The rain pelted against my windshield as I drove home, each drop echoing the heaviness in my heart. Today had to be the worst day of my life. First, my fiancé called off our wedding last week, and now, I’d just lost my job. My mind was a tangled mess of thoughts and emotions…

“Stay calm, Mollie,” I whispered to myself, knuckles white on the steering wheel. “There’s got to be another way. If one door closes, another opens, right?”

But the words felt hollow. How could I go home and tell Mom I’d been laid off?

She’d worry herself sick. Ever since Dad died, she’d been my rock, and the last thing I wanted was to let her down.

My phone buzzed for the fifth time. Mom again. I pulled over to the curb and answered.

“Yeah, Mom, I’ll be there in ten minutes. I’m driving…”

“Mollie, honey, have you seen the weather forecast? There’s a big storm coming. Please be careful.”

I swallowed hard. This storm was nothing compared to the one brewing inside me.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry. I’ll be there soon.”

“Is everything okay? You sound off.”

“I’m fine, Mom. Just… tired. I gotta drive, okay? Love you,” I hung up, my throat tight.

How could I tell her I’d lost my job just for speaking up to the higher-ups? They’d used the excuse of “not meeting quarterly targets,” but I knew the real reason.

“What’s the worst that could happen now?” I muttered, putting the car back in gear.

Little did I know, I was about to find out.

As I merged back into traffic, a yellow school bus rumbled past me. Something caught my eye in the back window: a little girl, her face pressed against the glass, her tiny fists pounding frantically. She was crying for help.

“What the…? Oh my God… is she alright?” I gasped.

Without thinking, I gunned the engine, racing after the bus. The child was clearly in distress, but why? What kind of danger could she be in on a seemingly safe school bus?

“I’m coming, hold on, sweetie,” I mumbled, honking my horn repeatedly.

The bus driver seemed oblivious, continuing down the road as if nothing was wrong. Panic rising in my chest, I made a split-second decision. I swerved around the bus and cut in front, forcing it to a stop in the middle of the busy road.

The driver, a burly man with a thick black mustache, stormed out. “What kinda stunt are you pulling, lady? You coulda caused an accident!”

I ignored him, pushing past and rushing onto the bus. The noise hit me like a wall. The kids flocked around the girl, shouting and laughing.

I raced to the back, where the little girl sat alone, her face now red and tear-streaked. As I reached her, I froze. This wasn’t what I expected at all.

“Oh my God! Are you having an asthma attack?”

The little girl nodded frantically, her chest heaving as she struggled for air. I knelt beside her seat, my heart racing.

“What’s your name, sweetie?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

She pointed to the ID card hanging around her neck. Her name was Chelsea.

“Okay, Chelsea, we’re gonna get you help. Where’s your inhaler?”

Chelsea shook her head, unable to speak. I looked up to see the driver had followed me, his face pale.

“Do you know where her inhaler is?”

He shook his head. “I… I didn’t even know she was having trouble. It’s so noisy back here, I couldn’t hear anything.”

I bit back an angry retort and started searching Chelsea’s backpack. Nothing. Panic clawed at my insides as I watched the little girl’s lips start to turn blue.

“Help me look!” I shouted at the driver.

We searched under the seats, in the aisle, everywhere we could think of. To my horror, I realized the other kids were laughing, some even pointing at Chelsea.

“This isn’t funny!” I snapped at them. “She needs help!”

That’s when it hit me. I started grabbing all their backpacks, ignoring their protests.

“Hey, you can’t do that!” a freckle-faced boy yelled.

I found it in the third bag I checked: a blue inhaler with Chelsea’s name on it. I rounded on the boy who owned the backpack.

“Why do you have this?”

He looked away, muttering, “It was just a joke.”

“A joke? She could have died!”

I rushed back to Chelsea, helping her use the inhaler. Gradually, her breathing steadied and the color returned to her face. I held her hand, murmuring soothing words as she recovered.

