The Story of a Little Bad Boy

It's a month later. After thinking about it a lot, I've finally figured out what I'm gonna do. It took this long because I wanted it to be remembered, to give it a little extra significance. Today is Friday 13th. I might have planned a little longer and figured it all out better, but today is as perfect a day as I can get and I wouldn't waste the opportunity for anything. It's the morning and it's a school day. I get up from my bed and dress up as usual. No fuss because I don't want anyone to get the wind. I run downstairs and have breakfast as usual. My heart hardly beats any faster. Mom tells me Marco stopped by again. He wants to make up, but I'm a lone hitman now. Everyone thinks I backed out because I didn't do anything since the day Marco and I became enemies. They have no idea.

After I've finished eating, I run upstairs again to get the thing from my drawer. It used to be daddy's. Mom wanted to get rid of it a long time ago, but I guess she felt better having it around. And so did I. I pinched it from her secret drawer yesterday when I made up my mind what to do. She thinks I don't know about it, but I found it a long time ago when I was looking for where she hid Christmas presents. I get on the bus and make a point out of walking all the way to the back of the bus, away from Marco. He don't even look at me. I think he's finally ashamed of what he's been doing ever since the two of us became buddies.

At school, I hurry on to class. Marco stops me and tries to apologize, but it's too late now. It was too late before he even started. I wait till everyone is seated, the bell rings and the teacher walks into the room. My heart beats a little faster now and my hands start to get all sweaty. I take deep breaths to calm myself. Hitmen are never nervous, and neither will I be. Billy in the seat next to me looks at me funny, as if he knows what I'm gonna do. Only he don't, I made double sure that no-one has any idea. An element of surprise.

Before the teacher has a chance to say anything, I stand up from my seat. The teacher looks at me as if she never saw me in her life. I've never stood up in my seat before without being asked to. My hand trembles a little, but it's too late to back out now, even if I wanted. It's started. Then I take out the gun.

The place is suddenly a mess. The teacher stands in front of the blackboard all white and shaky and everyone else ducks under their desks, screaming. Only Marco don't duck under. He eyes me the way he would if I decided to let myself be examined willingly. That gets me. Makes me even more mad. All the anger I've been bottling up inside of me bubbles up to surface. Before I realize it, I ruin my act by screaming.

"You see who's the top man now, you bastards! All this time you thought it was Marco who skinned all those animals, who cut off their parts, huh? Well you were wrong! Because all this time, I wasn't the one who was afraid! It was Marco! He might have taught me the beginnings, but I'm gonna carry this game farther than he ever did! I'm gonna take the game to the next level, so everyone..." (I eye them all as best as I can under the desks) "...everyone knows my name! It's Mike! Mike "Marv" Raleigh! So you remember it! Remember!"

Suddenly, Marco starts walking over to me, hand outstretched as if he wanted me to hand over the gun. He don't seem afraid, only his breathing is a little shallow. My heartbeat measures his steps. I realize suddenly he must've been in this situation sometime before. Maybe with his dad. He stops a few paces away from me. Anna screams and that get me even madder.

"Mike, this is between me and you," he says. To hell with his fine talk! "Give me the gun and everything'll be okay. No-one doubts your being the top man now. I don't either. Just give. Me. The. Gun."

He speaks the last words apart as if they needed to sink into my brain deep enough for me to get it. What gets me is that he don't raise his voice at all. He speaks even lower than usual. This ain't the way I imagined it would be. He wasn't supposed to twist the situation so that all of a sudden he makes himself a hero!

"No way!" I shout back at him. My voice trembles a little and I realize it's not by fear but rage.

"Just let the teacher and the rest go!" he demands of me. I look around and see most of them have edged toward the door while I wasn't paying attention anyway.

"Yeah?! So they can call someone here and stop me?! I don't think so!" I shout at him and point the gun in his chest. I cock the safety off. Everyone freezes in their tracks. Nobody dares make a sound and the teacher looks like she might faint any minute. I close my eyes and concentrate just on my hate and try to block out all the disturbing factors. After some time I realize Marco's talking. I try to block him out, but it's useless. His voice gets to me through some kind of fog, but I hear him anyway.

"I thought you got to know a long time ago and I wondered you still wanted to be friends with me. When we stopped talking, I thought for a while you were just jealous at me, but then I realized it can't be that because you hated me too much. And then it hit me. You must have found out. Maybe your mom told you. I didn't know how, but everytime I saw you and you looked at me, I was more and more sure you knew. I tried to talk to you and explain, say I'm sorry, but you woudn't let me," he pauses a little to make a dramatic effect. "I want you to know I'm sorry. But there was nothing I could've done. He was already halfway toward me by the time it hit me what was happening. But I want you to know you dad died a hero. If I could pick a dad, I'd pick yours instead of mine. I'm sorry."

It takes a minute or two for me to realize what he's talking about. So the dream was true! And mom was true! Daddy did die a hero! He wasn't drunk and run over by a car! But then it hits me. How come she never told me?! How come I have to get to know from Marco?! And then I realize the whole truth. It was Marco who caused the accident! It was him that my daddy saved that day! It's his fault my dad's dead! And he dares to pretend to be my friend! The murderer of my father!

It only takes one shot to make sure the bastard don't breathe the same air as me any longer. I don't care what happens to me now. Marv died in the end, too. But at least now everyone'll remember my name. Someone might even put down my story from the time it got interesting. And then the whole world will know my story. And my name.

Mike Marv Raleigh.