1 Lucky or Not

Present time-

"Excuse me, we need to get pass," I said, my voice wavering as some of them went behind us and surrounded us from all sides. Their cold eyes held me in place as my heart thumped in my rib cage. Rachel held on to my back, my shirt tightly clenched in her hand as she glanced around us.

"Keiko, we're surrounded.." She whispered as I nodded my head.

"I know,"

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Several hours earlier-

'They're writing songs of love, but not for me~

A lucky star's above, but not for-'

"Keiko!"

A sudden voice jerked me out of my thoughts as I pulled the earphones from my ears and turned to see where it came from.

"Over here!!" A boy yelled, waving his arms in the air on the second floor excitedly with a small petite girl laughing beside him.

Geez... Those two, I thought to myself as I narrowed my eyes and walked towards the empty square.

"What!" I yelled as they calmed down and Sunny, a family friend's son whom I had been friends with since young hollered:"Are you free now?!"

"Yes why?!"

"Rachel says she wants to hang out together one last time since you're graduating and today's your last day!!" He gestured towards the petite girl, my childhood best friend who's the same age as Sunny looked at me with puppy eyes and a blinding smile.

Hmmm, I wonder...

"Come on come on... " Sunny pleaded

Won over by Rachel's eyes, I looked up and yelled-

"When and where?!"

"Usual place!! Wait for me at the school foyer?? I have to go grab my things!! "

"Sure, hurry!! " I turned and walked to the school foyer and sat on a bench, plugging in my earphones as I went.

I tapped to the rhythm of the drums as the music went before I felt someone tap on my shoulder and pulled my earphones out.

My other shoulder was tapped as I turned, so I saw no one. But I could guess, so I waited for my other shoulder to be tapped, and turned on the right side, catching the culprit- Sunny with Rachel waving as she walked over.

"Shall we go?" I asked as Rachel nodded when Sunny looked up from his phone with a sheepish smile-

"Hey um guys? "

"Yea?" I asked while swinging my school bag onto my back from the bench.

"My girlfriend wants to come along as well is it alright?"

"Is it still Crystal?" I asked

"Yep"

"Rachel is it ok for you?"

"Mhm, I'm fine with anything. Besides, I've met her before and she seems fine," Rachel smiled brightly.

"Okie, guess it's settled. Where do we meet her? The train station?" I asked Sunny as we walked.

"Yep, she says she will meet us there.!

"Alright," Rachel nodded.

Crystal has been Sunny's girlfriend for almost a year, which has been the longest relationship he has ever been in. Crystal also happened to be the same age as Sunny and Rachel, a junior two years younger than me from primary school whom I was really fond of. So when I heard they were getting together, I happily gave them my blessings. At age sixteen, they were so lovey-dovey all the time it makes me green with envy.

But well, it's not like I have anyone I like at the moment anyway, I thought as I shrugged it away.

"BAE!! "

As we reached the train station, I heard a voice yell as a skinny girl of five foot three ran and crashed into five foot six-Sunny's wide open arms, hugging him tightly.

"Hon- Crystal, I can't breathe-" he wheezed as she relaxed her grip and looped an arm through his, turning to face us.

"Kei, Rach!! It's been awhile!!"

"Indeed it has been, shall we go? " I asked as Crystal looped her other arm around mine and we waited for the 3:30pm bus. I took a quick glance at my watch and watched as the minute hand turned from 3:29, to 3:30. Rachel tugged at my sleeve as the bus arrived and we got on, each scanning in our ID bracelets at the door.

The only fast food restaurant in our small town, called Lucky or Not, opened about 7 years ago, replacing all our food centres. We have to scan our ID bracelets in to buy items, whether at school, or any shop. It is a new design invented by the largest organisation in town, called the Kakihiko Operations, to replace the need to carry around cash or cards. The bracelets are connected to our banks, and a tap is all we need to make the transaction/payment.

