Millionaires for the Month
Page 20
“No.” He shook his head. “That’s not true. We take care of each other.”
“Yes. We’re a team. But I’m the coach and four of the starting players.”
“And what am I?” Felix asked.
“You’re the star of the team. You’re responsible for playing your best at every game and at every practice. You show up, ready to win but knowing we’ll lose sometimes. And you do not need to worry about where we play or where I’m getting the uniforms from.”
He glanced at her. “I think that’s the manager’s job, not the coach’s.”
“Oh yeah, is that so? Then I’m the manager, too. I’m a busy woman.”
He laughed, and his teeth chattered.
“I’ve done a good job up to this point. Haven’t I?” his mom asked.
“Yeah. But you have to admit, ten million would have made your job easier.”
“Absolutely. Just like ten thousand made my life easier.”
“Ten thousand?” he asked, and it dawned on him as the words left his mouth—the half-court shot.
“I’m still working at the nursing home, and that money will help with school and an apartment and even buy Freebie a few Milk-Bones. And when that’s gone, we’ll sue Laura Friendly for child endangerment.”
“Seriously?” he asked.
“No.”
“Can I get new sneakers?” The red-and-white Flights he was wearing were going to disappear at midnight.
“Not those Nikes.” She patted his shoes. “Those are way too expensive.”
Thursday, December 2
In the morning, Felix walked into Stirling Middle School no longer a millionaire, or even a potential millionaire—just an average seventh-grade student. Well, one who’d, yet again, been the star of a viral video. As he made his way down the hall, every head turned, and every conversation paused. He still didn’t enjoy the attention, but it didn’t bother him as much anymore. Then he spotted Benji waiting for him by his locker, holding a bag from Downtown Donuts.
School was different than it was a month ago. School was better.
“Here ya go. Georgie even gave me a discount.” He handed it to Felix.
“Thanks.” Felix put his coat and lunch away.
“So did you decide?” Benji asked. “What’s the one thing you’re going to keep?” Benji had texted the details of the consolation prize last night.
“I don’t know. Either my Air Flights or my iPhone.” Felix patted his pocket. He really didn’t want to give up his phone. He might never get another one. But the sneakers were his favorite shoes ever—and he considered them lucky. “What about you?”
“The Obi-Wan robe.”
“Even though it’s from Phantom Menace?” Felix raised his eyebrows.
“Good point. Maybe the Hermès bag.”
Felix closed his locker and turned to go to homeroom—and came face to face with Aidan.
“Look! It’s the world’s biggest morons.” Aidan spoke loudly enough to get everyone’s attention. “You seriously couldn’t find a way to spend five million in a month? I could do it in a week.”
“There were a lot of rules.” Benji shrugged and walked between Aidan and Felix.
Aidan scrambled to get in front of Benji. “I’d have bought a mansion.”
“No real estate,” Benji said as he tried to step around him.
“I’d have taken a cruise around the world.” Aidan blocked his path.
“Um, school. Duh? Didn’t have time.” Benji shook his head.
“Then I’d have bought the Mets,” Aidan said.
Benji rolled his eyes and then shared a look with Felix. Neither of them bothered to point out that baseball teams cost way more than five million dollars. (Five million couldn’t even buy you a decent relief pitcher.)
“How did you blow this, Felix?” Since Benji didn’t seem to be taking the bait, Aidan turned his attacks on Felix. “You’re a puny loser, but people say you’re smart. Or at least have more brain cells than the giant.”
Felix noticed Benji’s hands balled into fists. The school had a zero-tolerance policy on violence. If Benji threw a punch—no matter how much Aidan deserved it—he’d be suspended, at the very least. And Aidan would definitely have a dented face.
“Do you know what I think?” Aidan continued. “You two—”
“Do you know what I think?” Felix cut Aidan off. “I think I finally get the quote by the philosopher David Hume. The one about the oyster. Remember that one, Benji?”
“Yeah.” Benji gave a thoughtful nod. “Let me try to explain it to you, Aidan. In this great big ole universe, man is no more important than an oyster. Or something like that.” Benji shrugged, and Felix agreed that it was close enough.
Aidan’s face wrinkled. He obviously didn’t get it.
“And you, Aidan, are an oyster,” Felix explained. “You’re just not that important.”
“Definitely an oyster,” Benji said, and laughed.
“And you’re both idiots!” Aidan yelled. “Especially you, Barney. You’ve always been an idiot.”
Benji stopped laughing. He took a giant step forward and stood chest to chest with Aidan.
“My name is Benji. Not Barney. Benji.” He didn’t move, almost daring Aidan to call him anything other than his name.
“Whatever, Bar…” Aidan couldn’t seem to finish any name. “I’m not an oyster.” Then he slunk away.
“I’m not an oyster.” Benji did his best Aidan impression.
Both Benji and Felix laughed again. It took a few more minutes before they stopped cracking up and walked toward their homeroom.
