The Day He Found the Gun

Every day she sits on that rooftop. All she does up there is stare at the sky. Everyone calls her crazy. She has no friends at school, never speaks, and just sits with her hood on and hair covering her face.

She’s always covered in black. Her nails, eye shadow, clothes and the hoodie she wears everyday are black. Even her shoulder-length hair is black.

Sometimes when I look out the window, I see her face appear as she puts her hood down to look up. The only time I’ve ever heard her speak is when she’s yelling at her parents. After the yelling stops, she stomps up to her room and out her window.

Her name is Taylor and I love her.

I moved to Parkland three weeks ago. My mom had died in a car accident and my dad wanted to start over. That very first night I looked out my window and saw her, the girl sitting on the roof and staring at the sky.

She sits up there every night. Sometimes she cries, sometimes she screams, and sometimes she’s silent.

I was happy when I found that we go to the same school. She’s in my science class. All she does is lay her head on the desk with her hood up and sleep. The teachers leave her alone. I think they’re afraid of her.

I expected to see her at lunch every day but she’s never there. I figure she must be one who hides from the world that doesn’t understand, a world that doesn’t accept her.

I accept her.
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I made a few new friends at school. Four to be exact. Jeff is your average guy. He’s smart but not a genius, good looking but not a hottie, athletic but not a jock, and pretty chill overall.

George id kind of an idiot and always in love with girls he can’t get. Frank is quiet in crowds but hilarious when he’s around us. Dan is the 5th of our group. He is quiet but a very good listener. He’s the least judgmental out of all our new friends. Dan is my best friend. He’s always there for me.

I haven’t told the guys about my obsession with Taylor yet but I asked about her.

She’s never had a boyfriend, guys are afraid of her. She has not one friend at school because the girls are bitchy and don’t want to hang out with the “freaky emo girl”. When a teacher assigns group work, she asks to work alone and is usually granted permission to. That’s all they really know because she keeps to herself.

Surprisingly, Dan was the first to notice my obsession wither her. He asked why I don’t talk to her.

“I don’t know what to say” I replied.

“Just walk up to her when she’s alone and say hi.”

“But I’m nervous…” I said.

Dan shrugged.

That night, I decided that I would find her at lunch the next day. For now, I sat in bed imagining her in my arms.

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When morning came I was already nervous. I couldn’t focus on anything I did and as it got closer to lunch, my hands started shaking.

When the lunch bell rang I dashed to the lunchroom to quick eat. It was cheese burgers and fries. Once I was finished, Dan gave me a reassuring nod and I left.

I had heard form people that she likes to sit alone in the library and read.

There she was, sitting at the wooden table reading. I started to feel my hands and legs shake as I walked over to sit down.

Time seemed to stop. She had her hood up but I could still see her beautiful black hair and her chipping black nail polish.

She looked up at me. She had bright, but sad green eyes.

“Um, can I help you?” She asked.

I just stared and she raised her eyebrow.

“Hello?”

“Oh… um…hey.” I said.

She rolled her eyes and went back to her book.

“What are you reading?” I asked.

She lifted up the book so I could see the cover. ‘Bloodletting’ was the title.

“Cool.” I said.

I probably sounded like an idiot.

“I’m Todd.” I said.

She looked up at me.

“Taylor.” She replied.

“Nice.”

“Look, is there something you want?” She snapped.

I shook my head. She rolled her eyes again and went back to her book. We sat in silence until the bell rang.

In gym class I was partnered up with Dan and told him all about it and he laughed at the awkwardness I created.

“I tried.”

“Well, try again tomorrow.” Dan suggested.

I nodded.

The rest of my classes were a blur. I could only think of her bright green eyes.

During English, my teacher caught me daydreaming and yelled my name.

“TODD!!”

I looked up.

“I asked you a question…” She said.

I shrugged. “I don’t know?”

The class started laughing.

I still don’t know what the question was.

After school, me, Jeff, and George all went to Dan’s house to hang out and play MW2.

“You’ve been quiet all day bro, what’s up?” George asked.

“Nothing”

George left it alone.

“You suck at this game Todd.” Jeff said.

“I don’t have an xbox. I can’t play it every day like you guys can.”

“Then what the hell do you do all day??” asked George.

I shrugged. “Watch TV I guess.”

I shot a look at Dan silently begging him not to tell them about Taylor. He nodded and tried not to laugh at my desperation.

That night, I couldn’t sleep because I was too busy thinking of what to say to Taylor in the morning. From that night until lunch the next day, I couldn’t think straight. She was all that was on my mind. When it came lunch time, I wasn’t even hungry.

“Hey guys, I’m gunna go study in the Lybrary ok?”

I don’t think they heard me so I just left unnoticed.

Today I was prepared to talk to her. I was confident and knew what to say but when I got to the library, she wasn’t there. I asked the librarian if she saw her. She shook her head.

I didn’t know what to do so I just made my way back to lunch. I accidentally bumped into two girls coming out of the bathroom.

“She’s such a freak.” Said one girl.

“Ohmygod I know. Did you hear here crying?” asked girl 2.

“Maybe she finally realized that everyone thinks shes a psycho.” Said girl1.

Both laughed and walked away.

Without thinking, I walked into the bathroom. I listened carefully and heard sniffling and her rummaging through her bag.

“Taylor?” I asked shakily.

“Go away!!” she screamed.

I walked over to the stall she was in and knocked.

“What’s wrong?”

She sniffed. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

“JUST GET OU!!” she screamed and stared sobbing.

“I’m not leaving.” I said.

I heard someone start to open the door so I hid in the other stall. After a minute or two of fixing her hair, she left.

“Taylor? You still there?”

I saw a bloody razor fall to the ground and there was silence in her stall.