Purpled opened up his messages. Just in case. Maybe she’d responded since the last time he’d asked when she’d be around to pick him up.

No new messages.

He stared at the last thing she’d said, something sinking within him as he read it over and over again and imagined the tone she would have said it with.

‘Patience, Aldrich.’ 

He figured the name in and of itself was telling enough. He couldn’t imagine hating an infant so much that he’d consider saddling them with a name like that.

Aldrich Whitlock.

He belonged on a headstone in a cemetery. Not outside a high school sitting at a fake lemonade stand.

“Your friends already head home for the night, Purpled?” Purpled glanced up from his phone, eyes widening for a fraction of a second as he was caught off guard.

He relaxed as he found Principal Summers standing a few feet away on the sidewalk. She had her bag over her shoulder and her coat over one arm, car keys in-hand as she prepared to leave for the evening.

“Told them I’d stay for a while.” Purpled answered with a noncommittal shrug. She frowned at him.

“I don’t think anyone’s going to be stopping by for lemonade.” She suggested delicately, “-Maybe it’s time to close up shop.” Purple stared down at the table, arms folded.

“I’m fine here.” He insisted. He waited, listening to see if she’d continue walking to her car.

She didn’t.

Purpled sighed, knowing full well that she would wait him out. That she wasn’t the kind of person that would just leave him there.

“My mother was supposed to be here after her office hours ended.” He admitted very quietly, his eyes never leaving the table.

“I guess she’s busy.” He sniffed. He didn’t glance up.

There was a brief moment of silence. Principal Summers adjusted how she held the items she was carrying.

“You know what? I think Theno’s right.” She announced, seemingly out of the blue. Purpled furrowed his brow.

“What?” He finally glanced up as she approached.

“This stand. We can’t have it up without a permit.” She declared, gesturing at the stand in question with her car keys.

“I’m going to have to help you get this cleaned up. Immediately.” Purpled finally met her gaze, recognizing the slight gleam in her blue eyes.

“Should probably remove you from the premises, too. So you don’t try to set up another one after I leave.” She continued with a slight nod.

Purpled’s eyes started to water as he fully recognized what she was doing.

She was going to help him clean up. And she was going to take him home. And she was going to do it in a way that didn’t implicate or humiliate him in the slightest.

“Alright.” He managed, to which she smiled.

They were able to disassemble the stand without any troubles. Principal Summers declined to take any leftover lemonade home with her. Purpled almost laughed.

He was getting into her car within ten minutes, buckling himself into the passenger seat as she apologized for any dog hair that might still be stuck to the upholstery. 

“Thank you.” He said after it had been quiet for a moment. She glanced sideways at him, her smile as warm as ever.

“Another year, another lemonade stand?” Principal Summers stood a few feet away from their makeshift table, her arms crossed.

The four of them certainly looked…peculiar, sitting behind a slanted table with a scribbled out sign and little plastic cups lined up next to the mostly empty pitcher.

They set up a lemonade stand every year to help facilitate tablet distributions. Students from other schools could drop by with minimal suspicion. Students that they didn’t come across during their daily class schedules could find them at the stand. It was a good strategy.

It was Purpled’s idea. Of course.

“Yes ma’am.” Ranboo confirmed. Tommy gave an anxious thumbs up.

They had just gotten quite the earful from the vice principal. He was not eager to repeat the experience.

“Still not charging?” She raised an eyebrow.

“We enjoy giving back to…the people.” Tommy supplied. An amused smile twitched at the corner of the principal’s mouth.

“I see.” She stepped forward, sliding a twenty dollar bill across the table before grabbing a little plastic cup of what was technically lemonade.

She always paid them for the shitty lemonade. She always paid them way too much for the shitty lemonade. They’d long since given up on trying to deny payment.

She took a sip as she stood in front of the stand. Tommy was impressed that she managed not to make a face. Years of dealing with petulant students and her less than pleasant vice principal, he supposed.

“You know what? Not as bad as last year.” She commented pleasantly. Ranboo glanced sideways at Tubbo.

“What’d you do different, Tubbo?” Tubbo shrugged.

“I have no idea.”

“We don’t need a permit, do we?” Tommy squinted up at Principal Summers. She furrowed her brow as she peered back at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

“Theno was pretty adamant that we shouldn’t be here without a permit.” Ranboo explained.

“She didn’t like it when I told her we were just handing it out for free…for the people.” Tommy added with a dramatic sigh. Principal Summers looked rather amused at that.

“Your lemonade stand is fine. We’ll say you have my official sanctions.” She assured them. Tommy slowly glanced sideways at Purpled.

“Sanctions are permissions. That’s a good thing.” Purpled stated flatly. He was sitting slouched in his seat, his arms constantly crossed. Quiet, mostly, unless directly addressed.

“Right, no I knew that.” Tommy scoffed.

“Good luck at your tournament tomorrow, Purpled. I’m sure you’ll do great.” Principal Summers offered him a genuine smile.

Purpled shifted in his seat, rolling his shoulders a bit as he received the casual positive attention. He let his arms rest in his lap as he sat up. Tommy didn’t typically see Purpled do much with his face but scowl, but his expression seemed to crack as he peered up at the principal.

“Thank you.” He said quietly. Principal Summers gestured wide with her lemonade cup.

“And good luck with…the people.” She looked amused again. She nodded to them before heading towards the entrance of the building.

Tommy reached for a cup as he watched her walk away.

“Is it really better this year?” He took a sip.

He whirled around and spat the lemonade all over the side of the building.

“No. Worse. I actually think it’s worse.”

“You know what? You make the lemonade next year.” Tubbo huffed.

“Sure thing.” Tommy took a swig from the water bottle he’d kept from lunch.

“And no asking Puffy to make it for you.” Tubbo added. Tommy rolled his eyes as he twisted the cap back over his water bottle.

“Whatever.”

“No Foolish, either.”

“Well now you’re just being unreasonable.”

They continued to bicker, with Ranboo trying and failing to mediate. Purpled ignored them as he helped an anxious freshman that he’d been watching psych herself up to approach the stand.

She was new. She’d never met any of them before. She’d probably heard of their operation through friends.

She was a blubbering mess by the time she finally stood on the other side of the table. Purpled didn’t interrupt her. He let her talk and brought out their spare mint container.

She hesitated, opening her hand as he gestured towards her. Purpled poured a tablet into her waiting palm, sealed the container, and tucked it back into his pocket.

The freshman was in tears all over again.

“Thank you.”

Purpled wasn’t able to feel proud of his work and accomplishments very often. But he felt a sort of pride then. A greater sense of the impact that they were having on the community, the choices that they were opening up for so many people.

If nothing else mattered, this did. This was good.

Tommy and Tubbo didn’t stop bickering until Tubbo’s phone started buzzing on the table.

Tubbo checked the notification and grimaced.

“Bank robbery in progress. Only a few blocks away.” Ranboo and Tommy exchanged a glance. Tubbo just looked at Purpled.

“I can stay. You can go.” Purpled said without glancing over.

“Are you sure?” Ranboo frowned. Purpled finally looked at the three of them as he raised an eyebrow.

“I can sit here for a bit, clean up a table, and dump shitty lemonade, yes.” Tommy patted Purpled’s shoulder.

“You’re a legend.” He declared.

“Okay.” Purpled sighed.

“Thanks, Purpled!” Ranboo patted Purpled’s other shoulder as he stood. Purpled just stayed as he was, staring forward.

“Sure.”