Snippet #1269665

The sun rose on it's usual route on that fateful morning but Kristin Linde hadn't gotten up as early as she normally did. The sun peeked through the dark curtains of her room the glare seemed to wake her up. She rolled onto her side so her back was facing the window and yawned. She wasn't a morning person, which was perhaps why she had convinced the principal not to give her any classes first period. Sure, she would love the extra time in fourth period when it was so long to have a planning period but there was no way even with four cups of coffee she would be able to teach a class at seven in the morning. Her sleepy eyes opened a little to peek at her alarm clock then closed once more to go back to sleep.

"Shit!" The light haired brunette cried, sitting straight up. It was seven forty nine. She had to be at the school in less than eleven minutes. before her first class started without her. Scrambling out of bed, she hurried around her bathroom and bedroom. She scrubbed her face then brushed her teeth before dabbing on deodorant. She threw on the black pencil skirt she had worn the night before on her date with Gregory and a cream button up silk blouse. Luckily, she had a blue cardigan hanging over the back of her car seat. She carried a pair of black heels as she grabbed some fruit for breakfast and rushed out the door.

Living in a house less than two minutes away from school, had it's advantages and disadvantages. The advantages were, she could make it to school in record time when she was late. One of the disadvantages was that when a football game or some other event was going on at the school, she heard it all the way from her house. Kristin Linde looked back on that day as she walked into the school and kicked herself for having not realized something was wrong. She stopped in her class room to unlock the doors and flip on the lights before she hurried off through the back hallway that connected the drama class room, dressing rooms and stage to each other. She left her purse locked away in her class room but brought her little suitcase with her to pass out the play her first year Theatre Appreciation class would be critiquing. She stopped at the table that she kept on the stage during classes and put her bag there.

As she began to pull out her lesson plan and the different worksheets she had printed out, the auditorium opened then slammed shut. The sound echoed around the quite room and the nearly empty school as well. Her brown eyes looked to where the sound came from and rested on a small boy she knew to be Joseph Lexington. She smiled at him sincerely. She remembered how heart broken he had been not having got the lead in the musical. He had gotten one of the backup dancer parts though. She had seen potential in the freshman but the senior who had gotten the part over him was definitely the better singer. "Hey Joseph. You know, next time you can audition for the lead again. Just until then you have to work really hard on your voice and you'll definitely have a bigger role next year." She told him, her smile widening. "Remember there are no small parts only small actors." She winked at him and was about to turn back to her work when Joseph started screaming at her.

Ms. Linde was stunned at the words he called her. "Stupid bitch" and "cunt" were just two of his chosen insults. When he pulled the gun out of his pocket, her blood just seemed to turn cold. She didn't even have a chance to try and calm him down or run before he squeezed off a round, hitting her square in the chest. The harsh sound echoed throughout the auditorium. Everything seemed to play out in slow motion. Her teary eyes traveled down to the spot where she felt the bullet hit her. She didn't recognize the blood that spilled from her chest till she brought her hand up to the wound then brought it away to see the blood. "J-Jo-seph..." She barely managed to say above a whisper as she looked back up at the teenager standing before her. Everything got hazy around the edges. As her knees gave out from under her, she was consumed in complete darkness.

Gasping, Kristin Linde sat up in bed, looking all around her for the teenager who nearly ended her life. He wasn't there. It was all just a dream. Just like every other night since then. And just like those previous nights, she didn't lay back down. Instead, she slipped out of her bed and followed her memorized path to the master bathroom. She discarded her t-shirt and undergarments on the floor before she slipped into a warm shower. After getting out, she dried off and let her curls dry naturally as she applied a touch of make up. She slipped into a pair of sandals and a floral knee length dress. It had a sweetheart neckline but it was high enough that it covered the ugly red scar left behind from the bullet and the intensive surgery she had been through to save her life. She drove to school but when she parked and cut the engine, but she couldn't seem to make herself get out of the car. She sat there in silence, not sure if she could face her fears and walk back into the school that nearly ended her life and where so many people she knew had died.