I won the lottery!

The sound of the office clock ticked louder than usual, at least to Jack it did. The air inside the manager’s office was tight with tension, and Jack could feel every breath in his lungs stretching like a rubber band ready to snap. He stood across the desk from Mr. Gardner, his boss of three years, looked like a kettle about to boil over. His forehead was furrowed, his lips pressed into a line so thin they nearly vanished. “You’re telling me this now?” Mr. Gardner’s voice was loud but cold, like ice-breaking. “You’re bringing me excuses after everything that’s already gone wrong this week?” “I’m not making excuses,” Jack replied, trying hard to keep his voice calm even though it trembled slightly. “The report was supposed to be ready two days ago, and I did my part. I passed it to Amelia just like we discussed. She was in charge of compiling the data and submitting it. I was waiting for confirmation from her.” “Jack,” Mr. Gardner cut him off, standing up now. “We work in a team. If something falls through, we all fall. You, especially, should know that. Passing the blame onto someone else is not just unprofessional. It’s cowardly.” Jack felt his throat dry up. He took a small step forward and tried again. “I’m not passing the blame, sir. I trusted Amelia. I thought she had it covered. I didn’t even realize it was late until yesterday, when the client emailed directly. That’s when I went to her desk and....” “You went to her desk?” Gardner interrupted with a scoff. “She was already here. I called her in.” Jack blinked. “Wait. You spoke to her? What did she say?” “That’s the thing, Jack,” Gardner said, pacing slightly behind his desk. “She said you never gave her the file. She claims you missed the deadline and tried to cover your tracks by pinning it on her.” “What?” Jack felt the floor tilt. “That’s not true. That’s not even close to true. I literally emailed her the file. I can pull it up right now.” Gardner didn’t look impressed. “We already checked her inbox. Nothing. No email from you.” Jack’s mouth opened, but no words came out. He turned and looked toward the glass wall outside the office. Amelia sat at her desk, typing away like nothing had happened, her calm demeanor making it all worse. He remembered how she laughed at his jokes, how they shared snacks during late hours, and how she once told him she would always have his back. That same woman was now pretending none of this had happened. “I want to speak to her,” Jack said, trying to hold himself steady. “Bring her in. Let me ask her.” “She already came in,” Gardner replied flatly. "We had the meeting ten minutes before you arrived. I asked her directly. I even asked her if she wanted to stand by you, and she said no. She denied everything.” Jack’s stomach sank. His hands felt heavy. He lowered them to his sides, clenched them into fists, and then released them again. “I can not believe this. I trusted her.” Gardner looked at Jack for a long moment. “You know what, Jack? I liked you when you started here. You were eager. A little green, but you worked hard. You stayed late. Took feedback. You even brought doughnuts once. But lately, you’ve been sloppy. You come in late. You talk too much. And now this.” “I haven’t changed,” Jack protested. “I’m just tired. I’ve been carrying the team on my back.” “No,” Gardner replied. “You’ve been carrying your ego. You thought because people liked you, you were safe. But you're not. Not in this industry.” The words hit Jack like bricks. His mind flashed through all the nights he stayed late without pay, the meetings he prepared for when others bailed, the ideas he shared in meetings that his boss later presented as his own. All that work, all that effort, for this? “You’re firing me,” Jack said, more to himself than to Gardner. Gardner nodded without hesitation. “Clean out your desk. You’ll get your last pay check next week.” Jack stood there, frozen for a second. His mind was racing but blank at the same time. His legs felt like rubber as he turned and left the office. He didn’t even bother looking at Amelia again. He couldn't. The betrayal was too fresh, too raw. He went straight to his desk, grabbed his few belongings, and tossed them into his old, worn-out backpack. As he was zipping it shut, his tie got caught in the zipper. He yanked it without thinking and tore the seam. The tie was ruined. He had bought it during his second week at the company. It had been his “lucky” tie. He tossed it into the trash without a second glance. Outside, the sun was too bright. It hurt his eyes. He stepped out onto the sidewalk, feeling like the world had moved on without him. Cars zoomed past, people laughed into their phones, kids played on scooters, and there he was, standing jobless with a ripped tie and a heart full of questions. He began walking in no real direction. The city had never looked so cold. Every building felt like it was looking down on him, every billboard, a reminder of how far behind he was. He passed a man handing out flyers and didn't even bother to look. He walked through a small park, ignored the pigeons, and sat on a cracked bench with peeling paint. He stared at his shoes. They were scuffed and dusty. He had been meaning to polish them, but like many things in his life, he had put it off. It's just like he had put off confronting Amelia weeks ago when she started acting strangely. Just like he had ignored the signs that Gardner was growing colder. It was like life had been trying to tell him something, and he had refused to listen. Jack buried his face in his hands. He tried to take a deep breath, but it came out broken and shallow. How could it all fall apart so quickly? One betrayal. One report. One co-worker. She chose self-preservation over truth. And now he was jobless? This had to be a dream. He stayed on the bench for a long time, watching the clouds change shape. Eventually, he stood up and kept walking. This time, he was walking to clear his head and think of what to do next. His thoughts were a mess, but one thing was clear. He needed a new plan. Anything would do. He could not let this be the end.