Monroe opens the tutoring room's door and drags his little brother in. "I thought you said you weren't going to force me." Malcolm felt betrayed.

"The agreement was as long as you kept your grades up and stayed out of trouble. Hanging around Dodger's boy is breaking that agreement." He pointed at the seat across from Abby.

"This is pointless." He slouches in his chair.

"What's pointless?" She asked.

"Everything." He snorts.

"Get rid of the attitude right now," Monroe warns.

"No, let him explain. We aren't getting any kids in, so he can help us find out why?" She gave him the floor.

"You want my opinion?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, it could be the thing that can help me turn this around." She nods.

"Let's start with this tutoring… What's the point? It's not like I'm going to college. All that would do is put my family into debt." He looks around the colorful room.

"College is an option. There are many scholarships. And a high school diploma is needed for trade schools and most jobs." She thought the tutor room was important.

"How long is that going to take? My family doesn't have that kind of time." He needs a solution now, not years from now.

"What our family doesn't have time for is you going to jail?" Monroe corrects him.

"Okay, then…What happens when you guys go to college? You're going to keep us safe for one… two years then what? We have to go back to fending for ourselves. It will be harder because we'll have a reputation of thinking we're better than that." He brought up the biggest problem.

"Mr. Keller and Ms. Shapely are going to keep it running. We hope that other people like us will volunteer." She looks at the young teen.

"I don't know, it's a big gamble." He shrugged.

"Who's Dodger?" She asked.

"A piece of shit who threatens kids to deal his drug and then takes most of the money." Monroe filled her in.

"So, do you want to be a Dodger?" She turns back to Malcolm. "Because on the street, you have to be like him or work under a guy like him."

"No, I don't want to be him…. You think you could give me more options." He hated the way people made it sound so easy.

"I believe I can help you give yourself options with education, and sports, and help you stay out of trouble." She was willing to do everything she could to help these kids.

"Why? Why do you want to do this?" He didn't understand what these people were doing. It didn't make sense, it didn't benefit them. "You're pretty enough to marry rich. You are middle class so you should be able to skate by. So, why are you putting yourself on the line for me… for us?"

"Because this is my town. These are my people. I will not let people like Dodger ruin it. I'm not going to let people like him take the future from kids like you because he's a coward." She grinds her teeth.

He took his backpack off and put it on the table. He took out some papers. "How are you with algebra?"

"She's history and literature. I got you for math and science." Nancy sat next to him.

Abby was taking a care packet to Malcolm. He got jumped by a few of Dodger's guys when he refused to work for them. "How are you doing?" She sat next to the hospital bed.

"I'm alright. They're only keeping me here because of a concussion." He didn't mind having to lie around in bed watching tv for a day.

"That's good." She smiled.

"I'm lucky. I know other kids who got jumped by Dodger's crew. They weren't able to walk away." He plays with the end of his hospital gown. "I told the police everything, but I doubt they'll catch them."

"Are you discouraged?" She frowns.

He took a long pause, finding his gown interesting. He looked up at her and shook his head. "No, I don't want to be a grown man beating up kids. I want to be better than that. If that means I got to hang out until 10 at the community center then I will. I'm going to get as many of my friends as I can to do the same."

"The community center is under Seperent protection. We can get you guys escorted home. The guys are talking about fixing up a bus, so they can pick you up from school." She explained the plans they had.

"You got an answer to everything." He let out a dry chuckle.

"That's what people tell me." She smiled.

Abby answers the knock at the front door. "Hey," Betty gave her a weak smile.

"Hey Betty, Archie is at the community center." She told her.

"I know, I came here to talk to you." She points at her.

"Okay, come in." She closed the door when her guest came in. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"I'll have a sprite." She knew the house always had that soda. She took a seat on the couch.

"Coming up." She grabs two cans and the container of cookies that she made with Tessie. She put it on the coffee table in front of her guest. She sat in the recliner.

"Thanks. I came to tell you that we busted the Farm." She picked up a cookie.

"Yeah?" She perks up in her seat.

