Tim--A Better Future

Blake, who is roughly 16 years old, had a traumatizing childhood. He was bullied, picked on, and witnessed his parents’ divorce at the age of five. He would keep all that anger inside of him, and eventually take it out on someone who really didn’t mean to hurt and criticize his past.   At times, he would always look back at those memories and wonder, “Can I do anything, anything at all, to change my past?” To make things better? Until one night in an unusual cloudy part of Los Angeles.

            Blake woke up to his alarm clock at approximately 6:30 am to get ready for school. He performed the common morning routine, and took the bus that included the friends and peers isolating their “sections” of the bus from one another. As the bus came to a final stop, Blake saw something that he thought he wouldn’t have witnessed in a million years. Staring through the window of Blake was none other than his father. He stood there with a blank, emotionless expression marked on his face. Blake thought to himself, “Can it really be him?” The last moments he spent with his father were nearly 10 years ago. What can he possibly be doing showing up at Blake’s high school like this?

            As the horde of students were departing from the bus in a rather slow fashion, Blake abruptly shoved everyone out of the way with all of his might. Pushing the sliding doors open to swiftly come out, Blake scanned the busy street, searching for his father. He vanished. From that point on, Blake started to hate himself for missing that opportunity, to actually discuss with his father about a variety of topics. Why was he there? Was he happy to see Blake, or not? How come he waited a decade, just to see his own son all grown up? Fast forward to the middle of the day. It’s the beginning of 4^th period. Blake sat in his assigned seat, all the way in the back. Just when the teacher was about to start the class, There was a long screeching bell. This bell was to signal a lockdown. Teachers from all classrooms locked doors and closed windows to ensure safety in their students.

             Seconds after every classroom was sealed shut, an explosion was set off, in Room 207. That was Blake’s classroom. The explosion was strong enough to break down the door as a group of FBI agents flooded the room armed with handcuffs. They all threatened to shoot if every single person wasn’t on the ground. Blake was terrified and didn’t even know what to think. All of this was happening so quickly. Shortly after everyone was cuffed, Blake heard the voice. This particular voice sounded familiar. “Come with me for a better future.”