The Shooter : Ethan Jones

The cool morning but apparent good October weather made it feel as if it’d be a good day. The large black man stood smiling and welcomed us with open arms as we walked into the building much before school that day was set to start, and as he motioned us into a conference room he said, “Welcome to St. Xavier High School, please be seated and we’ll start soon once just about everyone gets here.” And after sitting down anywhere we liked, because the Rumpke’s seemed to arrive early at places, waited for the other kids to roll in. Once they had all arrived, Pete and I sat talking

They had not liked how Agnes had made them wake up early to start off their spring break. Going to Agnes’s dusty old vacation home had been her idea. She had figured that she and her friends should have a break from social media, and so she had invited them. As Agnes pulled out of the driveway she had a sudden feeling that she had forgotten something. The feeling soon faded. ‘I can’t be a party pooper’ she thought, ‘It’s a sleepover, lighten up Agnes.’ One by one the 22-year olds stepped out of the car. Stepping out first, were Sarah and Jane. Both girls had tired eyes, “it’s too early for this, Agnes!” they complained. They pulled their bags out of the trunk and began walking towards the steps of the house. The house seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, nothing but trees and grass could be seen. The house was incredibly big, green vines grew off of the sides of the house. A cab arrived a few minutes later, it was the boys, Jack and Jeremiah. They stepped out with wide smiles on their faces. Jeremiah had a thing for Jane and Jack had one for Agnes. In fact, they had been going to dates together for two months now. Once the boys took their belongings from the cab and paid the driver, all five of them headed towards the

I enlisted in the war, blindly, to serve my country. My friend Mark and I decided this because we both felt that we needed accomplishment. At the time, enlisting in the war seemed like the best option. The only exclusion to this, we were unaware of the horrors and gruesome sights that happen day by day. Except none would amount to the loss of a longtime friend.

It was a long week at Lancer’s prep. school. The classes felt longer than usual. Ross and his older brother Jacob whose family owned the school with his friend Ethan. Ethan was the younger than Ross and Jacob. They let Ethan join because he lived closest to the school so he could prepare their pranks before anyone arrived. Ross always had a deadly prank. Although, once Ross’s pranks were in action, they were unstoppable. Ross had an advantage because the school was located on a hill and there were many wild animals living near it. Suddenly, this week’s prank had horrified Ross and Jacob. After today, Ross and Jacob never pranked so carelessly again.

The next day was Sunday and so Annie went off to church. She hated it and tried her best to focus instead of remembering every detail of the wonderful night before, particularly the memory of the blond boy she had met. Linda, one of Annie’s friends sat beside her. Annie notices the change in Linda’s behavior, noting that last night at the dance she was laughing and funny, while at church she was grave and reserved. “I hated being here,” Annie states. Some of the boys from the dance at the Sewickley Country Club were there, too, with a sullen look on their faces, and Annie assumed that they hated being there as much as she did. The difference between her and the boys, however, were that they probably had fought with their parents on attending

Dan was distracted as he boarded his bus away from the living hell that was his high school. His first day back from winter holiday was finally over. Even after a whole semester, he still wasn’t sure why he had to be there. He was a mere 8th grader in a sea of high schoolers, only there because his dumb school system didn’t have a middle school. All he could ever think of was getting away. However, he had a few shining lights in the darkness that was his life, and those were his friends.

The morning in the dark place of Oregon was white with a thin layer of frost on the landscape. I was walking alone to my family’s store down in downtown. We sell maple syrup and we make it ourselves. I have a brother named Will and we live across from our childhood friend Myra. I don’t like living here it gives me chills. The weather here is always brittle and dark. In the town Arkendale we all know each other, if we don’t they visitors don’t come back. This place is very eerie, we don’t interact with each other if there is someone new who moves in they don’t feel welcomed. That's just the way of treating others in Arkendale. Ben, Myra and I go to the same school with other kids and all of us have the same teachers. Our

“I remember the first time I ever saw him.” Iris put her head down, trying to breathe, and when she came back up, Ava could have sworn she seen hearts in her eyes. “It was in third grade, and I had just came out the girl’s bathroom. The hall was completely quiet because all the students were in class working, except for one.” Her jaw contracted back as her throat tightened with a hearty giggle. “He was sitting in a chair outside the classroom, looking mad and pouting. He had glasses then, and as I passed, he pushed them up, so I could tell he knew I was there, but he wouldn’t even look up because he was so upset. The teacher must have kicked him out for acting out. I laugh whenever I think about. All the way into high school, he drove the teachers crazy. Oh my god.”

