I went to school the next day, to a gray sky and dark clouds rolling in. It was going to storm as it always did in the fall. October here always rains and snows early, on and off. Soon a voice rolled over the announcements. "This is a lockdown, I repeat this is a lockdown. Teachers, please lock your doors. I repeat. This is a lockdown."

Everyone just started to laugh it off as we walked to the corner to hide. Students talking and shrugging their shoulders like nothings wrong, as I sat in silence to listen in on the hallway. The room was dead silent. I sat thinking about everything you could hear. The computer monitor buzzing and the vents running, the quiet whispers of the students around me who refuse to stop talking for five minutes. However, I hadn’t realized…it had been twenty minutes since the announcement. It was quiet until everybody stopped to listen.

You could hear gunshots ringing in the air as students screamed and you saw kids running down the hallway. We all watched a girl get shot in the back. The teacher told us to stay where we were and keep quiet. But the girl who was shot was a boy in our classrooms girlfriend and it was their one-year anniversary today. He yelled in horror, “Chloe!” as he watched her fall…. leading the gunman to our classroom. 

The doorknob jiggled, as the glass in the window shattered, and a hand covered in a black glove only revealing the finger-tips shot through. He unlocked the door and busted in the room yelling.

“No one move!”

I mean it when I say, no one moved a muscle. No one took a breath and no one blinked. Everyone was scared for their lives, and so was I. The storm had arrived, and it wasn’t a meteorological one.

“Stand up” the man yelled.
Everyone stood up looking at the man, who then started giving directions.
“Girls over there,” he said pointing to a corner. “Boys. Over here.” He said pointing in front of him. We all moved to where he said to. Matt and I were on opposite sides of the room, looking at each-other hoping for the best.
"You," the man said pointing to Matt. My heart sunk. 

Matt was horrified, and we all could tell. He walked directly in front of the man, who then grabbed his sleeve and pushed him farther back. Then someone dialed 911 to try and get help and send this strange man to prison before anyone would get hurt

“You have a girlfriend?” the man asked.
"Yes," Matt answered immediately.
“Is she in the room?” asked the man.
"No…," said Matt.
“Lies! Which one is it!”
“She’s not here…”
“Well, I guess I’ll have to find out for myself…” said the man.

The man raised the gun and aimed for Matt. I bolted for Matt, he wouldn't die. Not today. Loaded the gun…but I kept running. Ready…. fire! “Matt!” I yelled. Right in front of Matt, I was hit. Shot, right in the chest.

“Dani! No!” Matt yelled. Then I tried to stand up, best I could and grabbed a pencil off one of the desks.
“So that’s which lovely girl it is," the man said. “Dani, what a nice name. Matt and Dani. Mani. Datt. Pet names are all the rage right now, right? So, she took a hit for you. What dedication and love. Too bad it’s ov..” and he stopped talking. For I had stabbed him in the back with a pencil.
“Dani!” yelled Matt. “What did you do!”
“Well. I stabbed him because he said we were over.”
“I’m just so glad you’re okay.”
“Well, not exact…” I started before crashing to the floor.
Finally, the paramedics arrive and examine the scene.
“It’s about time!” said Matt underneath his breath.
“Boy, we run around saving people all the time. The only thing you save each day is your phone battery when you turn it off. There’s no room for you to talk.”
“Well, my girlfriend here is dying, what do you expect me to say!?” yelled Matt pointing to me.
“Matt, just relax. I’ll be…” I started.
“Hey. Listen ‘Matt’ your girlfriend here might not make it too much longer if you keep talking to me the way you are” said the medic.
"John, you need to relax," said another paramedic, lifting me up onto a blanket-like spread. "We aren't here to argue with teens."
“Fine Andy. But…”
"But nothing," said Andy. “I can have you fired.”
"Ok…I'll relax," said John.