“Ya know,” Benji said, “to be honest, I still don’t think I really understand that Hume quote. We can’t all be oysters.”
“You’re not an oyster, buddy.”
Ms. Chenoweth stood outside her classroom door as if she’d been waiting for them. “I can’t believe that woman gave you such an irresponsible challenge. I’m sorry. Some adults don’t think of their influence on children.”
“It’s not like she locked us in a cage,” Benji said.
“We had some fun,” Felix added.
“I’m sure you did.” Ms. Chenoweth nodded. “I would have taken a nice vacation. Somewhere I could drink out of a coconut by a pool.”
“That sounds okay,” Benji said. “But also a little boring.”
Students gathered.
“You know what I would do?” Madisyn asked. “I’d buy my mom a new car, and then I’d donate the rest. And maybe go to a Clean Cut concert.” She pointed to her giant pin of the four-member boy band.
Alma came up behind them and poked Benji in the side. “I’d buy the whole school pizza.”
“Very funny.” Benji smiled at her, and his face turned pink.
“I’d go to China,” Max Wade said, “and see the Great Wall. Maybe buy a Dodge Tomahawk V10 Superbike. It’s the coolest motorcycle ever.”
Felix shook his head. “There were rules. No vehicles. No charities. No donations. No gifts.”
Still, everyone had ideas. Clothes, vacations, plastic surgery, telescopes, traveling circuses, radioactive spiders, trips to the moon, and then the suggestions got weird.
And it gave Felix an idea.
Felix and Benji
Felix intercepted the pass and dribbled down the court. He crossed the ball between his legs, causing one defender to slip. Another chased him. He pulled up at the foul line.
“Shoot!” Benji screamed from the bleachers, spit flying from his mouth. “Shoot!”
In one swift motion, Felix lifted the ball above his head and launched it at the basket.
All net!
“Yes!” Benji yelled. He turned and high-fived Laura Friendly.
“That�
��s thirteen points,” she said. “This is his best game yet.” She wore the Stirling Middle School sweatshirt Benji had given her at the first game.
“Go, Felix,” Reggie said with little enthusiasm, and his face was in a book. Benji didn’t understand why Reggie attended games when he didn’t seem interested at all. (“I’m a Felix fan, not a basketball fan,” Reggie had explained previously.)
Even when the Stirling Wildcats were up by twelve with two minutes left, Felix’s cheering section still yelled and clapped for every basket. Benji was the loudest, but Georgie was a close second place.
After the game, Benji suggested they all go for pizza to celebrate the victory. He didn’t say who would pay. But Laura Friendly had to leave for DC. Georgie and Michelle were meeting friends. Felix’s mom had a class. That left only Reggie, who offered to drive the boys—in his new Volkswagen—no charge. (He’d spent some of his earnings to buy a new-to-him used car.)
Benji rode shotgun, and Felix rode in the back. Almost felt like old times, except they were missing Freebie.
“Where’s your phone?” Benji asked Felix. “Ms. Friendly sent us the prototype for our game.”
“Cool.” Felix fished through his duffel bag to find his iPhone. That was the one thing he had decided to keep. The rest of the stuff they’d bought in November had been confiscated by Laura Friendly’s goons. Turned out they weren’t really goons—just a moving company with a meticulous checklist of all the stuff Benji and Felix had bought.
Felix clicked download, and a few seconds later, a giant dollar sign spun on the screen with the words Penny Doubled Challenge pulsing beneath. The game had been Felix’s idea, and he’d shared it with Benji first. Then they’d pitched the idea to Laura Friendly together. After all, they had lived it. She liked the concept and offered them a penny for every download. They didn’t expect to get rich from it. According to their Google research, most apps never made any money, and a successful one might only make five grand. (Not enough to even buy Frodo’s pants.) But the ultrasuccessful ones could earn fifty million. That would be awesome, even if their parents were making them put all their earnings into college savings accounts.
Once loaded, the Penny Doubled Challenge required a player name, and then the user needed to select their rules.
“That’s not fair. We didn’t get to pick our rules,” Benji said.
“We also really got five million dollars.” Felix shuddered like he couldn’t believe it.
Benji laughed. “If we had to do it over again, what would we do differently?”
“Other than not take the twenty?” Felix asked.
“Then none of it would have happened. Right, Reggie?” Benji asked. “The ends justify the means.”
Reggie sighed. “The ends justifying the means is something a ruthless dictator might say, not a philosopher.”
“Really?” Benji asked. “I thought it sounded philosophical.”
“Well, some attribute the phrase to Machiavelli in his work The Prince, but he never used—”
“Never mind!” Benji laughed. “I take it back.”
Felix shook his head. “If we hadn’t taken the challenge, we might not have met Reggie. Or adopted Freebie. And Georgie and Michelle might not be married—at least not yet.”
“You wouldn’t have your lucky sneakers.” Benji pointed at the red-and-white Nike Air Flights that Felix wore. They still looked new because Felix cleaned them every night.
