Page 41 of Wanted Beta

I know something made me walk in here.

I start to head out when I see a quarter on the ground.

I’m compelled to pick it up.

This.

It’s what drew me over here.

I know it.

I turn it over in my hand, but it’s just a regular quarter.

It feels like a bad joke.

My pack need real money, not spare change dropped by kids.

I flip it in my hand.

Tails, I toss it into a charity box. Heads, I keep it for luck.

Heads. I guess it’s a lucky quarter.

When I’m about to hit the blackjack tables, a little extra good luck is never a bad thing.

I put the quarter in my pocket as I leave the mall.

Chapter Seventeen

Beth

I’m sucking on a Twizzler as I work the claw machine’s grabby hand over the big stack of plush toys. I’ve almost lifted the cute pink hedgehog four times already, and I think I must be down to my last buck. I hold my breath as the hand closes over the hedgehog.

It’s lifting! It’s almost there …

And the claw drops it! Again.

Damn.

Two tries left and then I’m tapped out.

I put my hand into my pocket and pull out three quarters.

Where the hell’s the last one?

I frown as I count back over what I did with the rest of them.

Catherine appears back at my side as I’m biting off a piece of the Twizzler.

“Sorry, that was Daniel. He asked if we could meet a little earlier tonight.”

I nod as I chew, before swallowing and showing her my hand.

“Do you have a quarter? I think the guy in the candy store stiffed me.”

“Well, he probably didn’t do it on purpose,” Catherine says as she puts her phone back into her purse. She brings out her wallet and looks through it. “I don’t have any change. I could go get some …”

“It’s okay,” I tell her, pointing at the broken change machine. “That’s why I asked the guy in the candy store if he had a roll of quarters he could spare. He asked what I was up to today and he told me the change machine’s broken.”

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