyebrow raised, but didn't say anything. He was used to Jamie's drunk ideas—most of which never made sense but always provided entertainment.

"I'm telling you," Jamie continued, giggling as he scrolled through his phone. "I'm... investing or something. Found this thing... gonna get, like, five thousand dollars."

Judah glanced at the screen from where he was sitting, not really paying attention until Jamie started tapping away on something that looked more official than usual. With a quiet smirk, Judah leaned in slightly, reading the fine print over Jamie's shoulder.

A form for a kid's charity 5K.

Jamie, completely oblivious to what he was doing, continued on. "Gonna be rolling in it, man," he muttered, his fingers clumsily hitting the submit button. "Just, like... $5,000. Easy. What should I buy? A jet ski?"

Judah's eyes twinkled with amusement, but he kept silent. Instead of pointing out the glaring mistake Jamie had just made, he leaned back in his chair, sipping his beer. He was curious to see how this would play out once Jamie sobered up.

Jamie, still basking in his drunken sense of accomplishment, turned to Judah with a triumphant grin. "I'm a freakin' genius."

Judah couldn't help but chuckle softly to himself, watching as Jamie's eyelids started to droop. "Sure, man," Judah said with a smirk, standing up and taking his beer with him. "You're a real financial wizard." He left the room with a sly grin, leaving Jamie in his delusional glory.

---

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window, stabbing Jamie in the eyes like tiny daggers. He groaned, rubbing his temples as the pounding headache reminded him of last night's whiskey-fueled antics. Still half-asleep, he reached for his phone on the bedside table to check his messages, only to find an email confirmation staring back at him.

Thank you for signing up for the Kids' Cancer Charity 5K!

Jamie blinked, his brain sluggishly processing the words. A 5K? He rubbed his eyes, hoping it was some kind of mistake. But no—there it was, in bright, bold letters. He had signed up for a race.

His reaction was immediate. "Oh... oh no!" Jamie groaned loudly, the realization hitting him like a truck. "Oh God, what did I do?"

From the next room, Judah, already awake and going through his morning routine, heard Jamie's outburst and couldn't help but laugh quietly to himself. He leaned against his doorframe, listening as Jamie continued to panic.

"Oh my God! I can't run a 5K! I didn't... I didn't mean to..."

Judah shook his head, chuckling as he sipped his morning coffee. He had seen it coming from a mile away. "Guess you've got some cardio to do, genius," he muttered under his breath, amused by the whole situation.

Jamie, meanwhile, was still sitting on his bed, staring at his phone in utter disbelief, wondering how the hell he was going to survive a 5K run.