What If

It was 1992, and Abbacchio sat at his desk in the classroom. Every student was present except for Bruno. The two were very close to the point where Abbacchio developed a little crush.

Curious to know where he went, Abbacchio threw a small paper ball at a girl, grabbing her attention. "Where did Bucciarati go?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know," she replied. She then asked another student.

"He's at the hospital. Yesterday, something bad happened to his dad," answered a boy. "Couldn't his mom drop him off or something?"

None of them knew that Bruno's parents got divorced except Abbacchio.

"Could you tell me the hospital's name or maybe write it down?"

The boy tore a piece of paper, wrote it down, and handed it to Abbacchio.

"Thanks."

The teacher walked in, and then class started. While the lessons were going on, he couldn't concentrate, wondering what had happened. Once school was over, he headed to the hospital, speaking to the man at the reception desk.

"Uh, hello," Abbacchio said.

"Is one of your family members here?" he asked.

"No, but—"

"Then you should leave."

"Is Bruno Bucciarati here?"

"Family only."

"The only family Bruno has is his dad, but something happened. I am the closest person to him!" he yelled.

"Abbacchio?" He heard Bruno's voice, turned to face him, and examined his tired face.

"Bruno!" He rushed in to hug him, holding him tight. "I missed you. You usually call me whenever something happens, but someone told me something bad happened to your dad. I'm sorry I didn't know. Will you be alright?"

Bruno returned the hug. "Yeah, I will, but I'm worried about my dad. The surgeons worked all night to keep my dad alive." He moved closer to Abbacchio's ears and whispered, "But those guys will be back, I know it. Leave. I don't think I'll return to school ever."

"What?" He withdrew from the hug.

"Leone, go home."

"No," he whispered. "Can I at least help you?"

"I'm not dragging you into this."

"Please."

"Stop."

"Why won't you let me?"

"Why are you so persistent?"

Abbacchio blushed. "I like being with you."

"Are you sure about this?" Bruno continued whispering. "I'm going to hide under the bed to strike them. What will you do?"

"Let me hide under the bed with you. I have a pair of scissors."

"Are you ready for this? We're about to murder two people. What about your dreams of becoming a police officer? You can't be a cop if you murder someone."

"I— I don't care! I want to protect you and your dad!"

Bruno embraced him. "Thank you."