The store incident

I was having a pretty good time with Haley. I mean, even though she can be a bit much and tends to have a natural attraction for clout, deep down, I guess she's a good person. We picked an RC car for Luke and some candies and were about to settle the bill when I heard someone call out Haley's name.

When we looked back, I saw Dylan, her current boyfriend, standing with a puzzled expression. Haley walked towards him, and I just stayed there so as not to intrude on their moment. I decided to pay the bill and say my goodbye to Haley and leave them be.

But as soon as I walked towards the counter, I saw three men near the counter, sporting ski masks. 'Oh hell,' a red alert just went off. I mean, ski masks are not that uncommon in the states, but I guess my Frank Moses skills just played their part. I was quick to identify a possible armed robbery unfurling in front of me.

I suddenly backed off with another look at the situation. I could see that the man talking to a very panicking cashier lady was in possession of a gun and was being subtle with it. He didn't take it out of his jacket's pockets. He had his arm on it and was pointing at the cash register. The other two guys were keeping watch.

I couldn't yet understand why anyone would actually try to pull this off in a fairly large store like this. I wanted to back off and mind my own business, but looking at the lady who was shaking like a leaf, I guess something just went off in me. There were basically very few customers, and the robbers were the only guys near the billing section.

I analysed the situation. There were only three guys, and only one seemed to be armed. The others probably had some cold weapons hidden. Now, the guy was not brandishing the gun. He had it in his jacket pocket. I needed to disarm him without much hassle.

While my thoughts were running, I saw some gobstopper candy for sale near the candy section. I took two of them and unwrapped them. Then, I proceeded to walk towards the men. Making sure that I blended in with some people who were looking at some kitchenware, I also pocketed a knife from the aisle. Now, those guys were being adamant about not leaving, as the woman was probably too stunned to give them the money, or simply, she was trying to be a hero unnecessarily.

I, keeping out of their sights, sneaked a bit forward. Now I was in a good range. I took one of the gobstoppers and chucked it hard at the guy who was looking out for people coming from outside. It was quite a good throw. I mean, I had better muscle mass, and the distance was close enough. It was a perfect head shot. I mean the guy's head split open and he screamed while falling down.

Now there was pandemonium. The guy who was holding the gun was spooked and took the gun out. There it was, my chance. I then chucked the next gobstopper at him. It hit him on the back of his head, and he fell down like a log of wood, with some blood leaking onto the floor. I'm pretty sure that he fainted, as it was aimed at his Medulla. His gun fell down, and taking this opportunity, I ran and slid towards the gun to grab it. I rushed to the groaning second guy and kicked his head, which immediately put him out. 

But shit hit the fan when I noticed that the gun wasn't loaded. They were using the damn gun as a prop.

I turned to confront the third guy, but he was missing. 'Fuck, where did he go?' For a moment, I panicked. But suddenly, I spotted him with a knife towards a boy's neck, backing away from me. His flight response was too good, and he—of course, it had to be Dylan—yelled, "Back off, or this boy dies... back the fuck off." He was trying to escape, and the obese security guard who was there wasn't reacting well, other than sweating profusely and panicking. He took his phone to dial 911. Now, things escalated. The cops would be here soon. His teammates were down, and the commotion was making him paranoid.

I got close to him when he was looking, but damn, I didn't have an opening to take him down, and the fat security guard was not exactly in possession of fast reflexes. Also, he was not clearly taking in the situation well and was distracted, as he didn't even notice that I swiped the taser from his holster.

As I continued scanning for the right moment to deploy the taser, an unexpected miracle unfolded before me. Life's capacity to surprise remained unfaltering. From the periphery of the shrinking crowd, a girl adorned in a striking gothic ensemble boldly stepped forward. Her unconventional approach was nothing short of audacious.

With an air of defiance, she called out, "Hey, idiot, watch this." The robber's attention immediately wavered, drawn by her provocative act. Without hesitation, she lifted her top, flashing her lace bra clad breasts, creating a shocking diversion that left the assailant bewildered and momentarily paralyzed by the unexpected spectacle.

Seizing this fortuitous distraction, I sprang into action with newfound agility. In an instant, I closed the gap between us and expertly aimed the taser at the exposed patch of skin on the robber's neck. With a decisive squeeze of the trigger, the taser discharged its electrical fury. The jolt surged through the would-be thief, sending uncontrollable spasms coursing through his body. He crumpled to the floor, twitching and incapacitated.

Dylan wasted no time and broke free, sprinting towards a distraught Haley. Yet, the swift resolution I had envisioned turned out to be a fleeting illusion. The taser, on which I had staked my hopes, betrayed me by running out of battery power prematurely.

