She tore through the alley, ducked into a doorway, and tried to squeeze into nothingness. How could she be so stupid to take part in something so vicious and immature? The fear of her losing her popularity is now gone. She stayed in the alley even after everything cleared up, she just couldn’t face reality. As she sat there she thought to herself,” Jokes are meant to be laughed at by everyone; I never thought a silly joke could cause hurt.” Zoe finally put everything behind her and began to walk home. She knew she could have serious problems at home, considering the fact it’s a few hours after curfew. As she approached her house she decided to go in through the back, didn’t want to take any chances. Luckily she was able to slip upstairs without being heard. There she lay, on her bed with the feeling of guilt killing her inside. The next day at school, there was uneasy tension. There was nothing at school that didn’t remind her of Brent. She thought of all the times they made fun of Brent just because of the way he dressed. The thought of it made her sick. Zoe ran to the bathroom as if she was going to puke. Then her friend, Marie, came to check on her. “Zoe, are you alright?” “We killed him! How could I be alright when I’m a murderer!” Marie looked away. “We didn’t kill him, he committed suicide. We all saw Brent shoot himself.” Zoe got herself together and went to class. The principal decided to make a few announcements. “The school just received a call from Brent Evans parents. He didn’t go home last night, if any of you know where he may be please come speak to me.” The next few days have been filled with so much talk about Brent, Zoe couldn’t take it anymore. She went to the principal’s office and confessed everything. All of her friends were called into his office one by one. Later that day they all were expelled. Although Zoe got that off her chest, her life was still over…











Zoe then woke up on her living room couch sweaty and worried. She told her friend, Marie, “That dream seemed so real, it was a dream, right? “What are you talking about?” Zoe looked up and her tall, skinny, geeky, math tutor, Brent walked in.