The driver stood there, wringing his hands. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea…”

I turned to him, my anger flaring. “These kids are your responsibility! You should’ve checked what was going on when you heard a commotion!”

He nodded, shame-faced. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Chelsea tugged at my sleeve, her voice barely a whisper. “Thank you.”

Those two words hit me harder than anything else that had happened that day. I couldn’t leave her alone after this.

“I’m staying with you until we get you home, okay?”

Chelsea nodded, a small smile on her tear-stained face.

I turned to the driver. “I’m going to move my car and ride with her. Is that okay?”

He nodded quickly. “Of course. It’s the least we can do after… well, everything.”

As I stepped off the bus to move my car to the parking lot nearby, I realized my hands were shaking. What a day this had turned out to be.

Back on the bus, I sat beside Chelsea, my comforting arm around her shoulders. The other kids were unusually quiet now, the severity of what had happened finally sinking in.

“Why didn’t the other kids help you?” I asked gently.

Chelsea’s lower lip trembled. “They think it’s funny when I can’t breathe. They hide my inhaler sometimes.”

My heart broke for her. “That’s not okay, Chelsea. You know that, right?”

She nodded, looking down at her hands. “I try to be brave, but sometimes I get so scared.”

I squeezed her shoulder. “You were incredibly brave today. You got my attention when you needed help. That takes a lot of courage.”

A small smile played on her lips. “Really?”

“Really. You’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever met.”

Two stops later, Chelsea pointed out the window. “That’s my mommy and daddy!”

As we got off the bus, Chelsea’s parents rushed over, confusion etched on their faces.

“Chelsea, who’s this?” her mother asked, eyeing me warily.

Chelsea’s voice was stronger now as she said, “This is Mollie. She saved my life.”

After Chelsea explained what happened, her parents’ expressions morphed from confusion to gratitude to anger at the bus driver, at the other kids, and at the whole situation.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” Chelsea’s father said, tearing up.

“I’m just glad I was there to help.”

Chelsea’s mother, Mrs. Stewart, insisted on driving me back to my car. As we arrived at the mall parking lot, the skies opened up, rain coming down in sheets.

“So, Mollie,” Mrs. Stewart said, peering at me through the rain-streaked windshield, “what do you do?”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Funny you should ask. I actually lost my job today.”

Mrs. Stewart’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. May I ask what happened?”

I sighed, the events of the day washing over me again. “I spoke up about some unethical practices. They didn’t like that, so they found an excuse to let me go.”

Mrs. Stewart was quiet for a moment. Then she said, “You know, my husband and I run a small business. We might have an opening. Would you be interested in coming in for an interview?”

I blinked, not sure I’d heard her correctly. “Are you serious?”

She smiled. “Absolutely. Anyone who’d go to such lengths to help a child in need is someone I’d like to have on my team.”

As we pulled up to my car, the rain had slowed to a drizzle. Mrs. Stewart handed me her business card.

“Call me tomorrow,” she said. “We’ll set something up.”

I clutched the card, a spark of hope igniting in my chest. “Thank you. I will.”

The next morning, I woke up feeling lighter than I had in weeks. I’d told Mom everything that had happened. About losing my job, saving Chelsea, the potential new opportunity… everything.

She’d hugged me tight, pride shining in her eyes.

“I always knew you were meant for great things, darling!”

Now, as I dialed the number on Mrs. Stewart’s card, my heart was racing again, but this time with excitement rather than fear.

“Hello, Mollie,” Mrs. Stewart’s warm voice came through the phone. “I’m so glad you called. How would you feel about coming in for an interview this afternoon?”

I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. “I’d love to. Thank you so much for this opportunity.”

“No, Mollie,” she said, and I could practically hear the smile in her voice. “Thank you. You saved our daughter. This is the least we can do.”

As I hung up the phone, I felt tears prick my eyes. But for the first time in a long while, they were tears of joy, not sorrow.