Chapter Three: Monopolizing the Masses/Janice Schmanice
"You're exploiting them, you know."
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Who?"
"You're monopolizing the masses," he said quietly, snuggling his blanket.
"I'm gonna monopolize my fist in your face if you don't shut up," Lucy scowled, scooting down further into the beanbag.
"What's the point of all this?" he asked.
"Do you know how much I've made on raffle tickets so far? Fifteen dollars! Trent Boyett is a goldmine!"
Linus looked at her. "I think it goes beyond the money. You like having control of those girls. And Trent Boyett."
"Lies! Slanderous lies!" she cried.
Rerun dashed in holding a handful of crudely crafted raffle tickets. "Here's the next batch, Lucy."
"Oh no!" Linus slapped his palm to his forehead. "You're in on this too?"
"Rerun has been helping me make these beautiful tickets," Lucy answered, waving one at Linus. "I decided to skimp on buying ready-made ones to maximize our profit returns."
"Do you even know what that means?" Linus questioned.
"Sure I do. More money for me."
"What about Trent Boyett? Doesn't he get a cut?"
Lucy snapped her head at Linus. "What do you take me for? A crook? Of course he does! Thirty percent."
"That hardly seems fair…," Linus mumbled.
"What do you care?" Lucy retorted. "Don't you have a letter to write? A book to read? A thumb to suck?"
Linus shook his head. "One day, you're going to look back on this and---"
"Remember fondly," she cut him off. "I truly am a genius. And beautiful to boot!"
"What are you planning to buy with all this money, anyway? The smart thing to do would be to put it in a savings and let the interest double over time."
"Like wow…," Lucy yawned. "I want one thing and one thing only."
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Linus crossed his arms.
"Real estate."
* * *
The following day's lunch hour was a spectacle to behold. Lucy's business was booming. A line of flailing females extended through the lunchroom eagerly waiting to purchase a raffle ticket. Lucy sat behind a desk, next to the other students selling baked goods and candy, grinning ear to ear that her line was by far the longest.
"One ticket for 5 cents, two for ten, or today's special one-time deal, four for 50 cents!" she shouted like the town crier.
Linus and Charlie Brown watched in horror from their lunch table, shaking their heads. "Four for fifty cents?" Linus remarked. "What kind of business is she running anyway?"
"A bum one…," Charlie said. "Poor Trent. He probably had no idea what he was getting into."
"Hi Big Brother, Linus!" Sally chirped gleefully as she skipped over to the boys' table, clutching a handful of what Linus instantly recognized as Rerun's homemade tickets.
"It disgusts me to see you buying into this commercialism," Linus said arrogantly.
"What's it to you, anyway?"
Linus' eyes bulged slightly. He wasn't sure why but his palms were sweaty. "Well…I just think the whole thing is ridiculous. Exploitation at its greatest."
"Whatever….," Sally bemoaned.
"How many tickets have you bought, Sally?" Charlie asked.
"Thirty-five," she said proudly.
"THIRTY-FIVE?" the boys repeated in disbelief.
"I sold two of my Barbies to Loretta. And then I found a couple quarters in the couch cushions. But Violet and Patty have fifty tickets each!" she pointed towards the line.
"Well Linus, your sister may get some real estate after all."
"Maybe that means she'll move out and I'll finally get some peace," Linus said jokingly.
"What are you gonna do, Linus? If I win and get to kiss Trent Boyett?" Sally asked in a lovey-dovey tone.
"Nothing," he responded flatly. "The odds that you'll actually win are low."
"I bet you'll be jealous," she retorted, ignoring his pessimism.
"Never," he said, whipping out a sheet of notebook paper. "I need to write my daily letter to Janice. I've been telling her all about this stupid raffle."
Sally shrugged. "Janice Schmanice. Doesn't matter to me. I'm gonna kiss Trent Boyett square on lips!" she grinned and danced off.
"Your sister drives me crazy," Linus huffed.
"She has that innate talent."
TO BE CONTINUED