He was quiet all through high school. He was always by himself, in the dark corner. He wrote in his journal and starred. The bullies would try to mess with him all the time. His name was Wayne LaCroix.


It was the starting of his senior year in high school and he was already tired of it all. The bullying still had not stopped; it had just worsened like every year. The worst thing he thought was that he could never say anything because when he tried no one believed him. All the other students would watch as he was getting bullied and no one had the courage to stand up for him. He was always by himself because he shunned everyone away on the thought that they were just going to make fun of him. He thought everyone was against him, and everyone thought he was weird because of it.


At home it wasn’t much better. His mom had died of cancer just the year before and his dad was struggling to get ends meet. His dad had to take up two jobs because of it and because of it they rarely interacted, the meal that his dad left him was the only indication that they still had each other. Wayne did many chores like washing the dishes, the laundry, cleaning the house, and yard work.


His father, a man in his late forties, was worn out. The work, the stress, the sadness all had taken their toll on the poor man. His face was full of wrinkles. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep and from the tears he had shed.


When Wayne was not helping around the house, he would go in his room and just think. Sometimes he wrote down his thoughts in his journal that he hid in between his mattress and sometimes he would draw. That was the only way he could express his thoughts. The only one he could talk to about how he was feelings. Nobody could ever see that journal; it had too many things that could be seen as a danger.


He still remembered his mother who would always be there for him, who always helped him, who motivated him and told him that everything would be all right. He hates himself for not being their when she died. That he never really appreciated what she had done for him. That he always took her for granted.


He attempted suicide once. That was a week after the death. He tried to overdose on some pain pills he found around the house. When his father got home he saw Wayne on the ground with the bottle in his hand. Michael, Wayne’s father, took him to the hospital. The doctors were able to save him. It was another medical bill but at least he still had his son. The only family he had left.


He hadn’t attempted it ever since. He would just think about it. He tried self-harming but his dad started seeing signs of it. Michael discouraged him telling him it would get better. He told him to please stop, for the memory of his mother, that made him cry. His mother’s memory was the only thing that stopped him from harming.


The next day at school he was sitting in the corner bench during lunch like every day when the kid that always bullied him, franklin, approached him with his group of friends. They were the popular kids at school because they were on the varsity football team and had made it to state.


"Hey nerd what're you writing in your diary!" said franklin


Wayne did not respond. Franklin was mad so he snatched the journal from the grip of Wayne’s hands.


"Ha-ha! I have your diary, what are you going to do about it." Said franklin


"Give it back franklin." Exclaimed Wayne. "Please"


"Hey Jake catch" said franklin as he threw it to Jake, one of franklins friends, who was standing near the trash can.


Jake then held the journal over the trash can.


"Come and get it, if you’re not scared." Jake mocked.


Wayne ran towards Jake in an effort to retrieve his journal. As he approached Jake released the journal into the trash can filled with the mush called cafeteria food. Franklin and his crew left laughing historically at what they had done. Wayne started crying silently as he recovered his journal covered with apple sauce, chili, and chocolate milk. That was the last straw.


After school he skipped the chores and went straight to his room. He pulled out the journal from in-between his mattress and started thinking what to do to get them back. Maybe he could prank them, or publicly embarrass them, or he could try telling someone? No that would just backfire and the bullying would just increase or he might get beat up. He needed a solution that would actually work. He needed a more permanent solution.


Telling someone would only be a very short temporary solution plus when he had tried it in the past it did not work. No he needs something that would ensure they never mess with him again. So what if, he thought, what if he got rid of them. What if he killed them? They would never do anything to him ever again. No he couldn’t. That’s a crime. What was he thinking? But what if he did do it, no one would know.


It was Saturday and he was ready to decide. As he was by himself, like he was all the time, he went to his room and locked the door. The only option he could take was to kill them, which would ensure that they would never be able to mess with him again. He planned out exactly what he was going to do. After he wrote everything down on his notebook he started looking for his materials. He was going to use an old Halloween mask as he had seen in some movies before. Then he went out looking for the bullies.


That day his father came home early. He immediately went into his son’s room as to tell him about his promotion. As he walked in he saw Wayne's journal on his bed. He saw what he was planning to do.


"Wayne" he started yelling, "Wayne where are you"


He thought for a while and then recognized who Wayne was targeting. He got in his car and sped off. He might still be able to stop him before it was too late.


It was late fall so it was dark out even if it was only eight in the evening. It was chili out with a cool breeze that flowed by. The leaves were rustling and the trees were bald.


Michael finally got to Franklins house. He parked a block away as to not raise attention. He pulled out a flashlight and started looking for Wayne, shouting out for him.


"Come on Wayne, come out. Don't do something that we will all regret later” He whispered to himself.


There in the distance he saw someone. He was wearing and old Halloween mask and in his hand was a .44 Magnum handgun. That was Michael’s gun and that was the mask Wayne used a couple of years before on Halloween.


"Wayne, Wayne stop right their" shouted Michael.


"Dad, I thought you were at work." Said Wayne


"I got out of work early because I quit that job." Michael said. "But when I got home and went in your room I saw that notebook and I came to try to stop you before you did the unthinkable. What did he do to you?"


"He... he always was treating me bad and pushing me around with his friends and I was tired of it all and how no one would never do anything even after I told them and I thought that I had to take matters into my own hand and get rid of the problem once and for all” Wayne said with tears building up in his eyes. "I'm sorry dad"


"I forgive you. I'm just lucky that I was able to reach you in time." Michael said as he tried to comfort Wayne.


They got in the 97' Ford Bronco he had had for some years now.


"And why did you quit your job?" Wayne said to break the silence.


"I quit because I got a promotion in my job at the factory. They said that I had been with them a long time and that I have been a good worker so they want me to take charge of a new facility they build out in California. So we are leaving tomorrow so we can forget everything that happened here and start fresh."