Samuel Grace Not all heroes are like the ones they tell us about in school, not all of them defeat monsters or fight with superpowers or a sword. Some just survive and hope that one day everything will be okay. ​Samuel Grace is one of those heroes. ​Samuel Grace will never know that he is. ​They tell me that love and death come hand in hand. To not fall in love there’s too much to risk. ​Samuel Grace proved them right. ​His parents will never miss him; they abhorred him, never cared. But he doesn’t hate them in return. He could never hate anyone. ​Every morning I waited by locker, watched him walk down the hall, though defaced and bruised he still smiled that brave smile. I was zenith of his day. The feeling was mutual. ​“Hey.” He would say. ​“Hey.” I repeated. And without another word, we would abandon the hall, avoiding the peppy and garrulous teens. ​We used to wander around the school campus, getting lost in what each other had to say. I would tell him about my family, the boyfriends my mother would bring home. He never said anything about his, and I never pried. ​We were connected in every way, yoked together. Nothing could tear us apart. ​Three wasted men proved me wrong. ​The day before yesterday nobody cared about a lonely girl walking home. Yesterday three wasted men and Samuel grace cared. ​My house is in juxtaposition to bars and other places where children are banned. ​“Hey.” A man shouted, “Hey girl!” I pretended not to notice. ​“Sweeeetie! We won’t hurt you!” He tried to beguile me. I kept my head forward. My house is only two blocks away. ​That’s when another set of footsteps echoed behind mine, matching my speed. ​When I hit the one block mark, a hand grabbed my shoulder. Not the thin of Samuel, not the yellowing nails of my mother. It was a new set of hands. ​“Darling.” His face was right next to mine. The stench of his breath nauseated me. ​“Come here. I promise I’ll be the perfect gentlemen.” He slurred, and his two companions laughed. He smiled at the attention and slid his hand around my waist. ​I hope he didn’t realize how scared I was. ​“Leave her alone!” The familiar voice of Samuel Grace eased me a bit, but the arm around me tensed and a heard a gun click. “Don’t be dumb boy.” ​“Sam! Don’t!” I shrieked and the man relaxed. ​“Oh, you know each other?” He turned me around so I could see Sam. “Look boys, he’s playing the fearless hero, acclaim him!” The men cheered. ​Then the man released my waist and moved to hold my head in place as he kissed my cheek. Sam bawled his fist. That’s exactly what the man wanted. ​“Does that make you mad?” Mockery slipped from his tongue. He seemed less than drunk than he did a few seconds ago. ​Sam and I locked eyes. The next part was so blurry, yet so clear. ​“Let. Her. Go.” Sam looked terrifying. His eyes were narrowed and dark, plus you could just see anger radiating from him. ​Sam pulled out something silver and charged. At that same moment my capturer pulled out his weapon. Bullet beats knife. ​I watched Sam fall. I screamed. The two other men ran off and the gun hit the ground beside me. He had vanished as well. ​I held Samuel Grace, tears spilling from my eyes. My world laid dying. I Samuel grace may not have had superpowers like the ones in comics, but he was my hero.