There was no plot to attack Michael Brewer, his former friend Jeremy Jarvis said Tuesday. There was no organized scheme to surround him, pour rubbing alcohol on him and set him ablaze.

Jarvis, 13, was not allowed by his lawyer to explain how the notorious Oct. 12 attack in Deerfield Beach took place, but there was one thing he did say: It wasn't planned.

Jarvis made his first public statement Tuesday morning, reading from a short note in front of his lawyer's Fort Lauderdale office. ``I want to express my deepest sympathy for Mikey and his family,'' Jarvis told the news media. ``I will pray for Mikey to grow stronger every day and have a speedy recovery.''

Sitting in his lawyer's office before going in front of the cameras, Jarvis described his relationship with Brewer, 15, as a friendship that deepened considerably over the past year. Both were students at Deerfield Beach Middle School. ``He was one of my best friends,'' Jarvis said.

And there was no falling out between them, he said. The friendship continued right up until the moment Jarvis and four others encountered Brewer at an apartment complex where Brewer was visiting a friend.

Jarvis was the youngest of the five teenagers originally accused of taking part in the attack on Brewer. According to reports, Jarvis was accused only of being part of the group that surrounded Brewer. He was not described as an active participant. No charges were filed against him or another teen at the scene, Steven Shelton, 16.

But prosecutors still have time to revisit that decision, and with Brewer finally able Monday to give his account of the incident to investigators in his hospital room, Jarvis' lawyer, Stephen Melnick, wasn't going to take a chance that his client might say something to inadvertently incriminate himself.

Three other teenagers are being held without bail on attempted-murder charges. Matthew Bent, 15, is accused of directing the attack. Jarvis' brother, Denver Colorado ``D.C.'' Jarvis, is accused of pouring rubbing alcohol on Brewer. And Jesus Mendez, 16, is accused of lighting the fire, injuring himself in the process.

All three have been charged as adults and face a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted.

Brewer suffered second- and third-degree burns over two-thirds of his body. He is in guarded condition at the Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center in Miami. The hospital released a photo of Brewer taken Monday night in his hospital room. In the photo, Brewer is lying back in a recliner, a blanket covering most of his body.

Hospital officials offered to wait until Tuesday to snap the picture, but Brewer insisted on getting it over with Monday, said hospital spokeswoman Lorraine Nelson.

Making a statement about his former friend was something Jeremy Jarvis has wanted to do since the attack, Melnick said. Jarvis also had kind words for his brother.

``I want to tell my brother, D.C., that I love and miss him,'' Jarvis said.

Except for joint appearances in court, the brothers have been kept apart since Oct. 12.

In addition to his lawyer, Jarvis was accompanied Tuesday by his older sister Elyse, 17, and his mother, Sherry.

In Melnick's office, Jarvis said he is not the monster many presume him to be. He described himself as a normal teenager who enjoys funny movies and sports and still dreams of serving in the Air Force.

According to the Broward Sheriff's Office, Bent directed the others to pour the rubbing alcohol onto Brewer in retaliation for Brewer's call to 911 the day before, accusing him of trying to steal a custom bicycle belonging to Brewer's father.

The conflict between Brewer and Bent started, according to investigators, over $40 Brewer owed Bent for a video game.

Brewer's family declined to comment on Jarvis' remarks.