We were going to gospel, and shortly after there was still time to do one last thing, go sledding again. This time Sofie tagged along. Since Lexi had already been sledding she knew a few things about the slopes. Kamron and Lexi wanted to try something a little different. Remember how earlier Lexi had broken the rules, well she did it again. Kamron and Lexi wanted to go three at a time with Sofie as a new addition. It took a few minutes, but Sofie figured out a way so all of them could fit. Waiting for the sled to drop Sofie was already, practically screaming. They were off, down the hill Lexi was starting to slip, Sofie’s hat fell onto her face, Kamron was the only one who could see what was happening. Lexi, screaming for dear life, finally fell off mid way. Good thing was she fell off laughing. All Lexi could see was her friends quickly sliding down the rest of the slope. When Lexi got to the bottom, her friends were both laughing out of control because they had realized that Lexi wasn’t there. And Sofie had informed them that her hat had fallen and couldn’t see the whole time. After that of course the team of goofs went over and over again, and almost the same thing happened every

We were going to gospel, and shortly after there was still time to do one last thing, go sledding again. This time Sofie tagged along. Since Lexi had already been sledding she knew a few things about the slopes. Kamron and Lexi wanted to try something a little different. Remember how earlier Lexi had broken the rules, well she did it again. Kamron and Lexi wanted to go three at a time with Sofie as a new addition. It took a few minutes, but Sofie figured out a way so all of them could fit. Waiting for the sled to drop Sofie was already, practically screaming. They were off, down the hill Lexi was starting to slip, Sofie’s hat fell onto her face, Kamron was the only one who could see what was happening. Lexi, screaming for dear life, finally fell off mid way. The good thing was she fell off laughing. All Lexi could see was her friends quickly sliding down the rest of the slope. When Lexi got to the bottom, her friends were both laughing out of control because they had realized that Lexi wasn’t there. And Sofie had informed them that her hat had fallen and couldn’t see the whole time. After that of course the team of goofs went over and over again, and almost the same thing happened every

The next morning I woke up in my bed but I don’t remember how I got into my bed but I thought whatever. I got up and got dressed in a longsleeve black shirt with a pair of blue jeans and a pair of sneakers with a large necklace to cover my neck and ran out the door so I wouldn’t have to see or speak to my father. I walked all the way to the school alone I was running a little late I walked in the building only to be met with the eyes of Henry, Victor, Belch and Patrick.” I stopped dead in my tracks and sped off past them not even looking any of them in the eye especially not Patrick. I ran straight to class and sat down in the back knowing Miss perfect and her squad of cheerleaders wouldn’t mess with me today then I started to think where was I going after school I couldn’t go home there’s no way I could go home. I was snapped out of my thoughts as the bell rang out and the teacher walked in as the last few students filed in I looked to the door and saw that Henry and Patrick were in my class. I sighed “Oh God no.” I looked down and out of the corner of my eye and saw Patrick point over to me then him and Henry walked over and Henry sat beside me and Patrick behind me. “Hello there Kitty Kat.” Patrick said and I started getting uncomfortable I started moving up forward moving my desk up only for it to be moved back. In the middle of the class while the teacher was talking I glanced over to Henry to see him staring at me and I whispered “What are you looking at Bowers?” He

Rainy walked to school with her best friend, Jamie, the way they did every morning before school. Rainy couldn’t say much though, because Jamie was giving her every detail of her entire summer… for the third time, but Rainy listened and acted

Jenna sprawled on the warm grass during the last few days of summer. She had her head tilted towards the sky with a light smirk plastered on her lips. As she stared up at the clouds, all she could think about was going back to the special school she went to. By her side laid her friend, Austin. His hands crossed behind his head as he too stared up at the sky, thinking of how their last school year was going to turn out. The two friends always did this, ever since they came to the orphanage together. Jenna turned to Austin with a devious look on her face.

As the blaring alarm from her phone goes off and the moonlight shines through her window, Pam, a single mother of two boys, groggily drags herself out of bed to start a typical Monday morning in July. Half an hour later, she struggles to shove Jackson’s blue polyester sleeping bag, along with every t-shirt in his closet, into one suitcase. The morning mayhem has only just begun.While Pam continues preparing stacks of paperwork, lunches, and all of the necessities for her son to attend an overnight summer camp, the school bus abruptly halts at the end of their driveway to pick up her eldest son, George. Chaotically throwing his brown paper bag lunch,

It was a hot friday, at Dave Burg High School, and Rob was walking too his 7th period class. He had to walk threw a hallway with a shiny floor and school pictures on the walls, and then go down a staircase and to the gym. He was not excited. He didn’t like gym at all. Luckily he still had 4 minutes to get down there so he knew he was gonna make it on time, which was special for him.