A Boy and His Gun (375 Words)

It was loaded. They didn’t know that though. They didn’t even know the gun was in his backpack.

It gave Jacob a sense of security. He had been nervous before he finally walked out the door with it. But now he knew what he was capable of, he didn’t pity anyone that doubted him. That piece of black steel at the bottom of his bag, hidden beneath his math worksheets, was confidence. It was like having God on his side.

At school, nothing else was different about today. The cliques all noticed their members. Friends noticed each other while teachers noticed their favorite students. No one noticed Jacob though.

In class he sat in the back. A little straighter than normal, his face was a little more sure, but no one paid enough attention to notice the changes in him.

The day went how it always does. Jocks mocked the geeks, while cool kids planned parties and nerds worked on homework. But Jacob prowled the hallways by himself, a lone wolf. He stalked the halls like a shadow. He sat in class like a statue. He was a ghost.

Jacob was there, but no one even tried to interact with him, luckily for them. No one knew how close he was to a breaking point, he wanted to find out though. He wanted to show them. Jacob wanted to be pushed, to see if he would fall or explode. He wanted to know what he was made of.

On break he eyed the cold steel. In the bathroom, behind the doors of a stall, Jacob felt the weight of it against his hands. He pressed the muzzle against his cheek. His skin felt so hot compared to how cold the gun was. He wanted to be that cold. He wanted his heart to feel like that icy piece of metal. He wanted to know that he could simply take a life, destroy someone’s world, change the universe and do it stoically over and over.

The day passed. Hour by hour, minute by minute, slowly seconds ticked like the fuse on a bomb. Jacob felt a thrill deep inside, wondering if he would go off like a firework. He waited for someone, anyone to press his buttons.