Chapter 3: The Borrowing Binge

I grabbed my phone and opened the app store.

The blue glow lit up my face as I typed in "quick cash."

Whoa... CashDash, QuickLoan, InstaFunds—every single one sounded like a daytime TV ad, with shiny logos and rates you’d have to squint to read.

I downloaded everything, filling my 512GB phone in record time. If the FBI ever checked my downloads, they’d think I was laundering money for a cartel.

Let the borrowing begin!

I filled out every form like I was on a game show, heart pounding, half-expecting Chris Hansen to pop out and tell me I’d been scammed. This was the kind of rush only bad decisions bring.

An hour later, I went from penniless pauper to instant millionaire.

My phone blew up with push notifications: "Funds transferred!" "Loan approved!" I laughed—finally, I was a big shot.

You have to admit, having cash in your pocket feels amazing.

The weight of a thick wad of cash in my hoodie felt electric—like hitting the jackpot in Vegas. Suddenly, the world looked brighter.

I strutted out, walking with the swagger of a boss, wind practically at my heels.

Even the streetlight seemed to wink as I passed. I tossed a tip in the bodega jar just because I could.

Mrs. Henderson next door spotted my new attitude and called out, "Eli, you strutting like you just hit the Powerball! Don’t make me call your mama."

She grinned from her porch, wrapped in her fuzzy pink robe. Only in my neighborhood could a compliment sound like a threat. I grinned back and waved.

If only she knew—the real jackpot was about to blow up in my face.