The Shooter, The Teacher, and The Student

***I accidentally submitted this story under the incorrect theme. The theme I chose is as follows:

Write a modern version of "The Tiger, the Brahmin, and the Jackal," in which someone suffers from their own good deeds and must turn to an unlikely source for help.

The Shooter, The Teacher, and The Student

Once upon a time, a Shooter wearing a mask to hide their gender was seen walking into the back door of a school. The school alarm hadn’t sounded at their entrance and the Shooter began to panic. Suddenly, a teacher ran out of her office to see why the alarm was sounding and she saw the Shooter. The Shooter was trying to get back out the door but in their confusion had turned around and didn’t know anymore what door was the exit. Many of the doors were locked with supplies and the Shooter was sweating and swearing under their breath. 

“What are you doing in our school?” the teacher asked. "Please don't hurt the children."

“I went to the wrong building and now I just want to get out of here,” replied the Shooter. “I was just trying to play a trick on my friend.”

“Can I call someone for you? You need help. I can help you." said the teacher.

"Just open the door for me and I'll go. Jeez, why can't you do what I ask?"

"You need to leave,” said the teacher. “I’ll open the door but you have to go. You need to go find help.”

“Yeah, I told you I’d go. Just open the door now!”

“How do I know you won’t just go into another building and hurt the children if I tell you how to get out of here?” asked the teacher.

“I promise I won’t. This was a foolish prank and I just want to go home.”

The teacher went to the exit door and was about to push it open when the Shooter pointed a gun at her. 

“Wait,” said the teacher, “You said if I showed you the exit you would leave and go home and no one would get hurt.”

“Stupid woman,” sneered the Shooter, “Why would I just leave and allow you to call the police and tell them that someone with a mask came into the school?”

“But you said you would if I showed you the door,” replied the Teacher. 

“Listen if you can find one student who can give me a good reason not to shoot up this school I will leave and go home and no one will get hurt.”

The teacher agreed and started making her way down the hallway. She went into the classroom where all the students were so advanced that they were already taking college courses. She ran over to one student and put her hand on his shoulder.

“There is a Shooter out in the hall and they said if someone could give them a good reason not to shoot they would leave and no one will get hurt,” the teacher told the student. 

“I’m busy studying and that Shooter probably isn’t even smart enough to pull the trigger. Just open the door and push them out,” said the student. 

The teacher shook her head in frustration at the pretentious student and left the classroom. The teacher walked further down the hall and saw a classroom where all the students were working quietly but didn’t have test booklets on their desks. The teacher put her hand on one student near the back of the room. 

“There is a Shooter out in the hall and they said if someone could give them a good reason not to shoot they would leave and no one will get hurt,” the teacher told the student. 

“I’m busy working on my book report. Maybe just tell them to sit and relax for a few minutes. They probably just had some silly fight with a friend and they’ll get over it. I’ve had fights with my friends and it really is not a big deal.”

The teacher shook her head in amazement at the apathetic student and left the classroom. The teacher walked further down the hall and saw a classroom where there were only a few students who were sitting on squares of rug pieces playing with cars and other kinds of vehicles. The teacher put her hand on one student who had stopped for a moment to think about the traffic jam of cars. 

“There is a Shooter out in the hall and they said if someone could give them a good reason not to shoot they would leave and no one will get hurt,” the teacher told the student. 

“Oh no! Maybe they just need a friend right now to talk to. Maybe they were bullied and now they feel sad. I can try and talk to them and see if I can help cheer them up.”

The teacher took this student by the hand and led them back down to the back door of the school. 

The Shooter laughed. “What is this young child going to say to me that will make me change my mind? I will just shoot you both.”

The student looked the Shooter right in the eye. “I’m sorry you are feeling so sad today. I used to be afraid to come to school because the kids who were smarter than me would make fun of me and the work I was doing in my classes. I’ll be your friend. We can talk and you might start feeling a bit better.”

The Shooter looked at the student who appeared bright and nicely dressed. “You would never be my friend. You and your friends would laugh at me and say I was different. I would never fit in.”

With that, the student went to the Shooter and wrapped her little arms around his waist. 

“Well, I’m not giving up on you so you can either leave here with no one or you can accept my friendship and be able to say you have a new best friend.  

The Shooter looked from the teacher to the student. They showed the teacher that the gun was only a plastic toy and asked the teacher to throw it away. The teacher took the toy and put it on the floor and smashed it with her foot. The Shooter took off their mask and held hands with the student. The Shooter was just a young boy from one of the classrooms. 

“My name is Jessie. I’m really not very smart and the other kids keep making fun of me. It has made me so sad and mad.”

“Jessie, my name is Taylor. I’m not very smart either but I listen to the things my teacher tells me and I know I am learning every day! You can come to my classroom today and spend the day being friends with me. You’ll feel so much better if you have a good friend you can talk to.”

Jessie looked at Taylor and gave a faint smile. “That would make me feel so much better.” 

The two walked back into the classroom hand in hand and smiling.