Sgt. Davis ended up taking all the boys to the police office and questioning them. It seemed someone had specifically told them to beat Todd up. None of them would say a word about who it was. They were all sent to the Alternative Learning Facility, a juvenile correctional center. They were not allowed to return to the public school until they had served there for two months.

Of course, Bra and Marron were let off the hook thanks to Davis and their true intentions of saving their friend.

That afternoon they went to see Todd. Walking in the gleaming hospital made Bra nervous. She was holding Marron's hand tightly. They got his room number at the front desk and ascended in the elevator, both anxiously shifting their weight. As the doors slid open, Bra felt Marron squeezing her hand for the first time. Her whole body had been numb since they'd walked in the doors. She swallowed hard as Marron guided her. She was afraid to see Todd. How would he be? She couldn't bear it if something awful had happened. It would be all her fault. If she had only gotten there seconds earlier to stop those boys...

Marron stopped.

"This is it." Bra's hand was shaking and Marron tried to hold it steady. Marron used her free hand to push open the door. The room was a taupe color, soothing if anything and balloons and get-well cards adorned the walls.

Todd was lying there staring at the ceiling. He smiled as they walked in. Bra looked into his eyes. They gave off a warm feeling. Her hand stopped shaking for a few seconds. She looked at his face. Both of his eyes were black and he had cotton up his nose. His arms were bruised and he had wires attached to his arms and chest leading to the machine next to his bed.

"Did we come at a bad time?" Marron asked.

"No." His voice was fragile as if in one second he could be lost. "You saved my life."

"Doesn't look it." Bra said, the guilt in her face showing.

"You did so much for me. I can't thank you enough."

They visited with Todd for over an hour. It seemed that in a few months he would be fine. The worst damage was that he had two broken ribs and that one of his back teeth fell out. He would have to be in the hospital for another week or so before they would let him go and they still wouldn't let him do the same things. He had to take it easy for a few months before he did anything, especially skateboarding.

Bra was lying on the bed next to him talking. He was running his bandaged fingers through her hair. Marron had gone down to the hospital's cafeteria to get something to eat.

"How is your mom doing?"

"She's fine. She came to see me as soon as she heard. She spent most of the morning with me. But you know she doesn't make a lot of...income and she needed to get back to work. I expect the bill for the hospital will be expensive." Bra knew well enough. She had known Todd since kindergarten and whenever they were in a tight spot, Bra was always there for Todd and vice versa. They were very close.

"You should sue those boys and make them pay for it." She knew he would say no.

"No. They need to be treated as God would treat them. They need to be forgiven." She smiled. Todd was such a kind person. She really didn't know why anyone would beat him up. He was very quiet but funny in his own unique way. He had a lot of friends and he was very down to earth. He was good at school and he worked after hours to help keep his family going. She loved Todd's pure heart. It made her happy to know he would be just fine in a few months.

"And how is Tara?" She asked. Tara was Todd's younger sister. She was only eight but she loved Bra.

"Oh, good. She always asks for you. She always wants to know when you're coming over. She misses you a lot." Bra used to babysit Tara after school before she was in kindergarten, when Todd's mom couldn't afford daycare.

"Well, tell her I miss her. I'll probably be over a lot more in the near future. And I'm definitely not letting you skateboard to school in this condition." He only lived about a mile from the school and he skateboarded every morning because the bus didn't pick up kids who lived close to the school. Their family only owned one car and his mom drove it to work before him and Tara were awake. Tara's elementary school was a block from their house, so he walked her and then boarded the rest of the way.

He smiled.

"You do too much." He told her.

"I don't do enough."

"You're not missing anything are you? By being here with me?" He asked.

"I don't care. I would stay by your side through anything"

"You didn't answer my question."

"Ummm… let me think...Tonight...I was supposed to-" It hit her like a ton of bricks. "I'm supposed to be at Goten's house!"

"What?" His eyes were disbelieving. "Goten Son?"

"We have a project to do together." She said rolling her eyes.

"What time? You need to get all As this year."

"I can skip. You mean more to me than any A."

"This is your senior year! You can't goof off! Get out of here. Go do your project."

"Todd, didn't I just get done saying..." His eyes were warning her.

"Go. Please. You've always been there for me. And now I need to be here for you."

"But I-"

"Marron can keep me company. I'll be fine." In all honesty, she didn't want to go but she resigned herself to the fast that she did want an A. She sat up and kissed him on the forehead.

"Don't you die on me." She told him sternly as she grabbed her purse.

"I promise I won't."

"That's a promise Todd! You can't go back on your word!" She said as she walked out the door.

"I won't." He yelled back as the door shut behind her.

She walked back out onto the landing into Marron who had a tray in her hands piled with food from the cafeteria. It was all junk food.

"What's all that?"

"It's what they don't serve to the patients. This is for people visiting the hospital who can't stand Jell-o." Bra laughed.

"I'm outta here."

"Where are you going?" Marron asked, taking a potato chip from the pile.

"Goten's house," Bra mumbled.

"Oh yeah! I forgot about that! Have a great time," she said grinning and walking into Todd's room.

"Yeah right."