The+Money,+Peyton

It was an average afternoon. My apartment building that I lived in was scary. I stood in the lobby, waiting for the elevator to come back down. And as soon as the doors opened a guy ran out. He ran so fast. I looked back at him before I stepped into the elevator, just as he looked back at me. He gave me that look like //I will kill you// or something. Before the elevator doors closed on me, I jumped in.

The elevator was really broken. So broken that if more than 4 people were in it, it would stop. I lived on the 6th floor and it took 3 minutes to get up there. Something felt weird under my feet. I felt like I was stepping on a book. I looked down. There was a little bump sort of thing that I was stepping on. I got down on my hands and knees and pulled back a dusty little piece of elevator carpet. I took a little glance and knew exactly what it was. //It was money.//

My mouth dropped. I looked around. I was on the fourth floor. I had to get the cash now. I reached my hand under the dirty carpet and pulled it out. It had to be a lot of money. I stood up quickly and looked around before I stuffed it in my bag. The elevator doors opened and I ran out. My hands were shaking as I scrambled to get the keys out of my bag and unlock the door. I opened the door and locked it right away.

“Uh. Hello?” my mom said, a little confused about why I was so jumpy and locking the door behind me.

“Hi, mom. I’m just gonna go do my homework,” I said, half walking half running toward my room. I knew I should be doing my homework because 11th graders do get a lot but I just had to count that money.

I lived with my mom and my younger sister. My biological father left me and my mom before I was born and then my step-dad left when I was 8, right before my younger sister was born. I had only known my step-father for about three months so it really didn’t affect me. I threw my bag on my bed and shut the door and locked it.

I heard my mom yelling at me. She was saying something about why I was locking the door and then I gave her a stupid excuse about how I didn't want my little sister to come in. I pulled the money out. Once I had been counting for at least fifteen minutes I knew it was way more than eight thousand dollars. It took me thirty-five minutes to finish everything. //I had found thirteen thousand dollars!//

I put the money back in the bag and went to sit down in our little kitchen. My little sister was watching cartoons. I heard an aggressive knock at the door. My little sister jumped and looked at me in fear. My mom rushed out of her room.

I put my hand up and mouthed ‘I've got this.’ I walked over to the door and looked out. It was the guy. The guy from the elevator. I put one hand to my chest as my shaking hand opened the door.

“Hello,” I said. He pulled a gun out and put it to my head.

Then he pointed the gun towards my sister.

“What do you want?” I said.

“You know,” he said, “the money.”

I stepped back in fear.

“You know the MONEY!” he said again, as he stepped closer to my face. “Give it to me.”

“Okay,” I said, putting up my hands for him to stop. He followed me to my room. The whole time the gun was still pointed right at my head. I opened my room door and reached for the bag. I grabbed all the money. I handed it over to him and followed him out. I slammed the door on him and locked it. I turned around to see my little sister crying and my mom in a state of confusion.

“What was that all about” She said in a cracky scared voice.

“ I found all that money in the elevator and I was going to give it to you,” I said, as I started walking towards my room.

“Never do that again!” she yelled behind me.

I rolled my eyes and said, “I get it, Mom. You don't have to yell.”

I closed my door and never spoke of it again.