Upside-down Frown

I ran back into the gas station faster than a cheetah. I had a hope in my heart, a feeling I hadn't had since I was young. The last time my heart was pumping this fast, I was running from the cops. My legs were a blur as I was sprinting to victory.

"JAMAL! JAMAL!" I screamed. "I DID IT!"

I practically flew up to Jamal like a Peregrine Falcon.

"Malick, what the hell?" Jamal yelled-whispered. "You're scaring off the customers!"

"I DON'T CARE!" I screeched. I probably looked like a crazed monkey, but I didn't give two damns. Maybe one. "I'LL GIVE YOU A MILLION DOLLARS!"

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Jamal shouted. "YOU WON?"

"YES I DID!" I shrieked. "I NEED TO GET MY MONEY NOW!"

"Man, imagine if you took my advice!" Jamal smiled with teary eyes.

"I would've still been living my old life!" I bubbled.

"Hey man, do you think I could have $500 dollars?" A total stranger asked. "My grandma's sick and needs the money."

"I don't know you, jit." I scoffed. "She probably won't even be alive that long."

Jamal gave the stranger a passive-aggressive side eye.

"We can drive in my car to the address!" He chortled. We ran out of the 7 11 at the speed of light, then I suddenly came to a stop. "Wait...what about the people in the 7 11?" I asked.

"Oh yeah..." Jamal murmured. He ran back to the 7 11 and told a message to the customers.

"SORRY Y'ALL BOYS, I HAD TO QUIT LAST MINUTE!"

He sprinted back to me and we zoomed to Jamal's busted Honda and hopped inside. Jamal let me connect my phone to aux cord, so we listened to YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Playboi Carti, and Trippie Redd. He drove to the address printed on the scratch ticket, and even though it took as much time as it takes a snail to crawl five miles, we eventually got there to pick up my money.

By the time I got back home with Jamal, ten million dollars in cash were in my hands, not because I stole it, but because it was genuinely MINE! I gave one million to Jamal like I had promised, and saved five million, for when I needed it, and had a long walk in the park with Jamal, not before spending some money on some expensive shoes like Jordans and Yeezys, buying books, an IPhone 13 Pro Max, a Playstation 5, and new clothes. All I needed now was a new house. This new house was gonna be a big home, so I could raise my family there. I have $9 million dollars and I'm only 23? The girls are gonna LOVE me. Hopefully not just for my money, though.

"Wow." Jamal said, stopping at my abandoned apartment after our walk. "It's crazy how someone who used to live here is gonna live in a million dollar home in less than a week."

"Exactly." I sighed happily. "God is on my side."

"True, true." Jamal smiled. A Polo G song started to be heard. A vibrating sound could also be heard.

"Hold up, someone's calling me." Jamal muttered as he whipped his Android Jitterbug Smart3 out from his pocket. I zipped my lips shut while Jamal took his call.

"Um, why are you calling me? I don't talk to you anymore."

"I know...winning...pass the phone...talk to him." Jamal's phone said.

"He doesn't want to talk to you. Just leave us alone." Jamal said in an angry but calm tone.

"You can't speak...pass the phone...annoying..."

"How're you gonna say I'm annoying but ask me for a favor? Bye, we're NOT going to talk to you." Jamal snapped. He looked as annoyed as someone who hates mosquitos that has this one mosquito that won't stop following them.

"Jamal, are you straight?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I'm alright." He mumbled.

"Who was on the phone?" I said.

"No one important." He answered.

"JUST TELL ME. Who was it?" I almost yelled, bombarding Jamal with yet another question.

"Ok, fine!" Jamal sighed. "Your ex, Jayelle."

"What does she want?" I inquired aloud, getting more inquisitive by the second.

"Your money." Jamal said. His tone was now a warning tone. "Don't talk to her."

"Um, can you call her back please?" I quietly asked.

"What? Bro. She wants your money, not you." Jamal stated, very narked.

"Okay, whatever, I just wanna talk to her, like tell her off." I muttered.

"Malick. I know you're lying. But if you really want it, here she is." Jamal sighed. He tapped a few times on his phone and I could hear a ringing sound. He passed his screen-cracked, old and dirty phone to me.

"Um, hello...?" A sugary voice said so quiet, they probably didn't even know they had said it.

"Yeah, it's Malick. I hear you wanna speak to me?"

