The sun shone through the trees onto Sara's face. She glanced over at the wall clock. Only ten more minutes left of school, praise God. Her thoughts wandered from History class, and rested on the date Jake had asked her on. She was startled from those thoughts by the ring of the bell. Time to get out of here.
As the time came for her to leave, she looked for Jessica in the hallway. Finally, she spotted her best friend of fourteen years. "Let's get going," said Sara. As they walked toward the door, they talked.
"Did Jake say what time he's picking you up tonight?" she asked.
"Yeah, he.."
"Everyone freeze!" exclaimed a voice from behind them. The voice sounded familiar. Tim Sanders?
"You two, turn around!" he ordered, shoving the cold gun into her back.
She felt it between her shoulders, immediately her entire body stiffened. Her heart skipped a beat. A cold sweat permeated her forehead. She listened horrified, as did her friend, who stood beside her. She cast a glance toward Jess. Her blue eyes stared blankly, in shock of the situation.
"All I wanted was to have a few friends!" he cried, waving the gun around in the air. He pointed the gun at each individual. "All I wanted was to be accepted." His voice shook with emotion. Emotion she couldn't quite determine. An angry look, attached to a lone tear, passed his face. "I wanted to be like you," he pointed the gun directly at her.
She watched as he paced wildly in the midst of her peers. His dark hair now stuck to his forehead which was wet with sweat. "You know what it's like for your parents to love you," he cracked, pointing the gun at Harrison Grybold. Pivoting to face them again, his look was mixed with tears. "You too," putting the gun directly on her forehead. A lump rose in her throat. She swallowed hard. "Stop looking at me!" he screamed as he pulled the gun away yet again. She focused on her feet, but then looked up to see him taking a few steps back.
She looked into the eyes of her deranged peer. Dear Lord, Save us! A prayer rang deep in her mind and soul.
Everything seemed to slow down now. Everything and everyone was moving in slow motion. How could a kid as normal as Tim do something like this? As he pointed the gun at her friend, then at her, her heart seemed to jump into her throat.
How could a normal day like this end in this way? But this isn't over; it wasn't anywhere near over.
She was too scared to move, but couldn't help exchanging a look with her friend. Jess had a knack for being able to calm people, but should she try now? After all, she had helped on the teen help line. She had been working there for a year now.
But, was it worth the risk? They could all pay with their lives! Her thoughts raced wildly as she watched her try feebly to calm him with words.
A thought kept repeating itself in her head.
She cannot be that close!
At first, she thought the small statement was her own judgment. But it kept repeating itself.
God, is that you?
"Jess, come back here," she whispered.
"What?" she asked, stepping back.
Sara breathed a sigh of relief. She looked hard at her friend. She had always been the more outgoing one of the two, but this wasn't safe.
How should this end? What is the best end result?
She watched in horror as he fidgeted with the gun in his hands, shifting it from hand to hand.
What is he doing? Why hasn't he set it down by now?
"We all love you. God loves you, Tim," Jess was saying. Getting close enough to set her hand on his shoulder.
"Love me?" he whispered.
She mentally said an Amen. He was close to stopping this. Maybe they could get out of here yet.
She listened to God trying to pull her friend away from Tim.
"It's okay now," she whispered, putting her hand on Sara's shoulder.
The noise of the gunfire startled her. She looked to Jess who now clutched her left arm.
He stared wide-eyed at the two as he dropped to his knees in fear and anguish. "I thought I had the safety on, I swear I did!" he yelled, tears now streamed down his face rapidly.
The police charged through the school's doors. One large policeman was handcuffing him. Leading him off to the squad car. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about all of this!" he cried.
Then paramedics focused on her arm. "Will she be okay?" she asked the paramedic who stood above her friend.
"She'll be just fine. Looks like the bullet went clean through," said the woman with a frown.
"Can I ride to the hospital with her?" asked Mrs. Andrews, Jess' algebra teacher.
"Yes," answered the woman as they wheeled her away on a gurney.
Finally her thoughts came back. If Jess had been standing where she was, she would've been dead. She looked down at her. Her face was now pale and matted with tears.
It was at that moment that the words her Pastor had said on Sunday morning came back to memory.
"It's in those moments when you have no one else you can trust, that God will be with you."
And that had been the truth. In that moment of undecided terror, there was one thing evident-the Lord was there.
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