"Edgar ends up dying and Evelyn has been arrested. We were able to save all the farmies that were there." She told her the results.

"So, were you able to save Fangs?" She was getting nervous about how Betty wasn't mentioning the person that she knew she wanted to hear about.

"Yes, he was saved. But Abby, he is deeply brainwashed. I ran into him when I was pretending to be a farmie to get people on the bus. He tried to stop the rescue. I had to knock him out. When he wakes up at the FBI Headquarters. He was so hysterical that they had to sedate him. The therapist that specializes in cult deprogramming, says he will take a lot of work." She gave her the bad news.

She swallowed the lump that was in her throat. "What's going to happen if she can't deprogram him?"

"Unless they find him guilty of any crimes then they can't hold him against his will. They will have to release him soon with mandatory therapy sessions." She informed her what was going to happen to most of the cult members.

"Can you pass a message along for me?" She moved around in her seat.

"Sure." She nods.

"Can you let him know that when he is ready that I'm here for him?" She wanted him to know that he wasn't alone.

"He knows that, Abby." She reached out to grab her hand.

That was the touch that broke the dam that she was holding in. "Then why was he so lost that he went to them? It is my fault that he is so lost right now. I took Sweets from him."

Betty got up to sit on the arm of the recliner and rub her back. "Sometimes, the people we love don't tell us what is going on inside of them. I feel the same guilt about Polly. I should have seen through my parents' lies and been there for her. She wouldn't have run off to the farm."

"What's going on?" Sweet Pea came through the back door. He had finished mowing the lawn.

"FBI caught the cult and Fangs is in the process of being deprogrammed. She feels guilty that he's going through that." Betty held the sobbing teen.

"Abby." He grabbed her face. "Do you blame me for Fangs going to the cult?"

"No, of course not." She shook her head in his hands.

"Then why are you blaming yourself? Any reason you have would be the same as mine. I'm his childhood best friend. I should have seen this coming. I didn't. I have to live with that. To make up for it all I can do is help him when he's ready." He pulls her from Betty's grasp. He rocks Abby who had stopped crying but was being quiet.

"That's all any of us can do." Betty was hoping for the same with Polly. "We can only move forward."

"I wish I could fast forward to the part where we're all bonded again." She got up. "I'm gonna wash my face. I don't want Tessie to know I've been crying." She went to the bathroom.

"Where does she think Fangs is?" Betty wonders.

"She thinks that he is helping his mom who is in a different state." He rubs his face. "Thanks for coming to tell her."

"It's no problem." She was trying to hide her surprise at him being polite. He normally grunted and glared at her. He scoffs at her failure before going to check on Abby. "There he is." She sighs.

Malcolm had been bringing his friends to the community center. After a few fun afternoons, they spread the word, and more and more kids were coming. The older teens running the place were grateful to see the fruits of their labor. "Abby!" She smiled when she heard the young teen scream her name like Sloth from The Goonies. She swore to herself she wouldn't have favorites when she started this but she couldn't help it. She and the kid connected.

"Toby!" She screams his name in the same manner. "How was school?"

"Good. I blew my history teacher's mind when I knew the date for the pearl harbor bombing." He brags.

"Her mind was blown just from you being awake." Malcolm teased.

"Shut up, man!" They had a little shove match before Abby guided them into the tutoring room that was filling up.

"Hi Eddie," She greeted the freshmen that joined their table. "How is the reading of Holes going?" He and Malcolm were assigned to read Holes By Louis Sachar. The essay prompt was the difference between the movie and the book.

"Good. Did you ask her about the bet yet?" He turned to Malcolm. He shook his head.

"What bet?" She asked.

"If Malcolm and I get a passing grade on this essay then you have to play Bean Boozled with us," Eddie suggested. Bean Boozled was a pack of jelly beans that each color had two flavor possibilities that could be normal or gross. Green was either pears or boogers. For some reason, the kids loved playing it.

"You know I want you to do well, right?" She tilts her head. "A bet works when you're competing against each other."

