Zac Towns walked into the Kwik Shop on Aug. 13 prepared to spend the $3 he had burning a hole in his pocket on Vitamin Water.

Or a granola bar.

The great debate continued briefly until Towns, a Baker senior, realized he could combine the three loose Washingtons in his pocket with the $2 he had won on a previous scratch ticket and try something new.

“In the end I decided I could grab a water at home,” he said. “So I got a $5 Scrabble Card.”

Good choice.

After scratching off the word ‘basket’ and earning a cool 12 points, Towns realized he had beaten the card’s 11 and was guaranteed to be in the money. What he didn’t know, however, was just how much.

“I scratched the prize off at the bottom and it said $25,000,” he said. “I was just like ‘No shit!'”

Stunned, Towns recounted the lettered tiles three times and scoured the back of the card for any technicality that could deny him his handsome sum.

“I don’t ever buy the $1 or $5 tickets,” he said. “And that’s why there was some confusion, I didn’t know exactly how the game worked.”

To be sure, Towns rushed to the counter where the ticket was verified a winner.<br/>"The lady behind the counter said, ‘Congratulations, you won!'" Towns said. "So I grabbed the ticket, jumped in my car and raced back home.""The lady behind the counter said, ‘Congratulations, you won!'" Towns said. "So I grabbed the ticket, jumped in my car and raced back home."
“The lady behind the counter said, ‘Congratulations, you won!'” Towns said. “So I grabbed the ticket, jumped in my car and raced back home.”

On the way Towns tried calling his mother Kim, but ironically was unable to reach her.

“Usually, when I call my mom, she answers right away,” he said, smiling. “But she didn’t answer, so I kept calling her and calling her. Finally, I called and told my dad, and he came back to check. He looked over it, just like I did, and told me he thought I’d won.”

To pick up his winnings, Towns traveled to Topeka where he presented the winning card to the Kansas Lottery representative.

“I had to sign some papers, and then they came out with a big check and took my picture,” he said. “The money got deposited about five days later.”

The government took out 30 percent in taxes, which left Towns with $17,500.

As for what he plans to do with the money, Towns remains unsure.

“I’ve kind of been living broke for a while,” he said. “I live at home, so I save money on bills. But in the past, I’ve been living paycheck to paycheck, and now I don’t have to do that. So it’s a completely different lifestyle.”

Kim said she and Towns’ father, Donnie, were glad Zac won the lottery when he did.

“I just couldn’t believe it when he told me,” Kim said. “(Zac) made me guess and I guessed $10,000. So when he told me it was ‘two and a half times that,’ I was excited… Especially with the economy the way it is right now.”

Currently Towns is shopping for his first big purchase – a new acoustic guitar. Other than that, the December graduate said he looks forward to saving most of his winnings.

“I’m glad I’m single,” Towns said, grinning. “That was the first thing that came to my mind when I realized I had all this money. I don’t have a girlfriend so I can lay low with it for a while.”

Even with the uncertainty of where to spend his cash, one thing remains clear: $17,500 could buy an awful lot of Vitamin Water.