The incapacitated robber, far from defeated, was now infuriated and emboldened by adrenaline. He regained his footing with alarming speed, his anger intensifying with each passing second. In a desperate and vengeful surge, he snatched up the nearby knife, brandishing it as a menacing threat.

Facing his renewed aggression, I deftly evaded his slashing strike, narrowly escaping the deadly blade. Capitalizing on my training, I retaliated with a rapid, well-aimed kick to his shins, destabilizing him once more. As he teetered off-balance, I channeled all my strength into a focused punch, directing the full force of my blow into my left arm.

The impact was shattering, and his head whipped back upon impact, leaving him crumpled and defeated on the floor. In a final act of precaution, I kicked the knife out of his grasp, ensuring he posed no further threat. The immediate danger had passed. Now all this happened in a few minutes and I was suddenly surprised when somebody hugged me from my back. I nearly turned to tackle him, but I saw the hugger. It was Dylan with tears in his eyes.

I heard the applause from the bystanders who had witnessed my actions. I breathed a sigh of relief, acknowledging that my diverse skill set had proven invaluable, and that I had been put to the test on day one itself.

"Man, thank you... If it weren't for you, I would be a dead man. Thank you..." Dylan's emotional words washed over me. I hesitantly calmed him, realizing the gravity of the situation.

To my surprise, I was suddenly engulfed in another person's embrace, immediately identifying her as Haley. She spoke, her voice filled with gratitude, "Oh Miguel... I guess you are a guardian angel of some sort. First, you saved my brother, now my boyfriend... thank you, Miguel."

Overwhelmed by their expressions of gratitude, I found myself at a loss for words. It seemed that fate had indeed cast me into the role of their protector. After spending some time calming both Haley and Dylan, I returned the knife I had taken to its rightful place and picked up the gift I had purchased, intending to pay for it before heading home.

But then, out of nowhere, the unmistakable wail of sirens shattered the tension as the cops rolled in. They promptly rounded up the three hapless robbers, who were looking more bewildered than menacing at this point. The officers, clearly intrigued, strolled over to us like they'd just stumbled upon an unexpected plot twist in an action movie.

I shared my version of events with them, giving them all the nitty-gritty details of the chaos that had unfolded. Their expressions morphed from surprise to admiration as they digested the fact that a fifteen-year-old had basically superhero'd the whole situation, and not a scratch on anyone.

They jotted down my particulars, still shaking their heads in disbelief. I felt a sense of pride wash over me, knowing I'd made a real difference when it counted. The cops eventually let me off the hook, acknowledging my role in keeping things from going south.

Before I split, I got to meet the store manager, who wore a mix of gratitude and relief on his face. He couldn't thank me enough for stepping in when I did. He even insisted that I take the stuff I'd bought without shelling out a dime, as a way of saying thanks for being the unexpected hero of the day.

But as I searched for Haley and Dylan, I saw them talking to the goth girl who created the 'distraction'. "Ooh....we got the man of the our here.... that was quick thinking man. Well done...", the goth girl said as I approached them. "Well, thanks for the distraction, I guess. My name is Miguel." I shook her hand . "Oh, that's nice. My name's Penny. And oh, I knew they were distracting. So, I guess that worked well.", she said without even faltering her gaze unabashedly. "Well, I need to get somewhere so I am leaving fellas." With that remark she just turned and left.

Phew, that whole episode was bizarre, to say the least. As I watched the goth girl's retreating figure, Haley turned to me and asked, "Hey, do you want a ride back home? Dylan's got a car." I figured, why not, and hopped into the backseat of their ride. We During the ride, I couldn't keep track of how many times Dylan expressed his gratitude. The guy had a heart of gold, no doubt about it. 

Now, Haley's expression was something I couldn't quite put my finger on, but I didn't dwell on it too much. A few minutes later, I was back at home. When I stepped out of the car, Dylan asked, "Hey, dude, can we exchange contacts, man?" I agreed, we swapped info, and I headed indoors.

Lunch was already waiting for me, thanks to my mom. She seemed tired, but I was relieved she didn't notice the state of my knuckles, reddened and bruised from the tussle earlier. I tucked into the meal, lost in thought about what had just happened. My newfound skills had saved the day, no doubt, but I couldn't help but feel like I'd lucked out. I mean, come on, a dud gun and amateurish robbers? Lady Luck was on my side that time. But deep down, I knew this wouldn't be the most dangerous thing I'd face, and I'd better start sharpening those skills. Practice would be my best friend from now on.

After a simple lunch, I headed upstairs for some much-needed rest and a bit of physical training. The sweat was pouring after the workout, so a cold shower was in order to cool down. Finally, I settled down with my textbooks, ready to tackle tomorrow's tests. And wouldn't you know it, just as I was getting into study mode, the doorbell rang.