Arthur had only been in the student council president’s office for the first time a few days ago. He really had no idea any of this was going on behind the scenes at school. After he became president, Hudson and the others wanted to apply for financial aid right away. But Arthur had been swamped—barely on campus, always tied up with something. He’d only recently gotten back and finally settled in. Even so, they understood. Taking over the student council came with a lot of responsibility, and they didn’t want to add to his workload right away. And with so many students needing their financial situations verified, it wasn’t going to be a quick or easy process. On top of that, they’d seen the bruises on Arthur after the incident with Henry and his crew. That made them even more hesitant to bring it up. Hudson couldn’t hold back his excitement. “Once you’re feeling better and things settle down, I’ll let everyone know to start turning in their applications.” Then he stood up, overwhelmed with gratitude. “Arthur, thank you—on behalf of every student at Governance University who’s been struggling to get by.” With that, Hudson gave Arthur a deep, sincere bow. Arthur quickly reached out and pulled him up. “You don’t have to wait until I’m fully healed. As soon as I’m out of the hospital, tell them to send the forms in. I may be banged up, but my hands still work. I can handle the paperwork.” Arthur had come from poverty. He knew exactly what it felt like to be broke. They’d been holding on for so long. And now that he finally understood what was happening, Arthur couldn’t help but wonder how many students were right at their breaking point. The more he thought about it, the more restless he became. He didn’t want to wait. “Actually,” he added, “go ahead and tell them to start getting everything ready now. I can handle it from here, even in a hospital bed.” If the doctors hadn’t insisted he stay, he would’ve left already. His injuries had opened up again—twice. With Mr. Hugo insisting he stay and rest, Arthur had no choice but to go along with it. Seeing how serious he was, Hudson was deeply moved.He’d already been surprised and grateful when Arthur said they could apply for financial aid. After all, Arthur was well-off now—and most people with money had no idea what it felt like to be broke and barely hanging on. But Arthur wasn’t just donating to the aid fund—he was willing to process the applications himself, even while recovering from injuries. How could Hudson not be moved by that? His eyes welled up again. He looked at Arthur and said, sincerely, “Thank you, Arthur.” Arthur gave him a soft smile. “You don’t need to thank me. I’m the student council president now—this is part of my job. Honestly, I already feel bad that my own situation delayed things for you all. I don’t need your gratitude—I just need to do what’s right.” He paused and added, “And from now on, if anything comes up, just come straight to me. Okay?” Hudson was overwhelmed. His eyes shimmered with tears. He’d finally met someone who actually cared—someone who showed up when it mattered. Even though Henry had cornered him and beaten him up in that park, Hudson felt like he’d just met the most important person in his entire life. Right now, the pain from his injuries didn’t even matter. He nodded over and over, barely able to contain himself. “Yeah, okay! Got it—okay!” His hands trembled slightly as he pulled out his phone and quickly dialed a number. The second the call connected, he couldn’t hold back his excitement. “We can apply for financial aid! We can finally apply!” Hudson paced around the hospital room, buzzing with excitement as he rattled off instructions to his classmates. On the other end of the line, the reaction was just as emotional—you could hear the excitement in both of their voices, rising with every word. Ashley watched it all with a warm smile, her eyes settling softly on Arthur. Even after everything he’d been through—the pain, the unfairness, all of it—he still wanted to look out for others, even if no one had done the same for him. That was Arthur—kind through and through. Hudson was basically the voice of their group—the one who spoke up for the students just trying to get by. Because of all the pressure from Finley, the students who were struggling financially had stuck together and looked out for one another. So when it came time to take action, everyone was already on the same page—it all came together fast. Arthur’s injuries didn’t stop him—his hands were fine, and he could still take care of the paperwork without issue. As soon as Hudson spread the word, the group began organizing applications, starting with the students in the toughest situations. If someone needed help with their paperwork, the others were quick to step in and help out. By the afternoon, the first application had already been turned in. They only brought it to the hospital because Arthur kept insisting it was totally fine to drop it off there.