Random Short Stories ( I come up with before I fall asleep )

Sacrifice

Class was normal. It had your normal underpaid teacher talking about something that probably wouldn't matter in our future. It had its normal class with the clown hitting spit balls at unsuspecting victims and three or four kids asleep. The "it" girl, Sarah Jensen, was busy twirling her hair and drooling over the all-star quarterback Tyler Conrad. I was the floater. The one everyone knew of but nobody knew who I was. I mean, what I'm like. 

I was spacing out about what Jason and I were going to after school, when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. The quiet kid behind me was standing up. He had something in his hand. I squinted my eyes, trying to see better. That's when the girl behind the boy screamed, "He's got a gun!"

Everyone immediately dropped. A few girls screamed. But I stood. I'm not sure why. I had no idea what I was doing. It seemed my mind was racing a million thoughts a second. My heart was pounding in my ears. All of my senses seemed muffled.

My hands were raised up above my head. My eyes were wide. I stared at the kid holding a pistol at my chest. His name was Jared. He had on a black hoodie that covered most of his face. But you could still see a bit of his brown shaggy hair peaking out. I remember going to middle school with him. I'm pretty sure he didn't used to be so quiet. He had a friend group and would play Magic the Gathering. I never really spoke to him, but we still grew up to together.

Again, I had no idea what I was doing. It was as if my body took over and my brain was pushed to the backseat. I slowly crept from into the pathway between rows of desks, keeping eye contact with Jared the entire time. His shoulders shook. I could tell he didn't want to do this. But I also knew all he had to do was pull the trigger and I'd be dead.

"Jared," I breathed. I was surprised I had even found my voice. Jared also seemed taken aback, as if he didn't expect me to know his name. I thanked myself silently that I was good with names. "Put the gun down. Please."

Jared didn't speak. He just kept the gun trained on my chest. I could barely breathe. It felt like a giant elephant was sitting on my chest. I inched forward. Jared stepped back. I began lowering my hands.

"Please, Jared. Remember? It's me, Thomas." I put a hand on my chest. "We went to middle school together. I have little sister I love, Emma."

Jared stopped. Time seemed frozen. No one dared to move. No one else dared to speak. I could sense my peers holding their breath around me under their desks. The teacher, Mr. Burke, was somewhere behind me, probably ready to get help. 

What was I doing? Why was I risking my life? 

I stared Jared right in the eyes. I tried to figure out why he was doing this. What had hurt him? Who had hurt him? I wanted to see his past. I just wanted to know why.

I put a hand out gently. "Please, Jared. Don't shoot. Just give me the gun. Please." I was begging now. I really didn't want anyone to die. I really didn't want to die. It was almost surreal. You see this kind of stuff on TV, but it never really has an effect until it hits close to home. I had never been in the presence of a gun before. So why was I standing up?

I needed help. Jared wasn't backing down. It was going to take more. 

I dared look to my left to the guy that was the closest to Jared. The guy, Calvin, quickly got the memo. But Jared did too. 

Everything happened in slow motion and all at once. Jared gripped his gun. Calvin tackled. And a pang rang throughout the classroom. 

The pain didn't come first. I'm not sure what did. I knew something was wrong. I looked down and my shirt was soaked. What did I spill on my shirt? 

Realization hit like a blow to the face. A numbness washed over me and I barely realized I had fallen to the floor. I could feel the warm sticky liquid on my hands as I tried to cover the bullet hole. The world was slipping away. I couldn't focus. 

Someone familiar was hovering over me. I could feel a faint pressure on my abdomen where I guessed their hands were. I think it was... Alex? Or Ferris? I'm not sure. Everything was hazy. Another person was cradling my head. Their fingers were running through my hair. They were whispering words that sounded too far away. 

My vision pulsed with blackness. The dark threatened to take me away. I knew I could easily get pulled under if I really wanted to. But I didn't want to. I wanted to keep fighting. I wanted to make sure everyone was okay. 

"Am I..." I started, barely above a whisper. I tasted something metallic in my mouth. "Am I dying?" I looked up to the person holding my head. It was definitely a girl. She had long brown hair. Tears streamed out of her honey colored eyes. It was Bailey. One of my best friends. How had I not recognized her before? 

Bailey shook her head and cried, "No, Thomas. Of course not."

I kept my eyes on her. She was something I could focus on. The pain in my chest was spreading like a virus. It started around the wound, but it was slowly making its way to my limbs and up to my head. I gritted my teeth. The person with their hands on my abdomen was pressing too hard. 

My vision blackened for a moment. I blinked away the spots. I wasn't going to die. I haven't graduated high school yet. I haven't been out of the continent. I haven't had sex! Jesus. I really didn't want to die before I have even lived.

I heard distant yelling. Bailey looked away and relief washed over her face. I furrowed my brows. Suddenly two men in bright uniforms knelt beside me. They had a stretcher between them. The were yelling things I couldn't make out. 

But I knew I could finally relax. They would take care of me, right? I was just so tired of fighting. The pain was almost overbearing. I finally let myself fall into the darkness. Not knowing if I'd come out of it alive.