by Logan Byrne
“Well, actually sir, Liam and I have the same wish,” I said.
“The same wish? That’s bonkers!” Chet said.
“Well, I’m all ears,” President Nilsen said.
“Well, since we’re allowed anything, and both of us are using our wish for the same exact thing, essentially doubling our power, we would like to use our wishes to end the competition forever,” I said nervously.
There was a pause, no sounds inside the entire venue, not even a single cough in the audience. The president looked at me, his expression unchanged, and Chet was speechless for the first time in most likely his entire life.
“You…what?” Chet asked.
“We would like the competition to be abolished, never to be brought back again,” Liam said, reaffirming what I had asked.
“You said we get anything, and that’s what we want. We don’t want anybody to be subjected to it ever again,” I said.
His hands still on the waist of his pants, his brilliantly metallic suspenders in view, President Nilsen looked at us, me and then Liam, before coming back to me. His mouth opened.
“Then it is granted,” President Nilsen said. He looked tense, like he was holding back his frustration. “You both get a wish, anything you want, and especially since you’re using them together, I’ll grant it. Congratulations.”
The president didn’t look all too thrilled, but he did a good job of hiding his anger and frustration from the rest of the nation and audience. He looked at us, his eyes like daggers, his mind obviously firing rapidly, before he gave a friendly smile for the cameras.
“Well, you heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen, the competition is…over,” Chet said, barely able to get the words out.
There were a few claps, the roaring applause completely gone. Most people were probably wondering if they should show happiness or not. I knew it was a shocking proposition, and it was even more surprising to have it actually granted, but I thought at least some people would be happy to know they or their families would never have to enter that grid ever again.
“Well, thank you for your time, Mr. President. We’ll talk to you soon,” Chet said, extending his hand.
President Nilsen shook our hands before waddling offstage, the expression on his face likely changing once he was turned around. Two teens from New York completely altered the face of the nation for the rest of time. I still was in shock myself, unable to comprehend not only winning the competition, but also getting our wishes granted. Asking for money, houses, or jobs would’ve been amazing, but making sure people like my mother or Saraia were safe from ever being cast into the fray was even better. There was no price you could put on that.
“Well, that’s our broadcast for tonight, everyone. We thank you for tuning in, and if you stay tuned, a special will be showing next that you just have to see. Thank you to President Nilsen, and once again, congratulations to Alexia and Liam!” Chet said, with slightly more excitement picking up at the end.
The red light on top of the cameras turned off, and a few people guided us offstage. Chet left in the other direction. I put my hand in Liam’s as we walked in the dark. I felt butterflies in my stomach; my mother and Saraia were nearby, and I couldn’t wait to jump into their arms and never leave again.
As we walked to where our families were, we passed by President Nilsen, who was right around the corner and as we whizzed by, I heard something that intrigued me a little. It was almost as if he was telling his advisors, or whomever he was with, that something needed to be stopped and that this wasn’t going to happen. Was he talking about our wish? Before I could even turn around to see, we were there, in front of our families, and it was the biggest rush I had felt in a while.
“Alexia!” I heard, as we quickly walked into the open.
“Saraia!” I yelled, and she ran towards me, jumping into my arms.
My mother rushed over, wrapping her arms around us both, as I buried my head into them, my heart feeling full. I couldn’t believe they were here, in person, not just some video feed; it was the way it was supposed to be. This all could’ve worked out so differently, and I knew just how lucky I truly was.
I pulled my head up, looking over to my right, seeing Liam, his little brother in his arms as his sister held onto him tightly, their mother putting her head against the side of his, all of them smiling. It was a side of him I wanted to desperately see, but never got the chance to. He looked so at ease, so happy, and best of all, himself. This was the Liam I knew, and I was glad I did.
“So, that’s him, huh?” my mother asked.
“Oh, yeah, that’s Liam,” I said, smiling.
“I saw the way you were out there with him, especially when that Chet Gargan tried to get him to kiss you. You like him,” my mother said.
“Mom!” I exclaimed, though in a whisper.
“I’m just saying that’s the same way I was with your father, and look what happened there. We had two kids, a great marriage, and a wonderful time while we were together. You should say something,” my mother said.
“Yeah, tell him you loooooove him,” Saraia said, smiling, as she looked up at me.
“You be quiet,” I said jokingly.
“I just hope you stay in contact with him, sweetie, that’s all. I know how hard these types of things can be, especially since you’ll both go back to work, and life will get in the way, and all that. If you really want to make it work, though, you can,” my mother said.
Liam and his family started to walk over towards us, his brother still in his arms, smiling as big as could be.
“Okay, be quiet, both of you,” I whispered.
“Hey,” Liam said.
“Hey,” I replied, smiling.
“I wanted you to meet my family. I figured I talked about them so much and everything,” Liam said.
“It’s great to meet you all. Liam has told me so much about you three,” I said.
“I hope good thing,” his sister said.
“Be good, Reyna,” his mother said. “Hi, I’m Paula, Liam’s mother. This is Reyna, my daughter, and Andy, my son.”
“Nice to meet you,” my mother said, shaking her hand. “I’m Kate, and this is my daughter, Saraia. You of course know Alexia.”
“Yes, and I must say, I’m very impressed. You were great out there, Alexia. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for taking care of this guy. I know he can be a handful,” Paula said.
“He was great,” I said, laughing and smiling as he rolled his eyes at his mom.
“Actually, can I talk to you for a second before we get going?” Liam asked, looking at me.
“Yeah, sure,” I said, letting go of Saraia before he put down Andy.
Leaving our families together, we walked over to the side, leaning up against the wall.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I don’t want this to end,” Liam said.
“You don’t want what to end?” I asked nervously.
“This…us. I mean, we went through so much together, and I just think it would be such a shame to just not hang out, or talk, or whatever,” Liam said.
“Yeah, it would. I don’t want that either,” I said, as I fidgeted with my fingers.
“I know this is probably a dumb question, but would you like to go out for—”
“Yes,” I said, interrupting him.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say,” he said, smiling.
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t care what we do. The answer is yes,” I said, smiling from ear to ear.
“Great. I guess it’s a date,” Liam said.
“Yeah,” I said, smiling. “I guess it is.”
We soon walked out of the building, our families in tow, as a gaggle of reporters lined the street like hungry vultures trying to get the next scoop. Since our transportation and houses in other directions, I looked over at Liam, and him back at me, before walking away, a massive smile plastered on my face.
Maybe winning the lottery wasn’t
so bad after all.
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About the Author
Logan Byrne is a young adult author currently living in Illinois. He has always had a vivid imagination and loves playing the books he writes out in his head as he writes them.
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