Hudson continued, “We tried going to our homeroom teacher, but right after the first student spoke up, Kent and Henry threatened us. They said if we kept complaining or took it any further, they’d make sure we couldn’t stay at Governance University. Finley’s family has a lot of power—we couldn’t risk going up against him.” By the time he finished, Hudson just sounded defeated. The world had never been fair. The gap between rich and poor was massive—and with the Tremo family’s influence, crushing people like them was almost effortless. Finley could use his position to isolate them, turn everyone against them, and even have people corner them in the bathrooms. He could sabotage their exams, make sure they failed classes, and stop them from graduating. And even if they did graduate, he could keep them from finding jobs. He could even ruin things for their families—make sure their parents or siblings couldn’t find work either. He could have people shut them out completely. The rich had countless ways to crush you—and any one of them could ruin your life for good. They couldn’t afford to fight back. They were scared to fight back. As long as they stayed quiet and worked extra summer jobs, their families could just manage to keep them in school. But if they reported it to a teacher or the principal—even if the principal approved their financial aid—there was no guarantee they could survive Finley’s retaliation and still graduate. And even if they did graduate, Finley still had the power to make their lives miserable. That’s why, after the warning, no one said a word again. Every now and then, there was a student who couldn’t take it anymore and gave in. They’d go to Finley, swallow their pride, and agree to follow him just to get financial aid. And over time, fewer and fewer students had the strength to resist. Students like Hudson, who refused to bow down, became easy targets. Kent, Henry, and their crew made sure of it—constantly picking on them, making life miserable. Arthur and Ashley sat in silence for a long while. Finally, Arthur asked, “Why were they beating you today?”Hudson let out a bitter laugh, his expression strained. He looked at Arthur. “Henry told me to lure you out. He said he needed to talk to you. I refused. That’s when they attacked me.” Arthur’s eyes widened in shock. He hadn’t expected that at all. Hudson had been beaten… because of him? Arthur hadn’t done anything wrong. He hadn’t even known about any of this. But Hudson had taken the hit because he refused to hurt him. No wonder Hudson had shouted for him to run the second he saw him. No wonder Henry and the others had come armed with bats—they were after him. They came ready. If they hadn’t brought weapons, even with their injuries, Arthur and Ashley might’ve been able to hold their own. Hudson continued, “I didn’t want to set you up… But somehow, you ended up showing up anyway.” The moment Hudson saw Arthur, he thought he was imagining it. There’s no way. He’d done everything he could to avoid luring Arthur into a trap—yet somehow, Arthur had walked right into it on his own. And even crazier—he’d jumped in and saved him. Still, this was better than if someone else had tricked Arthur into showing up. At least he and Ashley had walked into it on their own, which meant they were somewhat prepared. If someone who couldn’t take the pressure had lured Arthur out, things could’ve ended up a whole lot worse. Hudson didn’t have much going for him, but hurting an innocent person just to protect himself? That was something he’d never do. Yeah, he was broke—but he still had his principles. His grandfather had raised him to be that way. Hearing all of this, Arthur felt a little embarrassed. Truth be told, the only reason he and Ashley even came over was because they heard people arguing. They got curious and decided to check it out. It’s a good thing they did—if they hadn’t gone over, who knows how bad it could’ve gotten for that kid. Arthur patted Hudson on the shoulder. “Hey, don’t stress it. I’m the student council president now. Tell your friends—if they’re struggling financially, have them turn in their applications. As long as it’s legit, I’ll make sure it goes through.” He paused, then added, “And I’ve got a donation lined up. Once we’re out of the hospital, I’m giving it to the school to help fund aid for low-income students. So tell everyone—go ahead and apply. There’s more than enough to help out.” Hudson’s eyes lit up. “For real?” Arthur nodded with a grin. “Yeah. For real.” Since taking over as student council president, Arthur had been caught up in a whirlwind of responsibilities—so much that he was barely even on campus most days.