***
Kat sat on the back of her porch, on a bench, sipping on a cup of tea as she looked at the sky. The gentle breeze played with her hair, and she closed her eyes, seeking a moment of peace.
Just as she began to feel the calming effects of the peaceful scene, her phone started ringing. She sighed, slightly annoyed, but curiosity got the better of her as she picked it up and saw that it was "Johnny (Sensei)" calling.
"Hello?" she answered.
Behind the phone, she could hear Johnny fumbling with his own device. "Jesus, Miguel. How do I work this thing?" he muttered to himself.
In the background, Miguel's voice sounded exasperated. "Sensei, you called her. Just put it on speaker."
Johnny let out a frustrated smack of his phone. "How the hell do I do that?"
Miguel's voice came through the line as he wheeled toward Johnny. "Give it here," he said, taking the phone from Johnny's hands and turning on the speaker. "Hey, Kat. It's Miguel. I'm with Sensei, and we're at my apartment complex. He's using unorthodox methods to try to make me walk."
Johnny's voice carried over as he yelled in the background, "Kat, come over to our apartment complex, we're gonna help Miguel."
A smile touched Kat's lips. "Sure. I'll be over soon," she replied before hanging up and making her way to Miguel's apartment complex.
As she arrived, she found Miguel in a wheelchair on the ground floor, with Johnny holding a fishing rod with an '80s Playboy magazine dangling from the line above Miguel's head.
"What in the world is going on here?" Kat asked, trying to suppress a laugh.
"We're using unorthodox methods to motivate this kid," Johnny explained, grinning mischievously.
Miguel rolled his eyes but grinned. "Yeah, Sensei's idea of 'interesting' is questionable at best," he admitted, attempting to stand up from his wheelchair.
Kat stepped forward to help Miguel regain his balance. "You guys are something else," she said, shaking her head. "But if it helps, I'm all for it."
As Kat ran over to help Miguel, she watched in disbelief as Johnny continued with his unorthodox motivational tactics. He held the '80s Playboy magazine on the fishing rod and laughed, seemingly undeterred by Miguel's fall.
"Well, this is more unorthodox than you mentioned on the phone," Kat remarked sarcastically as she approached Johnny.
Miguel ran a hand through his black hair and sighed. "You could've dangled a PS5 in front of my face, and I still would've fallen out of my chair," he said with a frown.
Kat smirked. "I can arrange that," she said, playfully.
Johnny shook his head. "No, we're not done," he declared before disappearing briefly.
As Kat bent down to Miguel's eye level, she spoke earnestly, "Miggy, I don't care what it takes, we're gonna get you back to being the badass that you are."
Miguel smiled sadly. "Damn, you sound just like Sensei," he remarked.
Kat nodded with a bright smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Suddenly, Johnny reappeared and, to Kat's astonishment, proceeded to set Miguel's shoelace on fire, trying to encourage him to move his legs.
Miguel let out a startled shriek as the flame spread. Without hesitation, Kat sprinted to grab a nearby fire extinguisher and swiftly aimed it at Miguel's feet, extinguishing the flame.
"Enough, Sensei!" she scolded.
Miguel, now slightly perturbed but unharmed, looked at Johnny with slightly annoyed. "You've got to be kidding me," he said, shaking his head.
Kat shot Johnny a disapproving look. "Seriously, what were you thinking?"
Johnny scratched his head, a sheepish grin on his face. "I was just trying to—"
Kat cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I don't want to hear it. Let's just get Miguel back inside."
Johnny sighed and muttered, "You sound like my mom, Mills," as he retreated inside his apartment feeling defeated, opening his laptop to search for "WebMD: Strengthening Leg Muscles."
As he delved into the articles, a sound of distress caught his attention. Carmen's crying reached his ears from outside.
Miguel tensed, turning toward the sound. "What's that?" he asked, concern etched on his face.
Kat peered through the blinds and recognized the source of the crying. "It's probably just someone's TV," she said, turning to Johnny and gesturing toward the door.
He nodded and strode outside to investigate, leaving Kat with Miguel. She took his hand in hers and said, "I think we need to go somewhere or do something fun."
