As the eight-year-old boy rushed into the classroom, his heart pounded not only from the sprint but also from the adrenaline of what had just happened. He had saved a life—a feat beyond his years—and yet, here he was, standing before a teacher ready to scold him for being late. Her stern voice cut through the air, reprimanding him for his tardiness in front of the entire class. His classmates snickered, oblivious to the heroic act that had unfolded just moments before.
The boy, still catching his breath, tried to explain, but his words were lost amid the teacher’s rebuke. The teacher continued, not noticing the boy’s flushed face or the small cuts on his hands from the broken glass. His mind was still with the little boy he had rescued, the terrified eyes that looked up at him with gratitude as he pulled him from the car. The memory of the stone, the crash, the scream—it all played back in his mind like a dramatic movie scene.
