The 8th

“It’s my fault,” he spluttered through broken teeth and bloody gums.

“Louder!” I ordered.

“It’s my fault,” he repeated.

“Shout it!”

“It’s my fault!” he shouted at the top of his voice.

“Again!”

“IT’S MY FAULT!”

The sirens are outside now. They’re here. That’s it. Game over.

“Open your fucking mouth,” I hissed. Piers was crying as he opened his mouth. “Wider!” I told him. Broken boy did as was instructed.

Doors are banging against walls in the corridors beyond the classroom. This is it. The lesson has come to an end. Seconds later there were officers standing in the doorway with guns pointed at me. I’m sure there are more, waiting for their turn to take a pop, in the corridor.

“DROP THE FUCKING GUN!” one of them shouted.

I put my head against Piers face so that my ear was level with his mouth. I swear, despite the shouting police, I could hear his fear coming from his body. And smell it. Broken boy wet himself? I smile spread across my face as I placed the gun against my other ear.

I hope the knowledge he is responsible for all these deaths…I hope it haunts Piers for as long as he lives. If he forgets, I hope the taste of my brains, in his mouth, serves as a distasteful reminder. As I ready myself to squeeze the trigger, I only hope the bullet doesn’t go through my head, and his too. I can’t promise it won’t.

If it does. It’s not the end of the world. Just his. I closed my eyes and readied myself. This is it. I wonder if it will hurt.

“I love you.”

A friendly voice, louder in my head than the shouting police officers and sirens…I opened my eyes. David was standing slightly in front of me.

“I love you,” he said again, “always have.”

I smiled, “I love you too.” All this time and I’ve only just come to realise I was living a lie. No previous girlfriend because, subconsciously, I didn’t want it? I never realised. It doesn’t matter now. “I love you too,” I repeated. I couldn’t help but laugh. All this time I was trying to teach everyone else a lesson. Trying to teach them something, for their lives, and it was me who ended up learning something.

The school, town even, were quick to forget the previous seven who had killed themselves. I bet they aren’t as quick to forget the eighth.

I ignored the shouting, from the doorway, and squeezed the trigger.