He managed a pained smile. “Not going anywhere.”

She took off running, wind slicing across her cheeks. The people at the bus stop stared, startled by the sight of a tiny girl sprinting in school shoes like her life depended on it.

And maybe it did.

By the time Tasha got back with Mr. Coleman and the paramedics, the man was still slumped against the dumpster, eyes fluttering.

“Heart attack,” one of the EMTs muttered as they loaded him into the ambulance. “She might’ve saved his life, this one.”

Tasha looked down, cheeks pink.

She wasn’t trying to be a hero. She just couldn’t walk away.

Mr. Coleman patted her shoulder. “You did real good, Tasha.”

And then, just as the ambulance doors closed, the man reached out a shaky hand. The medic paused. Tasha stepped forward.