Whispers in the Dark

Interview #5

"A Bully's Perspective: Keith Thompson on the Cafeteria Fight"

Interviewer: "Thank you for taking the time to talk with us, Keith. Can you describe what happened during the fight in the cafeteria with Jeff Woods?"

Keith Thompson: (shifting uncomfortably) "Yeah, I guess. It was kinda out of nowhere, honestly. We were just sitting there, eating lunch, and the next thing I know, Jeff is storming over, looking like he's about to explode."

Interviewer: "What was your reaction when you saw Jeff approaching?"

Keith Thompson: "At first, I thought he was just gonna mouth off or something. You know, typical new kid stuff. But then he just hauled off and punched Randy in the face. It was crazy."

Interviewer: "How did Randy and the rest of you react to Jeff's attack?"

Keith Thompson: "Randy went down pretty hard, but he got up quick. I mean, he was pissed. We all were. Randy's our guy, and we weren't gonna let Jeff get away with that. So, we jumped in. Probably wasn't the smartest thing, looking back."

Interviewer: "Did you expect Jeff to fight back like that?"

Keith Thompson: (shaking his head) "No way. Jeff's always been kinda quiet, you know? Keeps to himself. We thought he was scared of us. Guess we pushed him too far."

Interviewer: "What do you think led to Jeff's outburst?"

Keith Thompson: (sighing) "I dunno, man. I guess we were pretty hard on him. Randy's got this thing where he doesn't like being shown up, and Jeff stood up to us once before. We made it worse after that. Maybe Jeff just snapped."

Interviewer: "How do you feel about what happened now?"

Keith Thompson: (pausing) "It's messed up. I mean, we shouldn't have been messing with him like that. Things got way out of hand. And now... now everyone's talking about it, and it's just a big mess. I feel bad, you know? But it's too late for that."

Interviewer: "Do you think this incident will change anything at school?"

Keith Thompson: "Maybe. People are scared now, I think. They saw what Jeff did, and they saw us get taken down. It's not like before. Everyone's on edge, waiting to see what happens next."

Interviewer: "Is there anything you would like to say to Jeff, if he were here right now?"

Keith Thompson: (looking down) "I'd say... I'm sorry. We shouldn't have treated you like that. None of this should've happened. I hope you're okay, man."