I was reborn the day before taking out a loan to go to a concert

I woke up the day before the concert, the day I was supposed to take out a loan to see my idol, and it felt like déjà vu. My three roommates, all die-hard fans like me, were scrambling to get tickets. One was hitting the clubs, another had dipped into her family's house fund, and my best friend, Chloe, and I, well, we were considering a loan. "It's his last tour ever," Chloe had said, "We have to be there! Think of it as the grand finale of our youth!" Grand finale of my youth? More like the grand opening of a lifetime of debt. But this time, things were going to be different. I was reborn. I remembered everything: the insane ticket prices, the desperate measures, and the devastating consequences. Last time, Chloe and I each borrowed $40,000. It was a dream come true until the music stopped, and the reality of crippling debt hit. I dodged calls, hid from my parents, but the truth came out. My parents, heartbroken and furious, sold our family home. My younger sister, desperate to help, fell victim to a scam. And me? I dropped out of college, working dead-end jobs to chip away at the mountain of debt. My "grand finale" was a suicide attempt. Now, given a second chance, I knew I had to make things right.

Chloe was shaking me awake, ecstatic. "Lisa, wake up! I found a guy online, he does loans! It's all set, we're getting those tickets!" The same words, the same reckless excitement. This time, I wasn't falling for it. I sat up and tried to reason with her. "Chloe, I don't think we should…" Just then, our other two roommates walked in, beaming. "Girls, I got it!" Brittany announced, "I snagged the card, over $45,000!" That card was her family's life savings. Last time, her mom had a relapse, and her dad… I couldn't bear to think about it. Then there was Ashley, "Just one more night, and I'll have enough." One more night meant another shift at the club. She was beautiful, the most popular girl in our class, but that last night would lead to a diagnosis that would change her life forever. As for Chloe, I never knew what happened to her after the concert. She just disappeared. "Lisa, what's wrong?" Ashley snapped me out of my thoughts. Looking at them, I felt a wave of sadness. They didn't know what was coming. I grabbed Ashley's hand, "Ashley, please, don't go tonight! Brittany, please don't use that money! Chloe, we can't take out a loan! It's his last concert, I know, but we can watch it online. We can’t ruin our lives for this!"

My plea was met with blank stares and nervous laughter. Ashley touched my forehead. "Lisa, are you feeling okay?" Chloe and Brittany exchanged glances. "Lisa, we agreed, remember? You said it yourself, it's his last concert! We might never hear him sing live again!" Chloe argued. "But Chloe," I pleaded, "we can't afford it! What about the debt? How are we going to pay it back?" Chloe looked at me like I was crazy. "Money comes and goes, Lisa. You only live once. But this concert… we’ll never get this chance again." Her word...