"Think of it as extra motivation." Toby was excited to see that too.

"It's got to be at least a B." She counteroffers.

"It's on." The boys high-fived each other.

Fangs got released from the FBI. He reached out to Sweet Pea and Abby to see if they were willing to meet him at Pops. Abby was trying to stay calm and collected when they walked through the doors. All it took was Fangs standing up from the booth and opening his arms for her to run to him. They hug each other tightly with tears in their eyes. Sweet sighs and drag his feet to join the hug.

"Alright, let's sit." Fangs pulled out. They slid into the booth. "I want to start by saying I'm sorry. I was lonely and not thinking anyone could understand me. That's why I didn't reach out to any of you. Then the farm came along and were saying everything I wanted to hear. I want to hold on to that. I lashed out at everyone who I felt was trying to take me from it."

"It's ok…" Abby was going to say it didn't matter.

"No, it's not." Fangs dismissed the automatic acceptions. He felt like he didn't deserve it. "You two have always been there for me in any way possible. Sweets, as long as I know you, you went out of your way to make sure I was included. You made the kids play with me at the trailer park. Helped me get in with the Serpent. And, when you were starting a new chapter in your life with Abby, you made sure I never felt like a third wheel. Abby, you were rolling in dough as the Gargoyle Goddess. You could have used that money for anything but you choose to give it to me. You choose to help my mom. I got into a depressive downward spiral. I've been going to therapy. It helps me break out everything that happens. I'm going to continue doing that. I hope you'll have me in your lives again and I can earn back your trust."

"Fangs, we're brothers. There will be times we don't get along and have big fights. We might not talk for a while but we always come back together." Sweets knew any real relationship was going to have its ups and downs.

"I'm ready to move forward." She nods.

"I'm glad to hear that. There are a lot of people whose family and friends won't even give them the chance to come back in." He smiled. "So, what's been going on?"

"We turn the boxing club into a community center to help kids stay out of trouble. We had a rocking start at first but we've been doing good." Abby informs him.

"I would like to help out with that." He nods.

"Is it good to be a part of something so soon? Polly was saying she needed to learn to be independent with her identity before involving herself in a group." She asks.

"I think I'll be fine. It's not a bad influence. I need to be around people who want the best for others instead of collecting people." He wanted to remember what it was like to be part of a family again.

"Okay, but if I hear any farm talk from those kids, I'll have you kicked out of there so fast." Sweet warns.

"Sweets." She scolds.

"It's fine. If you trusted blindly I would be worried about you guys. I'm going to prove myself." He was determined to get the life that he took for granted back. "I know nothing can go back to normal right away. The therapy helped me a lot so I was wondering if you guys would be willing to go with me."

"What, like family therapy?" Abby tilts her head.

"At first it will be me and Sweets or me and you. Then maybe we can do one altogether." He told them the process his therapist thought they should do.

"Okay? Let me know when." She smiles.

"Sweets?" He looks at his friend. He was resistant to the idea. "I promise it's not like the school counselor." He knew the bad stigma that came with mental health.

"I'm willing to go if you think it will help us." He nods.

Eddie and Malcolm came running into the community center. "I got an A." Eddie cheers.

"I got a B." Malcolm waves his essay around.

"Great job, guys." Monroe slapped their backs.

"Ready to pay up." Toby shakes the box of jellybeans in her face.

"Pay up?" Archie arches an eyebrow.

"I told them I would play Bean Boozled if they got good grades on their essays." She grabs the box to read the back of it in dread.

"Let's go." Sweets took out his phone to film. They sat around the table.

Eddie went first. "Butter popcorn." He smiles.

Toby grabs the box and pops a blue one in his mouth. He made a face. "Toothpaste."

"That's not too bad." Abby thought that was the best of the bad flavors.

"Your turn." He gave the box to Malcolm.

He shook up the box before pouring one into his hand. It was a white one. He threw it into his mouth. He hummed a tune before singing. "Put the rum in the coconut and shake it all up."

"Ready?" He slid the box to Abby.

