David exhaled. “And the assault charge?”
“Dropped to simple assault. State charges, not federal. Probation, not prison. But it stays on their record.”
“That’s… fair. More than fair.”
“And one more thing. That video they took? They post a public apology video. Explaining what they did and why it was wrong. Same platform they were going to post the ‘Karen’ video on.”
“Done. Thank you, Rachel.”
“I’m not doing this for them. I’m doing it because federal prison is expensive and overcrowded. But if they violate any part of this agreement, I will prosecute to the fullest extent.”
“Understood.”
Three days later, Connor and Blake showed up at my apartment.
Both looked like they hadn’t slept.
“Ms. Martinez,” Connor began. “We’re here to apologize.”
“Come in.”
They sat on my couch. I stayed in my recliner, leg elevated.
“We’re sorry,” Blake said. “What we did was cruel and stupid. We thought it would be funny. We never considered that you were actually disabled or in pain.”
“Or that I had the power to destroy your futures,” I added.
“That too,” Connor admitted. “But my dad said you showed us mercy. When you didn’t have to.”
“I showed you justice. There’s a difference.”
Blake pulled out a check. “This is for the medical costs. Five thousand from each of us. And we already donated to the disability fund.”
I took the check. Verified the amount.
“The community service starts Monday,” Connor said. “We’re working at Riverside Rehab Center. Fifty hours each.”
“Good. You’ll learn something there.”
“We also posted the video.” Blake pulled out his phone. Showed me.
A two-minute video. Both of them, serious, explaining what they’d done. Taking full responsibility. No excuses.
“It has three hundred thousand views,” Blake said quietly. “Most of the comments are people calling us trash.”
“Are they wrong?”
“No.”
Connor spoke up. “Ms. Martinez, can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why didn’t you destroy us? You could have. My dad said the federal charges would’ve meant prison time.”
I thought about it.
“Because prison doesn’t change people. It warehouses them. You’re both young. Stupid, but young. You made a terrible choice. But I believe people can learn from their mistakes. If they’re willing to.”
“We are,” Blake said earnestly. “I swear, we are.”