“No! No! I can’t do it! No! I’m not good enough!” Jeremy woke up. Sweat glistened on his face. He was in his bed, not on the school playground ten years ago. How he hated those years. When he was younger, he would always get called names. By far, the worst name was Germy. Germy, Germy, Germy…. He had had nightmares about that name, like just now. Life was so unfair. He got made fun of just because he was smart. That was an advantage, too, though. He was smart. He could outsmart them at almost anything, except sports. He had never been very good at sports. From a young age, he had always loved graphics, like computer graphics. They had always fascinated him; what you could do with a computer and some software. So, he had decided to become a person who works for an advertising company. He, obviously, specialized in the graphics part of the advertisements. He loved his job. But if he didn’t get moving, he was going to be late. Again.

He couldn’t be late again. He knew that next time he was late, he would be fired. He was very good at his job, but he could never remember to leave his house on time. He had tried everything. Alarms, Blackberries telling him he was late… But none of them worked. He would either forgot what he was late for, or realize at last minute that he didn’t make the graphic that he was supposed to have. That was why he was always late.

“Ugghhh!” I thought. “I can’t be late, again! I’ll be fired. My boss will kill me!” I had already been late like fifteen times. I remember vividly, my boss yelling at me the last time I was late.

“If you are late one more time, ONE MORE TIME! I will fire you. I will do it. Yeah, you’re good. Okay, you’re really good. But not good enough to not be FIRED! Now GET OUT!”

I decided to take a shortcut. I hadn’t ever gone this way before, but I had seen maps. Theoretically, this way should work. Theoretically. I didn’t feel too comfortable, but I felt less comfortable with getting fired than simply taking a shortcut.

            “Help! HELP! Someone please help me!” It sounded like a woman’s voice coming from up ahead. I think it was coming from around the corner. When I rounded the red brick alley, I saw a man in a black ski mask trying to shove a woman wearing a dress into a car. She was very pretty women, too. Her red dress sparkled, like the sun off the cool light blue ocean. Her chestnut hair fell just below her shoulders, and waved when she resisted the man in the mask. I stood their, spit dripping down my lip. “Help!” she screamed. Uh-oh. It’s a white van.

“What is it with white vans and criminals?” I thought. “Wait, do I know that lady?”

There was no time to think about it. I needed to help her. I tried sneaking up closer to the man in the ski mask.

“Crunch!”

My feet slipped on some gravel. The man looked up. He smiled, which was kind of creepy.

He took out a gun. The woman was about halfway through the car door, now. Now, I was really scared. At that moment, the woman kicked the car door. The door was about halfway shut, so it sprang back. It hit the man’s hand hard, and the gun fell out and skidded across the gravel. I took my chance. I ran straight at the man. He was so surprised, that he didn’t even move. I tackled him. He landed on the ground with a thud. I got off him and grabbed the gun, which was conveniently right next to where he landed. I didn’t want to kill him. I hit his head with the butt of the gun, hard. He was definitely unconscious now. Maybe that was a little too hard.

“Ouch,” I thought.

I had been so occupied with the man in the ski mask, that I had forgotten all about the woman in the dress. I turned my head. I was so surprised, that I couldn’t move.

“I think you deserve a raise,” she said.