Lucky Or Not sold burgers and fries like any other fast food restaurant but it also had a mystery menu, which was based plainly on... luck. You have to first pay for a ticket-the normal price of a combo meal-to spin a wheel. Whichever section arrows stop at would be your meal for the day. The menu on the wheel is sectioned into 16 parts, with black covering 25% of the board and white 75%. The white parts were titled "Not", while the black parts were titled "Lucky".

The "Not" sections were sometimes terrifying to try as the chef would put together the worst combinations like -peanut butter and squid spaghetti, or marshmallows and fish burgers... The combinations were endless... The "Lucky" sections, however, are as you guessed, normal. You get to choose whatever combo meal you wished on the main menu, even if it was more than what you paid for.

Despite the "Not" sections getting chosen more often than not, everyone in town loved trying their luck out on the wheel. I know neighbours who actually love the "Not" combinations, and come back often just for it. Even though I know so much about this restaurant and their food, in truth, I have actually never eaten here before. Sunny and Crystal were huge fans of the food here and drags me here every time we met up.

"Is this the place?" Rachel askes as we got off the bus.

"Yep, don't worry, I'm a hundred percent sure you will love the food here!"Crystal exclaims as Sunny pushes the glass doors open to a bustling "Lucky or Not" as we entered, squinting his eyes to find a table for four.

"There!" Crystal gestured as she quickly ran over and sat down before another couple could. The couple frowned and turned away as we reached and I murmured a "sorry" before sitting down.

"Time to hand out the presents!!" Crystal suddenly announced as I looked at her surprised.

Presents?

"Ohh, not now?" She asked as Sunny jabbed her in the side under the table.

"Oops," she smiled sheepishly

"Maybe we should eat first," Rachel suggested as Sunny nodded.

We left our bags at our seats and went up to the end of the line to queue. My parents always warned me, never to come to this restaurant ever since it opened, but I couldn't say no to my friends, and so I came, behind their backs. I never bought anything from here before and felt really guilty as I scanned my ID bracelet at the very top, and watch as a tiny slot opens beneath the scanner and my meal ticket rolls out, with my name neatly printed at the very bottom.

Lucky Or Not Meal Ticket

Here at Lucky Or Not,

we pray that you will join us as part of the notals,

and try out our "Not" menu.

Meal Ticket-Keiko Tachibana

Clutching my first ever meal ticket, I waited for Rachel before heading to the Wheel to try my luck. I scanned my ID bracelet at the top once more, before inserting my meal ticket in the corner, and pressed the start button beside it. Sunny and Crystal both got a "Not" while Rachel and I both got a "Lucky". Sunny and Crystal both got the peanut butter squid spaghetti and chicken rice favoured ice tea as part of the combo, while Rachel and I got a normal fish burger and iced lemon tea. We joked and laughed but like all good times, it had to come to an end.

Sunny and Crystal left early for a date, while I waited for Rachel to finish. "You can go first if you need to, " she said while chewing as I shook my head.

"I have time, also we live right beside each other lol," I said smiling at her.

Before they left, Crystal and Sunny each gave me a present, and told me not to open them till I got home. I looked at my bag, tempted to open it when Rachel's voice stopped me. "I'm done, and-"

"Mhm?" I turned around to see her pulling a small package from her bag. "What's that? "

"Open it when you get home, " she replied shyly as we grabbed our stuff and stood up.

"Backdoor or front door? " I asked as Rachel pondered for a moment.

"Backdoor? I think it's nearer to the train station."

"Okie,"

I pushed open the back door into a dimly lit alley with high walls and stepped out the back door of the restaurant to find them staring at us.

They were men all dressed in suits, with dark sunglasses covering their faces, and walkie-talkies at their hips. I pulled Rachel behind me as I stepped forward, trying to walk past them when one of the suits blocked me and stared me down.

"Excuse me, we need to get pass," I said, my voice wavering as some of them went behind us and surrounded us from all sides. Their cold eyes held me in place as my heart thumped in my rib cage. Rachel held on to my back, my shirt tightly clenched in her hand as she glanced around us.

"Keiko, we're surrounded.." She whispered as I nodded my head.

"I know,"