"No." She reaches in to grab a bean. It was a dark brown one.

"You like putting brown beans in your mouth." Sweets tease from behind the camera.

"Dude." Monroe laughs.

Sweets was surprised to find that he didn't just have Archie burning holes into him but also the younger teens sitting at the table. The tension was defused when she put the bean into her mouth and started gagging. "She got canned dog food!" Toby screams.

She turned her head to the side to get scolded. "No, you got to swallow it. It's cheating if you spit it out." Eddie scolds her.

She grabs the water bottle to force it down. "Why is this fun for you?" She whines.

"Because it's funny when someone gets the bad flavor." They laughed at her gagging at the taste in her mouth.

Abby was nervous. She was sitting on the couch with Fangs at the therapist's office. "Abby, what are you hoping to get out of this?" The therapist, Mrs. Moore, asked.

"I am hoping to build a foundation with Fangs, so we can have a stronger friendship. I want to know what more I can do for him." She crosses her legs.

"So, you think Fangs went to the cult because you weren't doing enough for him?" She had a notepad in her lap.

"Obviously not if he was feeling lonely and that he couldn't talk to me." She knows she must have played a part somehow.

"Do you ever think you were doing too much for Fangs?" She asks.

"What do you mean?" She glanced between Fangs and the doctor. "What does she mean?" He wasn't meeting her gaze.

"What I mean is that it's not normal to invite a third party on almost all your dates. Include them in adopting a child and in your future." She listed the things that Fangs told her.

"I know it's not normal. But, Sweet Pea and Fangs were inseparable before I started going out with Sweets. Neither of them had a serious relationship before. I didn't want Fangs to feel like I was taking his brother from him. So, it wasn't normal but I don't feel like any boundaries were crossed." She defends her choices.

"You can have good intentions but that doesn't mean there will be good results for everyone else involved." Abby was getting annoyed with her cryptic talk.

"Can someone let me in on what we're talking about? Why are we beating around the bush?" She looks at her friend. "Fangs?"

He looks at his therapist. "If you can't set boundaries then the same patterns will repeat." She told him.

He took a big sigh before looking at Abby. "I did have a good time with you and Sweets. But, I do feel like sometimes boundaries are crossed physically and emotions."

"Physical?" She arches an eyebrow.

"You sitting on my lap. Most of the time that was on me because I pulled you to me. You cling to me while we walk around town. Little touches that were completely innocent in the beginning were starting to drive me crazy because I did gain feeling. It wasn't just you, I was getting those feelings for Sweet Pea too. It was like I was in your relationship but I wasn't. At first, it was enough to get my emotional needs met by the two of you and my physical ones by flings. But, soon it wasn't. That's when I started feeling alone because it felt like I would always be half-empty. I couldn't talk to you guys about it because I didn't want to ruin anything. That is why I involved myself in all the school communities. I got close to Kevin and the Farm. I thought it was love and was scared to lose it." He went on even when it was hard because Abby looked like she wanted to cry.

"Abby, how are you feeling?" Mrs. Moore asked after a minute of silence.

"It's a lot to process because the whole time I was thinking it was something I didn't do. Now, I realize that I was doing too much." She took a few more minutes as memories ran through her head. "Looking back, there should have been a separation of dates and hangouts. When I made romantic dinners for Sweets it should have been the two of us, not three. Fangs shouldn't have moved into my garage or shared a tent with us. I was doing things with you that I wouldn't have done with any other male friends. Maybe that can be the boundary we can set. I'll ask myself, "Would I do this with Trev or Greg?"

"That's good." She nods.

"I can ask myself would I do this with Toni or Cheryl?" He would do the same.

"This is progress. It's a work on your guys' codependency." She was happy with how this session went.

"I guess that's what it was." Abby had to resist reaching out to grab Fang's hand in comfort. "It would explain why I acted so erratically when you left."

"You were just worried." He grabbed her hand.

"Excusing each other's wild behavior is a part of the codependency." She sighs, seeing despite their time apart there was still work to do.