Purpled has always been quiet and closed off. He keeps to the shadows and stays out of the way, trying to remain unnoticed. The freshman gets average grades and has only had a few unexcused absences. He's nothing special and doesn't do anything out...
But days turned in to weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. I watched as the hope slowly dissipated from Punz's eyes. I was eleven when I knew he had finally given up.
I had just come home from begging on the side of the road. My hunger had finally gotten to me. I was malnourished and weak, and I knew we needed something to eat. But no one had even batted an eye at my weak form kneeling on the ground. Once again, I was coming home empty handed.
"Punz?" I called out as I slowly pushed open the door to our small shack. No response. "Punz?" I called again, fear growing in my stomach. Silence had never felt so loud before. I immediately assumed the worst. I knew I had severe abandonment issues, but who could blame me. I whipped my head left and right, but there weren't many places to hide in the one-room building.
I sprinted outside, my long hair flying into my face as I looked around frantically. The rational part of my brain told me he could be late from work. There were other reasonable explanations. There's no way he would do that, right?
But I knew better than to hope. Call it a gut feeling, but something told me that I wouldn't find him. I had seen his happiness fade. I hadn't heard that signature laugh ring out in over a year.
I knew for a fact that my brother wouldn't have done this. But the man he had become? The skinny teenager who had to provide for his younger brother at only 14? He would.
It took exactly three hours and 42 minutes to find the note. It was casually tossed to the side of the room, hidden in the shadows. Two simple words, messily scribbled onto the paper. Two words that sealed my fate. Two words that confirmed my greatest fear.
I had been abandoned once more. There was no denying it. I forced my brain to accept the harsh reality. I had no one. No one to look after me. No one to keep me fed. It was ironic, really. Punz had also been abandoned for the final time at eleven. He had no one to look after him any more.
I'm not sure who had it worse. The older brother, who had to take on the responsibility for both his life and his brother's? Or the younger brother, who had been abandoned not once, but twice, and had to keep himself alive?
But it didn't matter, did it? I pushed myself off the floor, knowing I couldn't stay there forever. It only took me a few minutes to pack up everything I owned. I couldn't bring myself to stay in that fucking shack a minute longer. I resolved to find work, to do something useful for once in my life.
I knew exactly why my brother had abandoned me. I was too useless, I couldn't carry my own weight. If I had helped out more, if I had been the one to provide us with at least one god damn meal, he might have decided I was worth something. I vowed never to make that mistake again.
So I took to the streets once more. I was more than aware that I was too young to be able to get a professional job. Much too young to work anywhere public. So I took to the shadows, always sticking to the alley ways. After just two weeks, I had a stroke of luck. Although, looking back, I don't know whether or not I can really consider it luck.
Two older kids, a boy and a girl, came across me, slouched against the wall. I don't know if it was for fun or if they also needed the supplies, but they tried to steal what I had. When I stopped them, they tried to beat me up. Key word, "tried." Because we had been homeless for so long, Punz had taught me how to defend myself.
I don't know if he truly cared or if he was trying to ease his own guilt in preparation for when he left. But his reasoning didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was that I could hold my own in a fight.
I was small and skinny, so I could dodge attacks relatively easily. My tactic was to wear them out and then separate them, so I could attack them one by one.
I was doing pretty well, constantly staying out of their range. They were both tired and I had the girl on the ground. I brought back my arm to punch her in the face, hopefully rendering her unconscious, when pain exploded in my leg. I yelped in pain and fell of the teen, clutching my thigh. I carefully pulled my fingers away from the wound, finding blood seeping through my pants. I looked back at the girl to see her smirking. She clutched a knife tightly in her right hand as she sat up.
She must have hidden the weapon before the fight, planning to use it only as a backup. Clearly, it had worked. I was now crippled and could no longer run. I couldn't dodge them anymore. I scrambled back, away from the teens as they both stood back up. The girl stayed behind, offering me the small relief that they weren't planning to kill me.
As the boy brought back his foot, preparing to kick me, I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to brace for impact. It never came.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" My eyes snapped open to reveal a man standing in front of me, blocking the boy and girl from getting to me. How he had managed to get between us so fast, I had no idea.
I watched with narrowed eyes as the teens looked at each other in alarm. They were both littered with small bruises from the times I had hit them, and their energy was low from constantly chasing after me. They clearly knew they wouldn't be able to take a full grown man, so they turned and sprinted away.
The man then turned around, and I watched him warily. "Hey there, do you need help, kid?"
I wanted to reject his offer, to turn him down. I knew full well that he would just abandon me, like everyone else. But I couldn't afford to say no. If this man was being honest and he was really a good person, I desperately needed his help. So I slowly nodded my head.
The man gave me a sad smile before lowering his voice. "I know a way you can get some fast cash. I saw you fighting back there. You could be pretty good in the rings."
My eyes widened. Was he talking about Hypixel? I blinked at him, my understanding showing on my face. "But isn't that... illegal?"
"Yes, but... you're homeless." I cringed internally. Was it really that obvious? "You could rack up some pretty good money in there. You would be able to get a stable home and food. You could provide for yourself."
I sighed in defeat. I knew the man was right. I wouldn't be able to get work somewhere else. I was simply too young. The man knew that too. He seemed genuine. If he could think of another option, he would tell me. So when he offered me his hand, I took it, accepting my fate.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Purpled."
"That's cool. I'm 80."
The note Punz left for poor Purpled:
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
