Unfortuneate

~Prologue~

How could this happen? I mean, I know how it could have happened. I knew it would. I told them that something bad would come of this, but they didn't listen... No one ever listens to me. But maybe now they'll listen. Not that it will matter, now that our lives have changed completely all because of one stop at a gas station and 5 little numbers.

• • • • •

~Chapter 1~

Drip, drop, drip, drop, drip, drop. I awake to the sound of the rain pitter-pattering against the car window. I rubbed my eyes sleepily and looked around me. It was hard to tell in the dark, but it looked like we were at a small gas station. My mom was reading a magazine in the passenger seat while drinking coffee, obviously trying to stay awake. The seat where my dad would usually be was empty, so he must be inside the station getting some snacks or coffee or gum. My 16-year-old sister, Tara, sat in the seat across from me. She had her earbuds in her ears and was probably on Facebook on her iPod, since that's where she spends 95% of her free time. Keagan, my hyper little 4-year-old brother, had finally crashed in his carseat in the back with his bowl of animal crackers still in his lap and his toy car in his hand. Taliah was also in the backseat and, like many 7-year-old girls, loved attention and being dramatic. So naturally, she was crying. Through her tears she was saying something about missing the new episode of Hannah Montana, but everyone had learned to tune out the typical behavoir of the little drama queen because eventually she would shut up if she didn't get attention.

We were on our way back home from a family reunion in Minnesota. I guess it was nice to meet family members that I never knew about, but driving from California to Minnesota was not a very enjoyable experience, especially sitting in a small car for a whole day with my hormonal teenage sister, crazy little brother, and whiny little sister. Driving for almost three days total just to see relatives for only a few hours really is not worth it. I have to give props to my mom for being so patient and calm with all of the crying and yelling. Throughout the trip, I had seen her on the brink of breaking down a few times, but the look of distress on her face would always melt away as quickly as it had come. I admired that quality in my mother; she was very strong and calm in potentially stressful situations.

There were only about 2 hours left in our trek back to our home in Loyalton, California, and even though the excitement and relief was masked by the extreme exhaustion that everyone felt, the atmosphere was starting to feel more pleasant already despite the darkness and pouring rain.

Loyalton is one of the smaller cities in California with only about 860 people. Even though it's a small town in an enormous state, it's always been my favorite place be. It actually is the only city that I've been in "The Golden State" because our family doesn't have alot of money. I would not say we're poor, but we are in the lower end of the middle class. I'm not a big-city kind of person, so I'd rather live in Loyalton for the rest of my life instead of San Fransisco or Los Angeles or Hollywood... Especially not Hollywood.

Just as my eyelids were beginning to droop and my head was settling on my pillow (which was positioned awkwardly on the car window), my dad's grinning face appears at the driver's seat window. How he could be so perky at three in the morning remains a mystery to me.

He opens the door and sits down, and then shakes out his dripping hair, splattering everyone with raindrops.

"200 billion dollars," he says.

"If that's the price of gum, pretzels, coffee, and a magazine then you are in big trouble," my mom said jokingly.

My dad chuckled.

"Don't worry... I wouldn't spend that much at a gas station even if we had that kind of money. Which I have a lucky feeling that we might." He waved a small piece of paper in front of him. The numbers on the ticket read '7, 4, 8, 2, 5'.

He looked back at us kids excitedly. "Well guys... How does that sound?" Tara rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her iPod. Taliah still sat sniffling in the backseat, while Keagan kept on snoring. I just chuckled and returned to my pillow.

"Come on, it could happen! Somebody has to win it. Why not us?"

I drifted off with his last words repeating... Why not us?