AN: Before I start Chapter 9, a big shoutout to daccu65 and his fic "Justice", inspired by this one. I'm genuinely flattered to have been a source of inspiration for someone else. Moreover, his story is really awesome and all of you should go read it. As Motor Ed would say, seriously.

The Possibles continued to speak with Detective Miller and Mrs. Cunningham for some time about the case. Ann was particularly concerned about keeping the boys' identities confidential, and Mrs. Cunningham assured her that there were protections in place for them. Jim and Tim would be referred to in court documents as "John Doe 1 and 2", and the media had a policy of not revealing the names of sexual assault victims. There was already a story in the local paper that morning about Kim's arrest of Mr. Gray, but it was careful not to say just who his victims were. That reassured everyone.

Once the meeting was over, the Possibles returned to Jim and Tim's hospital room, where a doctor was waiting for them. He was smiling and had good news. "Jim and Tim are ready to go home. Aside from the permanent damage to their testicles, their injuries have healed really well. There might be some tenderness for a day or two, but I've prescribed some medicine to help with that." His smile turned into a frown. "Of course, that's just the physical side of things. I can't help you with the mental and emotional damage."

James sighed. "Yes, we know. But it's wonderful that they can come home."

The boys were soon checked out of the hospital and the family got into the car to go home. Things seemed to be going fine, until about halfway home. Out of the blue, Jim and Tim yelped so loudly that James slammed on the brakes—thankfully, there were no other cars on the road at the time—and hid their faces in Kim's shoulders, audibly whimpering. Kim didn't understand why they were so upset until she looked out the window and saw the middle school. Immediately catching on, she put her arms around the boys to comfort them while James hurriedly drove past the building.

"It's okay," Kim reassured her brothers. "It's alright now. I'm right here and we've driven past it."

The boys slowly sat back up in their seats. "S-sorry about that," Tim apologized, still visibly shaken. "It's just that when we saw the school—I guess everything came back."

James and Ann glanced at each other. Each parent knew exactly what the other was thinking—Jim and Tim couldn't possibly go back to their old school. Not if they had this strong a reaction to it. If just being near the building scared them so much, how could they be expected to actually go inside?

"We—we'll be alright," Jim went on, still trembling a little. "I guess when we go back—"

"Don't you boys worry," James said firmly. "You aren't going back to that school. Not next week, not next year, not ever."

They looked surprised. "Really? But—but we have to go to school."

"Your father and I can enroll you in another school district," Ann told them. "Don't you worry about this. We'll make sure you're taken care of and that you never have to go inside that building again."

The boys looked visibly relieved. Sure enough, as soon as the family got home James and Ann got on the phone to pull the boys out of Middleton Middle School and look for another school to enroll them in, finally settling on Upperton Middle School. Since it was the middle of April and the school year would be over soon anyway, the Upperton staff felt it wasn't necessary for the boys to attend the few weeks of classes left before summer. Instead, they could simply start in seventh grade when the next school year started. That would work much better for them, especially since it would give them extra time to cope with what had happened.

As her parents talked on the phone with the various schools, Kim felt uneasy. Even if Jim and Tim were out of the Middleton school system, she wasn't. The middle school and high school were fairly close and both used the Mad Dog mascot, so Kim genuinely wondered if her brothers might have a similar reaction to the high school. Moreover, as a cheerleader she would wear the school colors of, and actively cheer the teams of, a school district that had horribly let down Jim and Tim. That bothered Kim a lot, and the more she thought about the situation the more it bothered her. Finally, she came to a decision. Once her parents had finished making arrangements with Upperton, she came over to them.

"Mom, Dad—is there any way you could pull me out of Middleton High? I want to go to Upperton next year, like the tweebs are."

James and Ann were both very surprised by Kim's request. "Kimmie-cub, are you sure?" James asked. "You've been looking forward to your senior year there for a long time. And even if you did transfer, it's not like you would see the boys much. They'd be at the middle school and you'd be at the high school, just like now."

"I know. But I think it's important that they know I'm in their corner." Kim sat down on the couch. "The night Jim and Tim told me what happened, I promised them I would always have their backs no matter what. I meant that then, and I mean it now. Since the Middleton school system hurt them so much they had to leave, I want nothing to do with it. Especially as a cheerleader. I mean, how could I in good conscience wear a Middleton cheer uniform or say "Go Mad Dogs" if Jim and Tim associate those things with what happened? I know it'll be weird spending my senior year in a new school with people I don't know, but under the circumstances I really think it's the right thing to do. I'll be Jim and Tim's sister a lot longer than I'll be a high school senior."

Both of Kim's parents were beaming. They were so touched by Kim's concern for her brothers, and so proud of her selflessness, that they simply couldn't say no. "I'll call the high school right away and have you withdrawn," Ann told her. "Upperton should be able to have you start next year, same as your brothers." She gave her daughter a hug. "Kim, the boys are very lucky to have a big sister like you. And we couldn't be prouder to call you our daughter."

As her mother went to call the school one more time, Kim headed upstairs to her room. After all, if she was going to leave Middleton High, she would need to collect and return her cheerleading uniforms. Hopefully, she'd be able to make the Upperton cheer squad, although it would definitely feel strange cheering for a different team. After a few minutes of working, though, she was suddenly interrupted.

"Kim!"

Kim turned around to see her brothers standing by the entrance to her room. Both of them had cheeks wet with tears—and this time, it was obvious that they were happy tears. "You—you're changing schools, too? Just for us?"

Kim felt her own eyes fill with tears. "You're my brothers. Like I said, I'll always have your backs no matter what."

The boys ran over to their sister and practically threw their arms around her. As Kim hugged them back and the siblings began to cry together, she was more convinced than ever that she had done the right thing. This special moment alone made changing schools worth it.