The Penny Problem

Chapter 1

Well, here goes my first real story on Wattpad...tell me whatcha think! :)

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"Do it, Max!"

"You do it Ty, since you're so eager, hm?"

"Whatever, you're just a sissy."

"Shut up Josh, you wouldn't go near the penny!"

I pulled my brand new I <3 NY hoodie closer to me as a cold, night wind passed through the (hopefully) strong sheets of glass. Turning to face the skyline, I couldn't help but glance down at the road below. So. Far. Below.

"BOO!"

I turned toward Devi at lightning speed, grabbing my rapidly-beating heart. "Jeez, you didn't have to give me a heart attack!"

She let out a cackly hyena laugh. "Well, I know how much you LOVE heights."

I peeked down at the road again. Gulp.

"Seriously that wasn't funny!" I stated. Devi and Valery know how much I'm scared of heights. They made me watch a t.v. show of someone going down Niagara Falls in a barrel once. I had nightmares for a week.

"I assume you've been at the gift shop, Val?" I said without turning around. Val's a pretty serious shopper, so New York was heaven for her. That made it easy to hear all her shopping bags getting bumped around behind me.

"Maybe I should cut back a little..." Val said, scanning all her bags. "I really didn't need that key chain."

"Just like you didn't need the sunglasses, the bracelet, the scarf, those pens, and that cap. You don't even watch baseball!" Devi said.

Val pulled her new purple Yankees cap tighter on her head. "It. Was. Purple." That was the final statement before she spotted a different gift shop on the other side of the roof.

"Oh, Valery. She's a piece of work, ain't she?" Devi said, taking a picture of the skyline.

Proceeding to take my own picture from the Rockefeller Observation Deck, the bickering between the group of boys persisted. Why did they argue so much? You're in NEW YORK for pete's sake, one of the world's most famous cities. Times Square, Soho, Wall Street, there's so much to see in 3 days on a school trip. And, of course, these boys are going to waste their precious time bickering over a penny.

"I knew he wasn't going to drop a penny off the Top of the Rock! I just won this bet, so pay up boys!" Ty stated. The group of boys grumbled as they fished for pocket money.

"What are they arguing about over there?" Devi questioned, pointing to the group of boys.

"Max was supposed to drop a penny off the roof, but he chickened out." I replied. "I would totally do that, if I had a penny..."

" 'Scuse me, boys, let me see that." I said, butting and shoving my way into the middle of the group. They all just goggled at me, either because they couldn't believe I was going to drop it, or just that a girl is associating with them. Devi managed to find her way to me. "Are you really going to do it?" she whispered.

"Of course, it's a once-in-a-lifetime-chance!" I whispered back.

"But I heard it could kill someone!" Devi said, a worried look on her face.

One of the boys finally decided to speak up. "Oh, like you're going to drop it."

I covered my hand with my hoodie sleeve, plucked the penny out from Max's hand, and slipped it between the two glass panels into the abyss below.

"That's gonna kill someone!" a small, red headed kid called from the back.

"Please, what are the chances of that?" I said, walking away from the group with a sense of satisfaction. Devi followed beside me and said,"Why did you cover your hand with your sleeve? Afraid to get your fingerprints on the murder weapon?" Devi sarcastically questioned, giving me a small punch on the arm.

"Of course, that was the obvious intention." I replied, playfully punching her back."But I just hate handling change, I mean it's so icky and metal-y, you just don't know WHO'S touched it, just the thought--"

"Everybody, you have 10 minutes to get to your van! 10 minutes and we're leaving!" A teacher interupted, creating masses of kids hoping to get to the elevator.

We met up with Val and decided to take the stairs instead. "This is a pretty good workout for soccer, don't you think?" I asked my friends. That sparked up a conversation about the new season coming up, who's who on the other teams, and about hoping our uniforms are actually cool-looking this year. But there was a nagging sense of worry in the back of my mind about the penny. What if it did hurt someone? Would it kill them? Am I going to get sued and have to live on the streets with a tin can begging for change? All these questions stirred in my mind on the bus ride back to the hotel. They eventually settled down and disappeared...

Until it was on the news the next day.

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Did you know this is true story? Haha, just kidding :P I've done some serious editing, but I like they way it is now. So vote, comment, follow, give me your opinions :)

Thanks much,

BRI=)