Status: I have based this story off of a subject that is very important to me. I find that we need to learn how to control our usage of automatic guns and I hope that my short story is able to bring this message across others that we all need to find a way to address this issue together.

A Fresh Start

Chapter 5: Jeffie

It all felt so unrealistic and when I was praying with my friends, I was praying that this was all a dream. We were all underneath the tables for about 1 hour tops when we heard the police sirens and I knew that everything was going to be okay.

"Jeffie. Come on. We have to get up." Said Becky as she helped me out from underneath the tables.

We pushed our way through the crowd of anxious students some of whom were crying or just in a state of shock that they were too afraid to even move. And then I saw him. Dad. Happiness overcame me as I rush to my father holding out his arms for a tight embrace and when we hugged then came the tears. I could feel my dad trembling with fear for my life and Linneah’s. I just wanted this moment to never end. But, then dad had to go back to becoming a police officer as he asked me various questions about Linneah and me. I just wish that for once he would actually focus upon the family instead of having to put work first just like mom does. After I answered dad’s questions, his boss just had to intervene as he told my dad to take me back to station.

That is when I noticed it, dad did have emotions. Ever since I was little, the only emotions that my dad ever did show were anger. I have gotten used to the man who would constantly yell at me. But this time, dad was scared of not only being separated from his children, but also from his boss. I have never seen this side to him. And for once in my life, I felt sorry for dad and I got to see why he was always to protective of his job as he silently obeyed what his boss ordered for him to do like a drill sergeant.

The ride in the cop car was fast and silent. Whenever I would try to talk to dad, we would get interrupted by the radio chatter from the other police men and women who were still at school. Before I knew it, we were at the station and dad was holding the door open for me as I climbed out. We walked in silence up to the front desk at the station where dad and I had to walk through a metal detector. Dad then escorted me to a room with one desk and two chairs.

“You can wait in here. The detective will be with you shortly. Would you like anything to drink? Water? Juice?” The police off – I mean my dad asked.

“I’ll have some water please, dad.” My dad glared at me when I said ‘dad.’

“I mean – I’ll have some water please, sir.” He smiled at me with approval.

“One water, coming right up.”

I sat in the grey room in silence as I watched the clock on the wall tick by. Seconds ticked by. Then one minute. Then two. And then my dad quietly came back in with some water as he placed the plastic cup in front of me and left without saying anything even though I said ‘thank you’. Taking a sip of my water, I continued to stare at the clock for another 5 minutes until the door opened up again to revel a man in a grey suit with a faded file in his hand.

“Hello there. My name is Detective Rogers.”

“Nice to meet you, sir.” I said as I stood up to shake the detective’s hand.

“Please take a seat.”

I obeyed.

“So, I understand that you were a witness to the school shooting today at Paddington High School.” Continued Detective Rogers.

“Yes, sir.”

“Can you please tell me what you happened to see and or experience today?”

I relied the entire story to him starting from the argument with Linneah to walking into the lunch harbor and finding it empty. Then how my friends saved me by telling me to duck underneath the lunch tables then to the conversation between the ‘leader’ off all the shooters telling them where to go.

“Alright. And did you recognize any of the voices from the shooter when you were underneath the tables?” The detective continued.

“No, sir.”

“Alright. Did you know any of the victims who were shot by any of the shooters?”

“Not that I am aware of, sir, but I did hear a blood curdling scream coming from my older sister’s English classroom halfway across campus.”

“And what is your sister’s name?”

“Linneah Macey. Linneah Macey Johnson, sir.”

“Alright. So that must make you Officer Johnson’s son.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did you sister have any enemies at school who could have threatened to hurt her?”

“Not that I am aware of, sir, but she did have a diary and I know that she wrote about bullies in there.”

“Alright. Do you happen to know where your sister keeps her diary?”

“Yes, sir. Underneath her bed in a safe that has a lock combination to it, but I do not know what the combination is.”

“Alright. When your sister came home from school, did she ever come home in tears due to bullying?”

“Yes, sir. There was this group of kids back in her sophomore year. These girls called themselves ‘Las Chicas Americanas’ and they were Mexican-American. Linneah wanted to join their group and be friends with them, but they decided that they should embarrass her in front of the school. They ‘let her in’ to their group and before she knew it, she was wearing matching clothes with them and everything.

"But, one day, the girls told her to go to school wearing only a bathing suit and the mascot’s head or else they would turn the entire school against her. Linneah just wanted to be noticed and to make new friends, but little did she know that she made friends with the wrong people. The girls told her to interrupt a football game that was going to happen later that night. Next thing that she knew, she was covered in slimy mud and feathers to look like she was a chicken. She was humiliated!

"Then Sarah, the leader of the group, took the microphone and said 'My name is Sarah and I am a Chica Americana! And today, we have a white girl who was trying to join our group and thought that it would be hilarious if she tried to "act Mexican" to fit into our school. Because of this, we have uno pollo loco standing right in front of us tonight to prove that there is racial discrimination against Mexican Americans. If you are discriminated against no matter what the color of your skin is, come down and join us as we teach this uno pollo loco who is boss!' Then about 2/3 of all the students can rushing down to join Las Chicas Americanas as they threw Linneah out of the stadium and off campus that night.

"I remember Linneah coming home with red and puffy eyes as she ran sobbing upstairs to take a shower. Afterwards, she came into my room and told me 'Jeffie, there are some people in this world who may say that there is no such thing as discrimination against white people, but there is. I faced it today. You are probably going to be called loco boy by kids at school, but just know that I will always be here for you.' We then just sat in silence as we held each other in a loving embrace for 20 minutes. And that is all that happened, sir."

"Alright. So, when--"

Detective Rogers got interrupted with a knock on the door.

"Enter."

In came Dad with red and puffy eyes.

"Jeffie, we have to go. The hospital called"

My heart skipped a beat and I could hear the blood pounding in my ears.

"Is it Mom?"

"No. They got what is left of Linneah."