Miguel's eyebrows furrowed as he tilted his head, his annoyance evident. "What am I gonna do? Huh? Are you gonna google places with a wheelchair ramp?" he asked bitterly.
Kat smiled sadly and shook her head, sighing. "We're going to do something fun. We're seventeen, and we should be living life. I'm turning 18 next week, and I want to live out my remaining minor years."
Miguel looked down, his voice breaking as he spoke. "You shouldn't be here, hanging with me. You should be with other people, happy and young."
Struggling to hold back her tears, Kat looked at Miguel and shook her head. "There's no place I'd rather be than here with you, helping you through this, Miggy."
Miguel stiffened and remarked, "You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened to me, Kat. It wasn't your fault."
Kat forced a fragile smile as she wiped away the stray tears that fell from her eyes.
"Of course it's my fault, Miguel. I wasn't there for you. I couldn't help you when you needed me," she confessed, her voice heavy with guilt.
Miguel shook his head. "What happened to me wasn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for everything wrong that happens to those around you," he reasoned gently.
Kat stood up and walked toward the apartment window, staring out at the world beyond as she let out a heavy sigh. Turning back toward Miguel, she murmured, "I don't blame myself for what happens to those around me. I blame myself for not helping those I love in dire situations."
Miguel let out a sigh. "Is this about your brother? Do you feel like you let me down? Because you didn't, Kat," he said, his eyes drooping.
Exhaling deeply, Kat's voice was hoarse as she responded, "I can't help but feel that everything in my life is my fault. I couldn't save anyone."
Miguel shook his head, his eyes searching hers. "Why do you feel like you disappointed me? Or like this is your fault? You're not the one who pushed me over the edge," he insisted, trying to lift the weight from her shoulders.
Kat closed her eyes as a tear fell onto her cheek. "I wish I didn't care as much as I do. All those sleepless nights where I imagine I'm back at the park where my brother died in my arms," she confessed, her voice trembling with emotion.
Pausing, she glanced over at Miguel and continued softly, "As I held your limp, unconscious body in my arms after you fell from the second story, I felt that same gut-wrenching feeling all over again—that I failed the person I love."
Johnny bursts through the front door, his eyes bright with excitement. "Guys, I've got an amazing idea," he exclaims.
Miguel, who was sitting in the living room, turns to Johnny. "What's the next idea? Are you gonna set the house on fire and encourage me to run out?" he jokes, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Kat winces at the thought of the house catching fire but chooses to ignore the comment. "What's your idea, Johnny?" she asks, trying to steer the conversation back on track.
Johnny pumps his fist in the air, his face beaming. "We're going to a Dee Snider concert," he announces.
Miguel furrows his eyebrows. "What is that?" he asks, genuinely curious.
Kat chimes in, "I like older music, but what the hell is that?"
Johnny rolls his eyes. "You kids are missing out. We're going, and that's final."
Without waiting for further discussion, he grabs Miguel's wheelchair and begins to push him toward the door. Kat follows behind, intrigued by the spontaneous plan.
They arrive at a shady, underground venue, surrounded by much older, biker-looking people hanging outside the doors. Kat glances around and notices Miguel sitting reserved in his wheelchair as Johnny pushes him through a narrow hall toward the concert.
When they reach the front, Johnny tells the doorman, "Yeah, this kid is a make-a-wish kid."
The doorman looks at Kat and asks, "And what's your excuse?"
Kat pulls out a wad of cash from her pocket and hands him a hundred. "I'm with him," she says, gesturing towards Miguel.
The doorman nods and gestures for them to go inside.
As they enter the concert, an older-looking rock star with long, matted blond hair waves his hair back and forth on stage.
"Shout out to the Make-A-Wish kid in the wheelchair!" he screams into the mic, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers.
Kat chuckles as she raises her fist into the air, caught up in the infectious energy of the concert.
Miguel pulls out his phone to take a selfie, and they all stick out their tongues. Johnny is shouting the lyrics at the top of his lungs, feeling the music in his bones, while Miguel is smiling from ear to ear as he pumps his fists in the air.