ricochet [e.d]

9:02AM

listen to heal by tom odell

[please listen to on repeat for best effect]

as they heard a fourth pop go off in the room next to them they didn't know that this time it wasn't a students life taken. it was a teachers'. mrs.roberston, a chemistry teacher. a favorites of the students of west morris. she had family back waiting for her. 

three children of her own. one only three years old. a three year old never being able to grow up with a mother by his side. a ten year old girl, a girl who was just starting to blossom into a young girl. a girl who would have to go through that process without a mother. 

and a seventeen year old son. in that very class, he had witnessed his mother be murdered. he was paralyzed. the images of his mother being shot was enough to set him off track for the rest of his life. driving him far enough to kill himself. he couldn't deal with the pain. 

as dana still clung to ethan muffling her sobs gavin and vincent had finally made it to their home room class. dana's heart hit the floor once she noticed that the lock wasn't locked but unlocked. as the door clicked dana froze. 

"hmm i wonder where everyone could be?" gavin asked sickly. dana took a deep breath before trying to silence her sobs. as their boots clicked around the room vince pulled a student to his feet. and right then and there dana lost it. and right then and there she had wanted to die too. 

vince was holding froy. 

as dana made eye contact with froy she broke into sobs. "froy woods. too bad. i thought you were a good kid. but, i heard the deep shit you talked about us in the hallways." vince said as froy's hair stood up on the back of his neck. 

dana without thinking stood up. "let me take his place." dana spoke as the students shocked still gasped. "no dana. don't." froy said. ignoring her twin she kept talking, "don't listen to him. you wanted to kill me in the first place now is your chance." dana spoke. 

"tempting. gavin what do you think?" vince asked turning to gavin who was looking down shrugging. deep down he loved the woods and dolans. not wanting to hurt either of them. "dana please sit down. i need you. just wait till the cops get here." ethan said as dana turned around. 

"i'm sorry but i have to do this." dana said as a flashback hit her. 

it was in the third grade. when the two twins had become a group of four. it was recess and dana along with froy were stationed on the swings. swinging like the world was going to end. like it was their last day to swing. and that's how every day was. 

as dana kicked she not only kicked air but a twin's head sending him to his back. dana quickly jumped from her seat falling to the wood chips hard, a few still sticking in her knee. despite the pain she still ran towards the boy who she had just kicked. 

froy followed in suit jumping off his swing. the two woods twins ran towards the other sets of twins quickly asking if they were ok. sure enough the little boy, who went by the name of ethan dolan was ok. just a little bruise. and there a friendship that they thought would never be severed was made. 

snapping back to real life dana was met with a gun facing at her. and now gavin was holding back froy. she was so busy caught up thinking about her past life that she wasn't focused on her life going on now. the one she was about to die in. 

as ethan jumped to his feet to save dana a quick shot to his leg was fired. enough to stop him to getting to dana. "next shot will kill you dolan. i'd be careful." vince mocked as ethan looked up towards dana. "i love you." she told ethan looking at his facial features one last time. 

and just as the trigger was about to be pulled a student had jumped in front of dana. almost like a slo-mo action scene from a movie. but this movie was no movie. it was real life. a student who dana didn't even know. he was a senior just like her. 

a student dana smiled at every day and opened the door for her. his name was austin payne. austin grew up in an abusive home his father mentally torturing him every day. the only reason he chose to live because, he wanted to see dana's warm smile. he couldn't imagine other students not being able to see her smile. 

and then at 9:03AM austin payne had died.