Four Bullets by Katie

You’d think, when you’ve got a 9mm handgun in your back-pocket and you’re walking through a busy corridor, that people would notice right? Not if you’re dorky Damon Matthews, they don’t. If you’re Damon Matthews people just walk on by, maybe give you a push or a shove but they never look at what’s in your back pocket, cos who cares if dorky Damon’s got a gun, its not like he’d use it …  would he?
The thing about high school is that once you’ve been given a label it sticks like super glue. I’m a dork, Jacob Smith, my best friend from childhood, is a jock and my sister Charlotte is a Goth.  These labels determine the next five years of your life. ’Cos I’m a dork, it’s OK for jocks like Jacob to torture me for the next five years. But I’ll get my revenge.
I have Spanish first but I’m not going. Instead I walk straight past the class and out the main door. Next to the bench where all the addicts get their fix, it wasn’t built for this purpose; Oakview High is messed up but not that messed up, is the electrical box which controls the lighting for the school. Kind of a stupid place to put it if you ask me, but no one ever does. I unscrew the screws and the metal door swings open. I pull the gun out of my back pocket and fire the first of my four bullets right in the centre of the box. There is a deafening bang. It’s time to view my handiwork. The whole school is in darkness. Phase one complete. Phase two – Find Jacob. You see, I have four bullets for a reason. This isn’t a random killing spree and I’m not like those psychos you read about. I have a plan. One bullet for the electrical box, another for a dramatic warning shot before I use the third to shoot Jacob Smith and the fourth … that’s just in case things go wrong.
Jacob Smith was my best friend all through school until we got to Oakview High. Jacob was sporty and popular and I was not. He pretty much ditched me the first day of freshman year and joined the jocks, he settled pretty quickly and soon he, Chase Crawford and Nathan Jones were the three most respected and feared guys in school. If this wasn’t bad enough the three of them take took great delight in making my life miserable, stuffing me in lockers, tripping me up in the cafeteria, the usual stuff. It’s like Jacob has forgotten he has come over to my house nearly every day since we were eight to play GI Joe in my backyard. Now Chase and Nathan, who were in the year above us, were the only GI Joes on his mind. My high school experience should be made into a handbook for freshmen How Not To Do High School or How To Be The Biggest Dork In School or maybe even How To Get Revenge? I turn a corner and I’m met by the shining torch of the principal.
“Damon Matthews, get back to class, no students allowed out of class during a power cut! “
“Uh, yeah sorry sir I’m just trying to get back there I was, eh, at the, um, bathroom,” I’m a fantastic liar, those years of telling my mother my day at school had been “fine” really paid off.
“OK, son but hurry it’s not safe in the dark.”
“Sure … thanks … sir.”
I walk quickly away attempting to cover the handgun with my backpack but he doesn’t go away, I know cos his torch is still shining behind me. I panic slightly and duck into the first class I see, hoping it might be empty. I walk straight in on a class of seniors.
“Can I help you?” It was Mr Baher, my German teacher from last year.
“Uh sorry, I must have walked into the wrong class,” I lie, desperate to get out of there. We then engage in the usual chitchat you always get from your old teachers, “How’s senior year?” “What college are you going to?” Then suddenly there is a shriek from the back of the class.
“OhMyGod, that kid has a gun! “ Chaos ensues. Mr Baher stands up abruptly and shuffles out from behind his desk. The seniors shriek and start to rush to the back of the class. Before I could even really think about what I was doing my gun was out of my back pocket, in my hands and pointed at them.
“Shut up, Shut up, I mean it … um I’ll shoot if you don’t stop shouting.” What was I doing? 
“You heard him class stay quiet, do as he says” Mr Baher had gone really pale and spoke in a hushed tone; he was absolutely terrified of me. Pretty much everyone stops shrieking; except this one girl in an Oakview Eagles cheerleading outfit who is sobbing uncontrollably. I walk over to her and grab her arm. I wasn’t going to hurt her I just wanted to scare her but she screamed really loud. I put my hand over her mouth and drag her to the front of the class.
“Dude, let her go. Seriously, let her go” I recognised the voice as that of Chase Crawford. This cheerleader was his girlfriend. I’d seen them together the other day when I was buying the gun. They were pretty serious, I’d heard. Talk about sweet revenge. If I couldn’t get Jacob, I’d get Chase.
“Make me,” I threatened. Twirling the gun in my hand like a baton as sort of a reminder I had it, like they could forget.
“What has she done? “ Another cheerleader piped up.
“Look, enough talking from you, I didn’t come here for a social event.”
“Why are you here?”
I did warn them. I fired a shot into the ceiling without even thinking. It stopped them talking. They just stared, wide-eyed for a while. But the class upstairs didn’t. They screamed and screamed and suddenly we heard frantic footsteps out in the corridor. I ran over to the door and quickly locked it.
The cheerleader was curled up in a ball on the floor I pulled her up again, tightening my grip on her arm. The door knob was shaking and people outside were shouting at us to open up.
 I felt the cool metal of the trigger on my fingers. I didn’t have much time. I pulled the cheerleader up close, so close that I could feel her throbbing pulse against me. I wasn’t supposed to hurt her. I was only there to hurt Jacob. But it was too late, there was no going back. This wasn’t kindergarten; I wouldn’t say sorry and get a time out. I was 18, is that old enough to go to prison? And those people outside would get in soon and then …
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. I brought the gun up to her chest. Silent tears rolled down her flushed cheeks. She shook her head.
“Don’t.” The word escaped her mouth in a half whisper.
“Please, don’t,” Chase said. He had this weird look in his eyes, if I’m not mistaken he was crying. It had worked. I squeezed the trigger and watched as the girl fell limply into my arms. The colour drained from her face and her blood was spattered on my shirt but I didn’t even notice. It was more the fact that she went so limp. Like a ragdoll slipping out of a young child’s hands, I let her slump to the ground. There was a scream from her friend, the other cheerleader, who ran over and cradled the girl’s lifeless body in her arms. Mr Baher walked towards the crying cheerleader and put his arm around her. He looked up at me
“Stop Damon, please. Haven’t you done enough damage? You’re a good kid Damon; you don’t need to do this.”
I opened my mouth to reply to this but as I did three armed cops burst through the door. They pointed their guns at me; I held mine in my hands. My heart pounded hard against my chest. The cop was walking slowly towards me. I had planned for this. I had my fourth bullet, just in case. I pulled the gun up to my temple, the metal pressing hard against me. For the first time that day there was silence. I pulled the trigger.