The Flights were the one thing Benji had kept. He’d thought about hanging on to the fossils, the comic books, or Obi-Wan’s robe. They were all cool. But none of that stuff had meant as much to him as the sneakers meant to Felix.
Felix ran a finger over the swoosh. “They’re the reason we’re undefeated so far.”
“It’s almost like it’s good that we stole.” Benji laughed again.
“Yeah, almost.”
“Do you think if we hadn’t had this challenge, we’d have become friends?” Benji asked. “We’re not in the same classes. I’m not on the basketball team.”
“Yes,” Felix said quickly, and Benji was surprised at how happy that made him feel. “One way or another, we would have become friends. Fate. That’s the right word, isn’t it?”
“Yes, fate,” Reggie said. “Regardless of the path, it was meant to happen.”
“Now, is fate responsible for making you Alma’s boyfriend? That I don’t know.” Felix wriggled his eyebrows at Benji.
“I’m not her boyfriend.” Benji’s cheeks flushed. He put his palms to his face to try to cool himself off.
“You’re Shrek. She’s Fiona.” Felix snorted.
“Only onstage. That has nothing to do with real life.” But Benji hoped Felix was right. He liked Alma a lot, and he liked theater. (Who knew!) And he liked that he could be honest with his parents. But, to be honest, he would have liked ten million dollars, too.
Felix would have liked the ten million dollars as well. And it would have changed his life more than Benji’s. His mom still worked at the nursing home, and she was going to school at night. They’d moved apartments. The new place had been built in the 1970s, and nothing had been updated since then. His bedroom—he finally had his own room!—was about the size of a closet in Benji’s house, but Felix never complained, because the landlord allowed pets. Felix had his own bed (well, he shared it with a dog), and they had a yard.
Freebie had made a complete recovery, except he limped sometimes and was afraid of cars. That was probably a good thing. Laura Friendly had set up a Freebie account for anything the dog needed, from vet appointments to food to chew toys. The troll managed Freebie’s account, and he was basically never allowed to say no to any Freebie-related request. Freebie would always be financially cared for by Laura Friendly and physically cared for by Felix (and Benji).
Reggie pulled up to a stoplight. In the lane next to them, a bright blue van idled. On the side was written HOT DIGGITY DOG.
“Hey, look.” Benji knocked Felix in the chest. “A food truck. Want a hot dog?”
Felix dramatically patted his pockets. “I don’t seem to have any money.” He laughed.
“I’m broke too. Feels good to say that.”
Benji and Felix knew they both had more than they’d had two months ago. Maybe not a huge bank account, vintage Jordans, a rented Bugatti, and dinosaur fossils. They didn’t really want those things anyway—okay, except maybe the car, and classic sneakers were pretty awesome. But now they had a dog, an app that could potentially make millions (hey, a kid can dream), and a guaranteed buddy for field trips.
A Penny Doubled
Would you rather have a million dollars now or a penny doubled every day for a month? If you want the higher amount and are willing to wait, take the penny doubled. That’s the power of exponential growth.
A quick review of exponents. Here, x is the exponent.
Nx
If we plug in N = 2 and x = 1, then
Nx = 21 = 2
If we plug in N = 2 and x = 2, then
Nx = 22 = (2) (2) = 4
My favorite way to represent multiplication is with parentheses. So (2) (2) is 2 times 2.
If we plug in N = 2 and x = 3, then
Nx = 23 = (2) (2) (2) = 8
If we plug in N = 2 and x = 4, then
Nx = 24 = (2) (2) (2) (2) = 16
If you like equations—and who doesn’t—the penny-doubled challenge would be represented like this:
Value on Day x = ($0.01) (2)(x-1)
where 2 represents doubling and $0.01 is a penny, of course.
Value on Day 7 = ($0.01) (2)(7-1) = ($0.01) (2)(6) = $0.64
Value on Day 30 = ($0.01) (2)(30-1) = ($0.01) (2)(29) = $5,368,709.12
If you wanted to know what would happen if you tripled your money, the equation would look like this:
Val
ue on Day x = ($0.01) (3)(x-1)
Value on Day 7 = ($0.01) (3)(7-1) = ($0.01) (3)(6) = $7.29
Value on Day 30 = ($0.01) (3)(30-1) = ($0.01) (3)(29) = $686,303,773,648.83
Wow! More than $686 billion! Even Laura Friendly doesn’t have that kind of money.
It’s also satisfying to view doubling in chart form.
No doubt, a penny doubled is worth the wait.
A Penny Doubled
Day 1
$0.01
Day 2
$0.02
Day 3
$0.04
Day 4
$0.08
Day 5
$0.16
Day 6
$0.32
Day 7
$0.64
Day 8
$1.28
Day 9
$2.56
Day 10
$5.12
Day 11
$10.24
Day 12
$20.48
Day 13
$40.96
Day 14
$81.92
Day 15
$163.84
Day 16
$327.68
Day 17