11 years ago before the final level of the tower

We are up 20 points with 4 minutes left, the other team playing dead accepting their defeat to the dismay of their balding coach. The audience is rumbling with excitement as we win in our home arena with a dominant display of my shooting skills. Sure I've shot 4/14 yet I have a curry type aura, the defenders flock to me.

"Hey, how does it feel being down 20?" I wink at the opposing teams guard dribbling in front of him.

"..." the guard just stares blankly focusing as hard as possible unlike his teammates

I look over at the audience instead of the basketball net.

I see Ricky, a kid from the orphanage in front of the whole audience taking videos for tomorrow's announcements. He's a real lonesome dude not having any friends and his camera is in tatters being held together with bands of flex tape, his poorness fills the room.

"Pass it Jim!" my coach screams from the sideline.

I ignore it instead I dribble past George to ask a sweet little question.

"Hey George, how much you wanna bet I can hit Ricky?"

"$10.00 ya won't make it!" he chuckles and so do I. His farmers' tan being exposed while wearing his jersey being the reason.

To make it seem accidental I will act like I slipped but in a cool way so I don't look lame.

"For the love of god pass the ball Jim!" my coach yells raising his hands in frustration

*Slip*

I almost completely lose my footing, but I'm able to reclaim my balance.

*Bang*

Got him! The ball hits little Ricky right in the head. The poor guy didn't see it coming. I gain back my balance and look over at George who's bummed out for his loss of $10.00. Everyone gasps and checks on Ricky much to his embarrassment.

The game continues now on defense, my coach's face beet red the whole time not happy with my antics.

"That's it, I call a timeout" Coach yells loud enough for me to hear.

For the rest of the game I rode the bench. Little Ricky remains recording but with an ice pack over his eye from where he got hit. After the game finished I went to my parents heading inside our car to head home.

"Hey kiddo, did you ask if that kid you accidently hit was doing alright?" My dad asks.

My parents went out for a few minutes buying concessions just before Ricky got hurt and a little bit after. Word must've spread to them.

"Yeah, I felt really bad for the guy" I shrug trying to sound as nonchalant yet as truthful as possible. Truth is I did not ask if he was okay at all. Instead at the end of the game I received the $10.00 from George for my displays of true athleticism.

"That's good and Jim remember your team couldn't have done this without you" my mom chimes in as she drives through the night with pouring rain.

"It was pathetically easy, mom I agree they couldn't have done it without me. It was annoying how the coach took me out in the last few minutes though, I still don't understand." I really don't as we really could've lost without me and despite my one play of messing around I should never have been taken out.

"Son, your team was up 20 points and 4 of your teammates didn't even touch the court, it's good to share sometimes." my dad comments he is likely done with my winning nature.

"I still don't agree. I'm surprised those fellers even kept the lead without me on the court".

My mom begins to open up her mouth likely as a protest to my truth but I could care less. I proudly look out my window and put on my air pods listening to "Great Balls of Fire". I have never seen so much rain in my whole life, my parents stated earlier today it was forecasted that today would be beautiful. I should've expected them to be wrong, they usually always are.

"Mark look out that semi is sliding-" my mother screams and soon we all scream

The last thing I see is the flashing lights of a semi truck losing control and the side of it slamming into our Aston Martin Cygnet.

Two weeks later

I wake up strung to a hospital bed and look around. I don't see my parents but I do see letters and flowers addressed to me. A nurse then walks in and she seems ecstatic to be in my presence.

"I'm so glad to see you awake!" she joyfully says, her mood quickly turning distraught.

"Where are my parents?" I dryly say to her as I'm surprised they are not around me and I'm sure they are okay after the accident right?

"I'm so sorry Jimmy but your parents passed away in the accident" she puts her hand on my shoulder and looks away..

I look down distressed at the loss of my parents and see the absence of my left arm, my dominant arm.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY ARM!" I scream and wave my shoulder where my absent arm should be moving.

"I'm so sorry, I'm going to alert the doctor about your awakening" she darts out. I presume she is scared of my distress.

I can't believe it. I have no arm. How will I shoot the basketball? Wait, can I even shoot the basketball? Also, my parents I have no other family relations, maybe I can just live on my own with an au pair. Just because my parents are absent doesn't mean their wealth is. My father was a top CEO for a S&P 500 company. His success will naturally be mine and the time calls for it to be now.

The doctor walks into my room a few minutes after the nurse left. I have been entertaining myself by grabbing letters and turning them into airplanes. With one arm it is much more difficult to make them. It hurts to even look at my feeble left side.

The doctor glares at my great craftsmanship, probably impressed or maybe not as his eyes skip off the airplanes and into my eyes.

"Son, I'm sorry about the loss of your parents, we are going to keep you here for a bit to make sure you're okay to head to your new home."

"My new home? Can't I just live in my same home and hire an au pair or something."

"No son it doesn't work like that, since you have no familial options to live with you're going to have to be transported to the orphanage which is not so distant from your school. You will have access to your family's fortune once you become 18 until then that money will be locked up".

My heart drops at the announcement of having to live with the very same people I have shown my superiority on a daily basis also not being able to have my rightful inheritance.

The doctor soon leaves and I decide to open up the letters to just observe the words people have been complying with towards my misfortune.

I should read the letter from George. He has always been my closest teammate on my team. We were a tandem scoring duo. He always followed me around in school too and I gave him consistent gifts due to his loyalty.

