The dirty dollar bill feels a little wet in my hand. I look at the glowing blue timer floating in the corner of my view.
23:25… 23:24…
The numbers keep counting down without stopping. Relentless. Each second feels like sand slipping through my fingers. $38.50. I need $100. The math is simple. It is impossible.
Grrr… My stomach is growling again. The smell of Tony's Pizza is torture. Hot cheese. Spicy pepperoni. My mouth waters. I could buy a slice. One slice. Maybe $3. But $3 is almost 8% of what I need. 8% of my pathetic $38.50.
"No," I mutter. My voice sounds gritty. "I have to save it." The thought of hot food makes my knees weak. I lean harder against the cold brick wall. The rough surface scrapes my back through my thin shirt.
People keep walking past. A group of college kids were laughing. An old man walking with a cane. A woman walking with confident in bright pink sneakers. They don't see me. Or by chance they see me, they look away fast. The juice stain on my shirt feels huge. Glowing. A sign saying 'KICKED OUT LOSER'.
I try again. My voice is barely a whisper. Lost in the city noise. "Spare… spare any change? Please?"
Nothing. Just the honking cars. The thumping bass from a car stopped at the light. The whoosh of the pizza place door opening. Hot, cheesy air wafts out. My stomach cramps hard. Painful.
23:15… 23:14…
Panic bubbles up. Cold sweat pricks my forehead. I'm failing. Already failing. 23 hours left feels like nothing. What's 'increased poverty'? Sleeping inside the dumpster? My breath hitches. The alley's cold darkness looms behind me. I can't go back there. Not yet.
My fingers find my phone in my pocket. Battery: 11%. Dying. A stupid idea came to my mind, weak, desperate. Maybe… maybe Ben? He's cramming for finals. But he's my only friend. Maybe… a loan? Just $20? $30?
My thumb hovers over his contact: Ben – Roommate. Shame burns hotter than hunger. Should I really ask my friend for money while I'm sitting on the street, after being kicked out like garbage? My thumb trembles. I can't. I just… can't. He would ask questions and want to help, but I'd feel worse asking because he's struggling financially too. I shove the phone back into my pocket. 10% battery remaining.
23:05… 23:04…
Think, Ace. Creativity. The System's word mocks me. Resources? $38.50. A dying phone. A brain fogged by hunger and shame. What genius plan uses that?
The pizza place door opens again. A guy in a delivery driver uniform walks out, holding two hot bags. He heads towards a beat-up scooter parked nearby. An idea. Dumb. Risky. But… maybe?
I push off the wall. My legs feel stiff. I walk over, trying not to look like a threat. My heart thumps hard.
"Uh… excuse me?" My voice cracks.
The delivery guy turns. Young. Maybe my age. Tired eyes. He looks me up and down. Sees the grime. The desperation. His hand tightens on the pizza bags. Wariness flashes across his face. "Yeah?"
"Tony's… uh… are you hiring?" The words tumble out. "I need work. Anything. Washing dishes? Cleaning? Right now. I'm strong. I work hard." It's a lie. I feel weak. Shaky.
He shakes his head. Quick. Firm. "Manager handles that. Not me. And he's gone for the night. Try tomorrow." He turns away, unlocking his scooter. Dismissal.
"But… I really need–"
"Tomorrow," he cuts me off, not looking back. He kicks the scooter to life. It sputters, then roars. He speeds away, leaving me standing there. The smell of exhaust mixes with pizza. My shoulders slump.
22:55… 22:54…
Back to the wall. The cold seeps deeper. Night is coming. Temperature is dropping. I have no jacket. Just this stupid juice-stained tee. I shiver. Hunger gnaws like a rat inside my ribs. $38.50 mocks me from my pocket. Not enough for food and shelter. Maybe not even for one.
Begging isn't working. Job's a dead end. What else? The thought is a scream inside my hollow chest. The blue timer glows. 22:50…
Suddenly, the blue box flashes back into existence. Right in front of my eyes. Brighter than before.
[User Distress Detected.]
[Analyzing Resource Utilization… Inefficient.]
[Deploying Auxiliary Function: Resource Optimization Protocol.]
"What?" I breathe. Resource Optimization? What does that even mean?
[Accessing Local Network…](via User Device: Battery 9%)*
[Scanning Financial Data Streams…](Public Feeds Only)*
[Processing…]
My dying phone buzzes violently in my pocket. I yank it out. The screen flickers. Battery: 8%. But it's not the home screen. It's… numbers. Graphs. Moving fast. Stock symbols? AAPL. MSFT. TSLA. Weird abbreviations flash. Percentages. Arrows pointing up. Down.
"What the hell?" I whisper. The System is… using my phone? To look at stocks?
A new blue window pops up beside the timer:
[Opportunity Identified: Volatility Spike - MicroCap Sector](Probability: 68.2%)*
[Asset: BRZL (Brazelton Robotics)]
[Current Price: $0.87](Down 45% Today - Erroneous Earnings Report Fear)*
*[Projected Short-Term Rebound: 120-150% within 1-2 Hours]*(Post-Correction Confidence Interval: 89%)*
[Recommended Action: Invest Available Capital ($38.50 USD).](Projected Return: $84.70 - $96.25 USD)*
I stare. Words swim. Invest? With my last $38.50? In some robot company crashing? The System wants me to gamble my food money on stocks? This isn't 'ingenuity'. This is insanity!
"Are you insane?" I hiss at the blue text. "This is all I have! If I lose it…" The thought of $0.00 makes me dizzy. Truly destitute. The alley dumpster becomes a real possibility.
The blue text doesn't care.
[Risk Assessment: Moderate.]
*[Failure Probability: 10.8% (Based on Real-Time Sentiment Analysis & Historical Data)]*
[Reward Probability: 89.2%](System Confidence: High)*
[Execute Trade? (Y/N)]
The 'Y' glows softly. The 'N' is dim. The timer keeps ticking. 22:40…
My hands shake. The cold bites harder. My stomach feels like it's eating itself. $38.50 could buy a cheap blanket from a thrift store about to close. Or a whole day of bus rides. Or… enough junk food to stop the gnawing pain.
But $84.70… almost $85. That plus my $38.50… $123.50. Over the $100 goal. Enough for a motel. A shower. Real food. Maybe… safety for a night.
The numbers dance on my phone screen. BRZL: $0.87. Down arrow. Red. It looks terrifying.
89.2% chance, the System says. Almost 9 out of 10. But that 10.8% failure… that's losing everything. Right now.
The wind picks up, slicing through my thin shirt. I shiver violently. The alley behind me feels like a dark, cold mouth waiting to swallow me whole. The pizza smell is gone. Only exhaust and garbage remain.
I look at the glowing 'Y'. My thumb hovers over my phone screen, near the virtual 'Buy' button the System has conjured. Battery: 7%.
My last $38.50. My last hope.
Do I trust the blue box in my head?
22:35… 22:34…
I take a ragged breath. My finger trembles.
I press the button.