My Name Is Aaron

Planning A Tragedy

(As Told By Aaron Piltcher, Gunman)

I spat the pink, foamy blood into the sink before looking into the mirror. I'll kill them, every single one of them. My left eye was black and my lip busted. I looked like a 'grade A coward that got a genuine tail-kicking' is what Danny, mom's boyfriend, said.

But that's about to change, Danny-boy, that's about to change.

Trust me.

A few years back, I met this guy that worked at the arcade who was an unliscensed gun salesman on the side. He's the one I purchased the Glock and semiautomatic pistol from after being beat up for the final time at Greenwood High School. Those lesions were about to get what was coming to them.

I ran my fingers over the smooth barrel, fantazing the sight pointing down at the forhead of Caleb Hash. One of those jocks that punched me in the mouth because he thought I was putting the moves on his girlfriend. When in fact, I hadn't even talked to the skank, much less hit on her. But he wanted a reason to lay his hands on me.

And that day, he did just that.

Rounding the corner of the baseball field's bleachers, I looked up to see him and his herd of insolent buddies smoking ciggarettes by the concessions stand. I always had taken that route home when I didn't have access to my car, or better yet, when Carter would skip class and leave early without telling me. He was so irresponsible and inconsiderate at times, but he was all I had.

But now I was alone, and rumor had been spreading all that day, that Caleb's puke-brained crew wanted to 'jump' me. And there I was, walking right past them, no one at my side. Ripe for the picking.

I exhaled roughly, angry at the sight of them shoving cigarrette butts into the cracks of the wall, sneering in my direction.

"Yo,  Piltcher! Come here!" Caleb motioned towards me, "We need to talk, man" I could see his big nose twitching, hinting a smile.

I ignored him completely, keeping my eyes distant as I made my way past them.

"What's the deal, Piltcher? You deaf?" he said before snatching my jacket sleeve. I jerked it back while trying to keep my composure, recieving a chorus of childish 'ooohs' from the rest of them. A hand reached back and slung me into the wall. "You ignoring me?" he asks in a snarky voice.

I glared at the beady-eyed slug and his high dollar hat that turned sideways. "Get off of me" I snarled through gritted teeth. They all laughed, Caleb the most amused of them.

"I think we need to settle some things with you and my girl" he grinned, his fingers digging into my shoulder. "I don't know have anything to do with her" I said, but he just laughed. A disgusting, nicotine saturated laugh that threw spittle on my cheeks.

"You calling her a liar?" he raised his brows. Whatever his putrid arm-candy said must have been enough to convince him and his two brain cells that I had put the moves on her, even though I didn't even talk to the girl. But if she was the same caliber as him, I could see her lying.

I hissed "That's exactly what I'm doing."

Crack! My nose crunched under the weight of his meaty fist. I crumpled to the ground, but not before having the life beat out of me on the way down. "You sorry piece of-" A knee buried itself in my gut, nearly causing me to hurl onto his jacket.

They left me for dead after about five more minutes of pure torture. Every time I'd put my hands up to block the swings, some dip-stick would twist them backwards. The cold concrete numbed my face as I laid there wishing I was dead.

I hated them, every single one of them.

I wanted them dead.

My mom was downstairs cooking, for her newest addition, a steaming plate of whatever was on sale that week. I'd been able to pass her and head to the bathroom without her seeing the damage, for the time being at least.

"Aaron? Everything alright in there?" her sweet voice sounded from outside the door. I rinsed the sink out and slung open the door. Her countenance dropped.

She asked me what happened and I told her everything. She tried to comfort me but nothing could console the burning hatred that lived in me. I'm going to kill them I thought as my mother brushed her finger over my swollen eye.

And I'm going to enjoy every second of it.