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“Mr. Moore, have a seat.”

Jared rushed to his seat, slapping Omega’s hand along the way.

“If you look on the bright side,” Carrie turned to Jared, “You won’t be the only one failing this class.”

“Oooh,” some of the students chimed, in reference to Beverly. Carrie cut her eyes at Beverly. “Loser.”

Beverly jumped from her seat and removed a chrome handgun from her book bag, pointing it at Carrie.

“Oh, my God!” several students screamed. The entire class shifted, with some climbing under their desks, some hiding behind Carla’s desk, while a few ran out of the door.

Beverly pressed the barrel of the gun against Carrie’s cheeks. Wide-eyed in a hurry, Carrie trembled and whined. “Ms. Jooones…”

Frozen in place, Carla snapped out of her trance. It had all happened so fast it seemed as if she were moving in slow motion.

“Beverly.”

“Shut up!”

Carla closed her lips, her heart beating fast. Beverly looked back at Carrie, pressing the gun harder in her face. Carla moved, and Beverly put her aim on Carla.

“Don’t even try it! I know how to use this thing! I’ve been taught by a very serious gun-toting father who screams at the political commentary on his TV about second amendment rights every time he gets the chance.” Her hand shook. “One step and I’ll blow a hole in your chest, and I mean it!”

“Oh, my God!” some of the students cried.

She turned her anger and fury towards Carrie, and Carla hit the black panic button against her desk drawer. It was a safety device which had been added to all teachers’ desk after the Columbine school shooting.

The silent alarm went off, notifying the principal, the authorities, and other school teachers that there was an active gunman on high school grounds.

“You think you’re so smart, don’t you, Carrie? The popular girl in school. The one everyone wants to be around. The one everyone loves. And with the snap of a finger,” Beverly snapped her finger and nudged Carrie with the tip of the gun’s barrel. “I can erase people. Completely eliminate them.”

“I’m sorry!”

“You’re not sorry. You’re just sorry I’ve got this gun to your head!”

Carrie winced. “You’re right! I should be a better person.”

“Damn right about that, but it’s too late, isn’t it?”

“No. There’s plenty of time for me to get my act together.”

“Not when you’re dead, Carrie!”

Carrie’s eyes widened, and tears fell down her ivory face. “Are you really saying you’re going to kill me right now? After all we’ve been through!?”

Beverly poked Carrie with the gun again.

“Shut up! You didn’t care about that when you called me a loser! Did you?”

Carrie trembled and bit down on her lips as her tears blinded her.

“Beverly, no one needs to get hurt. Put the gun down.”

Beverly glared at Carla. “You are just as bad.”

Carla’s brows rose. “Excuse me?”

“Yeah.” Beverly nodded. “I told you not to suspend me, didn’t I?” Tears welled in Beverly’s eyes, and she unzipped her sports jacket and tossed the blazer at Carla, revealing her arms branded with long red whip marks.