Dear Jim

I am sorry for the loss of your parents but I'm glad your arm surgery went well. Anyways thank you for now giving me the shooting guard spot on the team as I'm tired of playing small forward. Everyone knows I was better suited for shooting guard than small forward but you had your way due to your parents status (R.I.P)

Sincerely George

P.S. Since you don't have your arm can ya give me your bike lol

...

I don't understand, clearly this isn't light hearted joshing no... He must be being mean to me? Whatever I'll just open the other letters clearly George is the only fake friend that has just leached me.

I read through every letter and become more and more distressed. Every single classmate either wrote a quick one sentence that the teacher clearly ordered them to make them write or a whole hate speech about what I have done. Those losers leached off my dead parents' money, my future money! Yet they come for me just because I lose one arm and have to go to an orphanage? An orphanage won't even be that bad I bet just cause I made fun of the fellers that went there during my strolls outside and such doesn't mean they won't recognize my good nature.

1 year later

April 15th, 2024

My life never was the same after that car crash.

I sit down before the first period starts ready for school. I have a prosthetic arm due to the government giving me one. It isn't good quality and I hate it.

Look, it's "prince". My terrorizer stands in front of me. He was formerly my friend George but turned his back to me the day I lost everything. His goons join up with him, they constantly call me prince on purpose and have bullied me since I entered high school. School used to be my kingdom with me as its king. I treated the ones around me the way they deserved. Clearly I might have gone a little too far but still to now be in the other situation they clearly haven't been fair to me.

They all circle me and George comes closer. I ready my right hand's fist trying to appear confident yet they all start laughing.

"Acting tough today huh gimp" George cackles closing the distance.

I throw my right arm as hard as I can into his face!

George jumps back surprised by my attack and holds his nose momentarily but seems to have obtained little to no fear.

This traitor was my accomplice with everything yet now acts as I am a weak grunt who did wrong while he is the people's champ.

They all then get closer.

"y'aint that smart are ya" he gives off a hearty laugh.

"Get back or you will regret it. George?!" I try to muster as much intimidation as I can

"y'best call me King gimpy boy I don't oblige that typa tone"

George sizes me up, he towers over me when just a year ago we were the same size. His brown hair being slicked back and wearing jeans with a flannel.

George decides he is done with showing off his superior physique and so he slams a knee to my stomach and I fall into a fetal position.

"Who is the king?" him and the others laugh at me as I lay on the floor, the very same floor where I did the exact same thing to a kid with circular glasses.

"You are." I say trying too not to sound pitiful but they clearly find it to be the best thing ever.

They then all grab me and I stay silent for I have learned that currently I'm in no position to exercise my rightful claim to greatness.

I am brought outside over their shoulder and I view people just standing looking at me allowing my disposition to continue. No one feels bad for my situation. Teachers either don't notice or don't care and the bystanders remember what I jokingly did to them and so they don't intervene.

They throw me into the mud thanks to spring weather and my clothes all got wet and muddied with brown hue. They all run away after going to class as I try to fix myself. I shouldn't bother going into the first period after this. My grades have been okay my whole life, typically adults stress how important it is to do well in school, now especially to get into college since I'm now a sophomore. My parents especially encourage me to do better but I have no reason to succeed on something I feel I have no reason too...

I miss my arm and I miss my parents, I don't understand why they couldn't have just stayed with me in this world.

Anyways every adult that feels as though school grades are so important should realize that I have a family fortune ahead of me and my ability to be great isn't dictated by a letter from A-F.

I stop daydreaming and walk drunkenly out of school property dazed still by being thrown down so hard but I could care less. Just because I'm getting picked on doesn't stop my future as I only have to wait 2 more years until Uncle Sam takes his cut and I will get the rest of my rightful money.

I find a comfortable place to lay down and so I do just that, as there is nothing like laying down at the park. I open my phone scrolling through my favorite influencers and then read a news video.

"Attention this is not a joke, we are seeing green figures coming out of the ground killing people. They seem to be like goblins?" The news reporter looks like a ghost when speaking which makes me believe they should become an actor.

I laugh at what clearly is fake news yet I'm not the only one laughing.

"Heheheh Hooo hooo Hahahahha"

I nervously look up.

A 3 foot goblin with a dagger stares at me and wastes no second to lunge at me dagger thrusting towards me.

I jump up allowing it to hit my prosthetic arm causing me no damage and then I run away.

What the heck is that there is no way this can be real!

"Help somebody help!" I continue running quickly, losing my breath so I pause for a moment.

A huge video game like message than shows up in front of my eyes.

...

 I can't possibly join because I belong here and I don't want to deal with whatever lies there especially when others can join.

"Heheheheh Hooo HOOO ho" the goblin continues cackling with a smile and his dagger waving ready to be thrusted into me.

"Hey stop!" I yell but it does not stop dashing towards me

The only possible way for me to survive is by moving forward.

I thrust my right arm up and my legs going upward to sprint away from the goblin yet sadly a pebble broke my sprint and I start to fall with my nose clicking the accept button to join the tower.

"Jimmy Conway"

***********************

Authors note: If you are enjoying my book so far please star it and possibly comment what you enjoy and don't enjoy so I can thoroughly read it and take in the kindness or criticism to reflect on how to perfect my book.

Sincerely Isaiah Jimenez

**********************