Even in her coziest pink velvet pajamas, Mina could not sleep. Her body tossed and turned as her mind imagined the trial where she would be unable to defend one of her good friends. It was far more embarrassing and consequential than imagining herself standing in front of the judge, jury and prosecutor in her underwear. ("At least, Blind wouldn't be able to see that mess-up!" she muttered. )

But no. It was far worse. Any lead she had towards Farabutto would have to be discarded immediately or else Chet would die. Blind would be able to walk all over her, and even if that sounded kinda fun, it wasn't when Winona could lose her boyfriend forever.

As she tried as hard as possible to fall asleep, she wished tomorrow would never come. To make matters worse, her mind began to torment her. Reminding her of things she'd never wish to see again.

Mina dreamed of a hot summer in Business Park a few years ago. She may have always had terrible tanlines (her pasty pale skin also reddened like a hot potato rather than a crispy tan) but she also had a beautiful and quite handsome boy hooked around her arms: Chad Hangten, a local surf-nut she had met at the California beach had transferred to her school for their senior year. His tan was golden and he towered over her at 6 feet high. It may have seemed odd a gawky, pasty bookish girl and a chiseled, surfing hunk, but they had one thing in common.

"Mina, dudette," he said, running his fingers through his brown mullet. "I just realized something!"

"Mmm?" Mina said, tilting her head in a white summer tanktop with spaghetti straps.

"I know why there's like holes in Swiss cheese!"

"Why, Chaddy-waddy?" Mina gushed, stating an obnoxious nickname.

Chad held two fingers to his temple. "Because, there's totally like invisible fairy mice who eat the cheese while they're sleeping! When the swiss wake up in the morning, they know exactly when their cheese crop was blessed!"

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Mina's eyes widened and she let her shoulders drop in disbelief. "You know, I can totally see that! There's no HOLES in that theory!"

They both chuckled to themselves as they walked up to a the street corner. But much like life itself, what was around the corner was completely unpredictable.

"Ey...toots," a stocky man in a leather jacket exclaimed from around the corner. His dark hair was slicked back like a greaser. "Howabout you drop dis moondawg and come with me? I can show you a much better time. After all, I know dis town better den anyone since we rule it!"

"Eww no," Mina shouted, shaking her head. "You smell like five day old hot dogs and your hair looks like you dipped it in their cooking oil!"

The thug flicked a finger gun and winked. "Youse are correct!" he said with a shady grin. "I am one hot dog! Tha name is Hot Dog Johnny and you're coming with me!"

He seized her hand and attempted to yank her away from Chad's grasp. "Chad!" Mina cried. "Help me!"

"On it, baber-ooni!" Chad exclaimed and he wound up one of his fists and punched Hot Dog Johnny to the ground.

The thug's shades cracked as he tumbled onto the sidewalk. "Oof!" he grimaced. "I gots to tell you. You mess with me, you mess wit da whole neighborhood!"

"Oh really?!" Chad beamed. "Are you gonna send Hamburger Lenny after me next?"

"I'm just saying," Johnny replied, getting to his feet. "My organization is one of da most feared and terrifying gangs in dis whole city. You might not wake up da next morning if you trifle with us!"

Chad beamed. "Let me tell you this, duder. Nobody messes with my gal. Even if you're part of some gang, we have the law on our side. And that's totally bodacious."

Mina sighed. Chad often didn't make a lot of sense when he talked, but he was speaking loud and clear on this matter. And the matter was justice.

"Come on, dudette," Chad said. "Let's leave this WEENER alone to stew."

As they walked away, Johnny shouted, "Her, we gots your numba pally! You're gonna wish you never messed with us and the a....!"

But they had already gotten too far away to hear. Chad and Mina got to enjoy the rest of their day. But when Mina went home at night, she didn't expect to hear the words her mother said to her.

"Mina..." her mother said, pale as a sheet of ice. "Chad's been shot at his house. It was a drive by shooting..."

Her gallant Chad had been cruelly torn from her life like a surfboard in the center of a tidal wave. And to make matters worse, the court system on town didn't do anything to bring the killers to justice. When she needed it most, the law had failed her.