Chapter 466 - New Shoes

Branden's family was very poor. Even his best clothes were patched. He couldn't find anything better than chocolate to pay back that girl. But he knew that girl's name was Winnie.

He wasn't that literate, so he had always thought that she was called Willa.

Willa.

Willa.

He muttered to himself, 'It seemed like a boy's name.' He thought that her parents were very cultured to name their daughter Willa. His parents named him after the owners of the grocery store and clothing shop in town. The owners used their own names as the names of the shops. Branden's father also wanted to be a boss like them, so he combined the names of the two bosses together and named him Branden.

Branden stole a bracelet from the grocery store. It was made of seashells. It was very beautiful. He washed his hands many times, but he was still afraid that his dirty hands would mess up the bracelets. He wrapped the bracelets in a paper, layer upon layer. Then, he put the bracelets in his pocket and ran to the entrance of the public school.

Before Willa finished school, he waited at the door until it was opened. The students came out one after another. He looked for Willa very carefully. Many students were laughing at him. Their mocking gaze made Branden embarrassed. Just now, he had run too fast, and the sole of his shoes was broken by a pebble. He was afraid that they would notice it.

Their gazes were like slaps on his face, making him run out destructively. He didn't see Willa, so he couldn't send out the bracelet. That night, his father discovered the bracelet wrapped in layers of paper. Without any surprise, he was beaten up by his father again.

Branden ran out the next day with injuries. He decided to run away from home. Before he left, he wanted to see Willa again and gave her the bracelet that had been worn black.

He didn't dare to get too close to the school gate. He just stood under a tree far away. Willa came out with her friends. After a while, they parted ways at the crossing. At that moment, Branden finally rushed over.

Willa was very surprised to see him. Branden stuttered when he thanked Willa for her comfort. Then, he gave the bracelet to her. He had been clutching the bracelet tightly when he was beaten. He didn't notice that the shells on the bracelet were broken, nor did he find that it was stained with his blood.

Willa took the bracelet and looked at him carefully. "Who hit you?" She asked.

Branden giggled, "I fell down the stairs."

Her voice was pleasant to hear. He felt a little inferior to her for his heavy accent. So he was embarrassed to say another word.

"Why didn't you put some ointment on it?" Willa asked.

Branden didn't know he gotta put some ointment on the wounds if he got hurt in a fight, so he stared at her blankly.

"Where are your parents?" Willa looked at the wound on his face and asked, "Why don't they take care of you?"

Branden lowered his head and didn't say anything. He rubbed his left foot against the back of his right foot. When he did this, the hole in the sole of his shoes was exposed. He was extremely embarrassed and wanted to run away.

Willa handed him another handkerchief. It was pure white and clean, just like her.

When Branden saw the handkerchief that was as white as milk, he cried.

The two of them were facing each other, but he felt a sense of inferiority from the bottom of his heart. There was an invisible gap between him and the girl in front of him.

Even if she didn't mean to pity him, any passers-by would treat them as a poor little boy being given to by a wealthy young lady.

Embarrassed.

Branden cried as he turned around and ran. The shoes with the hole finally fell to the ground. He stopped for a moment and wanted to pick up his shoes. He felt that picking up the shoes in front of Willa was even more embarrassed, so he ran away without looking back.

Willa shouted behind him, "Your shoes!"

Branden ran to the corner and turned around to see Willa pick up his broken shoes. The dirty shoes were held by her clean hands. The scene made Branden stop his steps.

"Your shoes are broken." Willa walked towards him with the shoes in her hands and asked, "Do you have a spare one?"

Branden certainly didn't have another pair of shoes. He felt so inferior that he couldn't even say anything. He just looked at the girl who was like an angel. That angel handed him his shoes and said. "Follow me."

He followed her unconsciously.

Willa lived in a town that was not far away from their village. Every time he went to the town, he felt that everything was amazing. But this time, he could only felt a sense of inferiority.

Her home was so gorgeous.

There was a fence around the yard and flowers planted by the door. Willa pushed the door and went in. She asked Branden to wait at the door. Afterward, she walked straight to the room beside the kitchen and knocked. A few minutes later, another boy who was about the same age as Branden opened the door. He looked at Branden from a distance. Branden did not dare to look back at him for his sense of inferiority. He only saw that the boy wrinkled his eyebrows.

Not long after, Willa returned with a pair of shoes and put them beside Branden's feet. She said to Branden, "Try it."

This pair of shoes was brand new from the bottom to the top. She put the shoes on the ground and asked him to try them on.

Her casual tone crushed Branden's remaining self-esteem.

This was charity.

No matter how much he denied it, it was all charity. It was like a beggar knocked on the door. His father cursed and opened the door only to kick him angrily.

Accepted it or not, he was just a beggar to Willa.

Tears fell down on Branden's cheeks. The teenage boy had only just known what self-esteem and shame meant. He had developed a crush on a girl for the first time. But a pair of worn-out shoes revealed all his poverty and inferiority.

He had never worn brand new shoes. He really wanted to try them on, but he just shook his head in tears and ran away with his broken shoes in his arms amidst Willa's shouts.

He didn't run away from home. He ran for more than half an hour from the town and returned home. His drunken father was sleeping in a room full of mess. Branden felt that this scene before him was an abbreviation for his future.

He was caught stealing batteries at the grocery store. His drunk father gave him a penny to buy the batteries. He spent the money on a popsicle. After eating it, he sneaked into the grocery store and stole a battery. Before he could put it in his patched pocket, the owner caught him.

This is the grocery store in the town, people came in and out the door. The boss took a feather duster and whipped it on his body. People were watching the show. Some laughed while some mocked him for stealing, but none of them were willing to help him. Later, he heard Willa's voice. His bleeding eyes saw through the blazing sun that the girl took out a small purse made of silk from her pocket. The white purse was embroidered with gold silk thread. It was extremely beautiful.

She paid for the battery for him. After putting it on the stool at the door, she turned to leave.

Branden covered his face and lay on the ground quietly. The only dignity of a teenage boy was gone in front of the girl he liked, causing endless shame and inferiority.

His family wasn't able to pay for a battery, but her purse was full of pocket money.

Perhaps this scene was seen by a group of gangsters. On that day, Willa was blocked at the entrance of the alley after school. Branden was right behind her. He had nothing to do every day. He didn't like to study and didn't want to go home. The only thing left to do was to send Willa home. But Willa probably didn't know that he followed her.

When the gangsters were blocking Willa's path, Branden had become so brave for the first time. He rushed over and fought with the gangsters without hesitation. His appearance made the whole thing changed. Originally, the gangsters only wanted to take the money and leave. But when they saw Branden stood up to save the beauty, the gangster leader raped Willa in front of Branden to humiliate him.

Chaos, pain, blood, shouts, struggling, tears, mud.

Willa's mouth was covered by someone. Tears streaming down her face. She looked at Branden helplessly, who was trampled on by someone. He howled in pain with a pair of red eyes.

That night, it rained heavily. Willa fell to the ground in pain. Branden trembled as he looked for the torn clothes on the ground to cover her. This was the first time he noticed Willa's name on the nameplate. It was Winnie.

"I will kill them. I will kill them" He had been shouting these words with tears. Willa didn't say anything. Her entire body trembled violently. She walked home by herself like that.

That night, she committed suicide.