A printout of a web article fell on Kelly's homework as she worked in the cafeteria. She read the headline and smiled.
"You're kidding."
"Both pled guilty," Sarah said. "They caught a bit of a break for it, which I don't think they deserved, but it means no trial and they're both still in a lot of trouble."
Kelly smiled to hear this. While it had disappointed her that there was nothing that could be done to her dad, since he was free to voice his opinions and since there was no real proof that he was the reason the boys attacked Sarah, he was off the hook. However, it pleased Kelly to no end to see that the boys who had attacked Sarah were paying for their crime.
"It all worked out," Kelly smiled and Sarah sat down next to her. Kelly reached out to take her hand and Sarah pulled back a little bit. "Hey, it's fine here."
Kelly felt frustrated by this, but she knew it wasn't Sarah's fault. Growing up in an accepting household, Sarah never had to worry about hiding her feelings. She was free to be who she was. The school, apart from some students, was also a safe place. Still, Kelly remembered feeling like the world was against her while she had been living with her parents. It would be some time still before Sarah would be able to let that feeling go.
Trusting her girlfriend, Sarah took her hand and leaned in for a quick kiss.
"Okay, now I see what all the fuss is about," Calvin said as he sat down with Hayley. "It is gross to watch."
"Consider it payback," Sarah smiled as she showed Calvin and Hayley the article.
"That's good news," Hayley smiled. "If this is what they got as part of a deal, I'd hate to see what would have happened to them had this gone to trial."
"I heard the lawyer talking," Sarah said. "I kind of wish it did go to trial."
"People are going to realize they can't get away with all this hate," Hayley assured Sarah with a smile. "I know Principal Hastings is furious with what happened. She's going to call a school assembly this afternoon to talk about it."
"Dad was mentioning how he considered going to a barbecue the city was hosting for gay pride," Calvin said. "It should be a good turnout, from what he's saying."
"People stand up for this stuff," Hayley said. "It won't be long now before this whole thing blows over. Until then, don't let it freak you out."
"Yeah, we've got your back," Calvin smiled.
"You'll never guess what I saw on my way here," Brody announced as he sat down. He had in his hands a newspaper. He set it down on the table, showing the others the front cover. "Local Hero Saves Child."
"Hey, that's Preston," Kelly said and took the paper from the table to read it. "Pictured above, local Magician Presto Change-O wows young fans in a show just moments after hero Sarah Thompson (in pink) saves three-year-old from choking."
"That's great for Preston," Sarah smiled.
"Uh, this is great for you," Kelly continued to read. "According to the child's grandmother, Thompson and her friend Preston Tien were in the park when the child began to choke. When the grandmother called for help, Thompson responded, dislodging a rock from the child's throat, allowing her to breath. While the child will remain nameless, she is closely related to the Silver Guardian who has aided Thompson with two recent high profile cases. This link wasn't discovered until after the heroic action took place, proving that kindness does, in fact, get repaid with more kindness. Continued on page three."
Kelly flipped to the next page and saw that the article just went into more detail on Sarah's past cases with the Silver Guardians. She opted not to read it, since the Rangers and Sarah were already very familiar with it.
"Well, a little good news to brighten up the day," Kelly smiled and wrapped her arms around Sarah. "Look at you, a real, recognized hero!"
"It wasn't a big deal," Sarah shrugged. "I just did what I had to do."
"Well, I think we should…" Calvin was cut off as the ground startled to tremble. It wasn't unusual in California, but it would always occur suddenly and so the Rangers were a little startled. When it settled, they looked around to be sure everyone was okay. Calvin spoke, "Like I was saying, we should celebrate. Ice-cream?" Calvin asked and looked to Sarah. "After school, what if we all head down there?"
Sarah hadn't been for ice-cream since Kelly's father had written the article, which was rather unusual. It was hers and Kelly's meeting place after training, yet Sarah had come up with some excuses to avoid it. She had mentioned once to Kelly that she was still a little worried about running into the wrong person there. Kelly had then mentioned it to Calvin, in hopes that if she and Sarah could double date with Calvin and Hayley, Sarah wouldn't feel as nervous.
"I've been craving ice-cream," Sarah nodded. "Anyone else?"
"I'm getting a double scoop," Kelly agreed.