"Oh...yeah. Hey, Malick! It's Jayelle." Jayelle said sickly sweet. Ugh, I missed her voice. Jayelle reminded me of a heavily sugary dessert. Maybe ice cream with candied fruits on top, just dripping their juices all over the melting ice cream and making a thick ice cream soup that tasted like nothing but the sweetest thing you've ever tried. But it's too sweet. You can't handle it, then it becomes a problem. You're addicted to the sweet taste and you know it's not good for you, but you're like a mouse in a trap, you can't escape it. But even if you do escape it, you still have the remains of the sweet taste in your mouth, and can't stop thinking about it. But I didn't care. I didn't even realize how much I missed Jayelle until I heard her overly-sweet and honied voice. Why did I ever think of leaving her?

"Why're you calling me? I thought you hated me and wanted nothing to do with me." I told Jayelle.

"Sorry about that. Amari says that he wants to meet you." Jayelle explained.

"Amari? Who the hell is he?" I jeered.

"He's our child." Jayelle frowned.

"Oh, my fault, I ain't even remember." I replied. "But Jamal said that you wanted my money?" I added suspiciously.

"Um, don't believe him. He doesn't know what he's talking about." Jayelle muttered. "I wish you never even gave him my number, he's so annoying."

"Is she calling me annoying again?" Jamal almost screamed.

"Um, no, she's calling her child annoying." I said, turning away from the phone.

"Better be."

"Anyway," I said, turning back to the phone. "What do you wanna tell me, Jayelle?"

"Please, uh, call me Jay...like you used to?" Jayelle requested.

"Ok,...Jay." I responded. "Um, what to you want though?"

"We want you back in our life." Jayelle, well, Jay, started. She paused.

"I love you, Malick. I miss you. I need you." Jay said in the most sweet, candied, sugary, honied, syrupy voice that could make me melt into a gooey puddle on the ground anytime, anywhere.

"I-...I'm.." I stammered. "I'm surprised. It's incomprehensible how you love me, miss me, and need me."

"I just want to be with you right now. Could we like, try this again?" Jay asked. She sounded nervous, like she didn't know how I'd respond. But she probably already knew my answer anyway. Her voice is like a mask, she can sound completely disappointed, but be satisfied, or vice versa. In this case, she was acting unsure, when she was sure. She's amazing at lying, too. She can make the most extravagant lie sound believable, which is part of the reason we broke up.

"Of course...!" I said, not sure if I had made the correct decision. If Jay asks you something that might permanently change your perspective of things, or your life, you can never know the right answer unless you say "yes" and see what will happen, if you dare.

"Oh my God!" Jay beamed. "I love you so much, Malick!"

"Can we meet up at your house?" I asked.

"Of course, but don't you have a million dollar home?"

"Hah, I will soon. I was just about to order one when you called." I quipped.

"Um, ok, Malick! I trust you." Jay said.

"Alright, we talked all we needed to talk about?" I said.

"Absolutely."

"Ok, bye." I said.

"Bye, Malick. I love you!"

Jay's sugary voice almost made me fall over in a puddle of love. But I caught my balance just in time. I'm only living with her to see my son, Amari. He sounds like he really wants to see his dad. And plus, I don't want to own a big home with no one else to live in it with me, so living with Jay is the best option. Of course, I could live with some of my other exes, because they have a lot more children, but the reason I left my exes is BECAUSE of children. To me, children = stress. So it's better to have just one.

I hung up and gave the phone to Jamal. But he was gone. Where did he go? I looked around my setting before calling his name.

"Jamal!" I yelled. The chirping birds gave me a reply that wasn't needed. Did he just run with the money and leave me with his crappy phone? I didn't really care, but it was kinda sad that he only wanted me for my money. Just then, I heard my name being called.

"Malick!"

I did a full 360 before realizing who was calling me.

"Jamal!" I smiled. I ran over to him.

"My bad, I was getting food for us while you were calling Jayelle." He explained.

"That's alright." I said. "So what'd you get?"

"That's the wrong question. The right question is what did Jayelle want?" Jamal stated.

"Um, she wanted my money. I hung up on her." I replied quickly.

"Uh, ok." Jamal said, probably unsure if he should believe me. "I got enchiladas."

UGH, YES! This is exactly what I needed! I love enchiladas like they're my own son. Actually, on second thought, no, because I wouldn't love them that much. I love them so much! When I bite into that beautiful thing, I'm instantly on cloud 9. It's just all the ingredients that go together into one gorgeous combination. You know Jamal is a keeper when he gives you enchiladas, payed for with his own money, and you ain't even ask for them.

The first bite was like a fantasy. It was magical. I was instantly in a better mood. I had a girlfriend, my best friend, nine million dollars, an upcoming mansion, a new outfit, and some enchiladas. I was happier than a hyena!