The boys, suddenly realizing they were outnumbered not just by people, but by empathy and decency, mumbled a half-hearted apology and slinked out of the diner, their earlier bravado completely evaporated. As the door swung shut behind them, a murmur of approval swept through the room.

Ethan smiled at Clara, his eyes kind. “You okay?” he asked softly. Clara nodded, grateful for his intervention, her voice too choked with emotion to respond immediately. Ethan made sure she was alright before returning to his seat, but not before the owner of the diner, an older man named Joe, came over to Clara’s table.