=><=
October 31, 2017.
<==
"Wait, that's a dog?"
"That's karma for all you procrastinators."
"Shit, college apps are due tomorrow night, what am I supposed to do?"
"Attention students, we are now in a lock-in. This is not a drill."
"Get your IDs out; everyone needs to swipe out before they leave."
"Let us know if you saw anything; you can call our anonymous hotline if you don't want to be interviewed."
"We ask that students wear black tomorrow out of respect for the lives lost today."
"I feel like I should call my parents now; they're probably gonna be worried."
"Some witnesses said the man said 'Allahu akbar' before he was shot by a police officer."
"Everytime I hear there's a terrorist attack or a mass shooting, I'm praying that it's not a Muslim."
The gun shots ring out, five in a row.
Silence.
[[.]]
=><=
October 31, 2017.
<==
The gun shots ring out, five in a row.
(text-style: "italic") [It's probably nothing.]
"Attention students, we are now in a shelter-in. This is not a drill. No students will be allowed in or out of the building."
(text-style: "italic") [What's going on...]
"Shit, college apps are due tomorrow night, what am I supposed to do?"
(text-style: "italic") [I hope they let us out by 3:35.]
"That's karma for all you procrastinators."
(text-style: "italic") [Don't remind me, Jake.]
"According to Twitter there was a shooting outside, someone told me there was dude with two pistols on the bridge so that's why everyone ran inside."
(text-style: "italic") [Holy shit, this is actually happening. Oh my god.]
"Let us know if you saw anything; you can call our anonymous hotline if you don't want to be interviewed."
(text-style: "italic") [I mean, none of us actually saw anything...]
"I feel like I should call my parents now; they're probably gonna be worried."
(text-style: "italic") [4:12. We'll be let out soon.]
"Wait, that's a dog?"
(text-style: "italic") [It's 5:00 and we're playing Pictionary on the board because we have no idea when they're going to let us out.]
"Get your IDs out; everyone needs to swipe out before they leave."
(text-style: "italic") [It's about time.]
"We ask that students wear black tomorrow out of respect for the lives lost today."
(text-style: "italic") [Bach home. Things are starting to process.]
"Some witnesses said the man said 'Allahu akbar' before he was shot by a police officer."
(text-style: "italic") [In English class the next day, discussing the attack.]
"Everytime I hear there's a terrorist attack or a mass shooting, I'm praying that it's not a Muslim."
(text-style: "italic") [The girl next to me raises her hand to respond, but her sentence is cut off by sobs. My heart breaks - I will never know what it feels like to be attacked because of my religion or my appearance or a hijab that I wear. But even if everything seems like it's slowly going back to normal for me, this is far from the truth for her.]
Silence.
(text-style: "italic") [It's only going to get worse, isn't it.]
[[...]]
=><=
November 1, 2017.
<==
I take a different route to school today, because the entrance is blocked off for police investigation.
There are cameras lined up at the park in front of school, so everyone can see how normalcy is supposed to be returning.
We have a moment of silence in homeroom to honor the victims from yesterday. I feel like punching the boy who continues talking obnoxiously as everyone else remains quiet. Seriously, have some respect.
In English we talk about the attack, of how two blocks away after we left school Halloween was in full swing, every kid seemingly unaware that an attack against humanity had just occurred hours earlier.
=><=
November 2, 2017.
<==
The route back to school is normal again and we enter through the bridge entrance like usual.
I pass by Mr. Sandler, my Jewish History teacher, who is being interviewed by the local news on what happened Tuesday.
When I walk down the stairs of the bridge to buy lunch from Ferry's, I see the flowers looped through the fence, a makeshift memorial.
Instead of kids laughing and talking in the park across the street from Ferry's, there are camera crews trained at our school and at the sight of the incident.
It's hard to imagine that 48 hours ago, someone drove a truck through this bike lane at the foot of the bridge and killed 8 people.
↶↷October 31, 2017.
"Wait, that's a dog?"
"That's karma for all you procrastinators."
"Shit, college apps are due tomorrow night, what am I supposed to do?"
"Attention students, we are now in a lock-in. This is not a drill."
"Get your IDs out; everyone needs to swipe out before they leave."
"Let us know if you saw anything; you can call our anonymous hotline if you don't want to be interviewed."
"We ask that students wear black tomorrow out of respect for the lives lost today."
"I feel like I should call my parents now; they're probably gonna be worried."
"Some witnesses said the man said 'Allahu akbar' before he was shot by a police officer."
"Everytime I hear there's a terrorist attack or a mass shooting, I'm praying that it's not a Muslim."
The gun shots ring out, five in a row.
Silence.
.