It was early Thursday morning when 20 year old Jay was about to commit his first robbery with his “teacher” Sal. Sal picked the place in advance, but Jay didn’t know till they arrived that they were robbing from a school. As hesitant as he was, he could not let Sal see him showing signs of weakness. They grabbed their guns and began doing something that they couldn’t get out of.

Dan has been on the police force for two years and he was still looked at as the rookie or to some the baby of the department. He ranked top of his class at the academy, but he needed something more to show that he was a part of the team and not just used for traffic controls and parking tickets. Then his moment came, at 8:35 AM a school robbery was taking place. Dan was ready, because this was exactly what he needed to prove himself; yet he was still worried.

Within an hour they managed to chase everyone out of the school, except for one class. They were holding a daycare class hostage, keeping police from entering. While Sal walked around the school for expensive items, Jay kept watch on the class. Although he would never admit this, it broke his heart to have to put these children through it. All he wanted to do was make his dad...I mean Sal happy now he is in deeper than he ever wanted to be.

By the time Dan and the other officers arrived at the school they knew who was being kept hostage and the seriousness of the situation. From what they heard, the criminals made a request of 50,000 dollars and a getaway car. While the other cops stood outside and waited, Dan took action and went around the back to get inside. There was one door left unlocked and so he was the eyes and ears of the inside. As he wandered the halls, all he could hear was the sounds of the air vents. Until he heard a toilet flush in the boys bathroom, then keys jingled bringing the sound closer to him. To Dan’s surprise, he had Sal in handcuffs and was taking him outside. But first, he was going to get the other criminal.

Sal wasn’t back and Jay was worried. Every kid and teenager in the room was either crying, complaining, or comforting and he didn’t blame them one bit. He couldn’t wait forever, then he it hit him. This was all a setup, dad..I mean Sal came up with the plan then left him so he could take the blame. Jay was furious he regretted everything especially thinking his father ever loved him.

Dan was coming close to the classroom. Boom! A gunshot, Dan ran right into the classroom and to his surprise the last criminal had shot himself while little kids and teens were on the other side of the room. To him the most beautiful sight was seeing the older kids congratulating the toddlers. He even heard one of them say, “You guys did an great job”. Dan realized that he didn’t need any appreciation from people because his reward comes from making sure people are safe. Sal was put in prison for good and Dan wasn’t a rookie anymore, he was a hero. In a peculiar way so was Jay.