samtaro commented on michimonster's post in blueridgeschool:

He snuggled in closer when she scooted over to lean against him and pressed a warm kiss to her forehead. "I don't deserve a best friend like you," he whispered. He hated not telling his friends the truth about what had happened to his family, up until that point. He should have told them sooner, it would have kept them safe.

"I'm gonna take care of ya Tate," he promised. "We- we'll take care of each other I swear. I aint gonna let anything bad happened to ya from now on. I can't hurt ya no more," it was like punching himself in the stomach when he said it. And though he was shaking he at least knew that was true. "When I run with my dad in NOLA we take care of each other, it's like bein' a part of a pack. We... we keep each other in line. Y-you're a part of the pack now if ya wanna."

Tatum talking about Frankie near killed him. His chest felt like it turned to ice. If he thought the guilt was bad now he couldn't even imagine what it would have been like if he had managed to kill her. "No," tears were streaming down his cheeks now. "You survived for a reason. You're stronger'n that," he said adamantly. "An' when you are old an' ready to go, aint no place too good for you. You hear me? You got a good heart, one'a the best I know."