Seventeen - Seventeens Terrifying True Teen Stories

You think you know the people you go to school with. But Kaylas classmate turned an average day into a nightmare!

As told to: Jane Bianchi

This fall marks the one-year anniversary of the scariest experience of my life. For me and the 23 students in my sophomore history class at Marinette High School in my small town in Wisconsin, its the day that Samsomeone wed gone to school with for six yearscame to class with a gun.

Back-to-school is definitely different this year. Everyone now realizes the impact of making stupid jokes, like saying Im going to kill you. Instead, the vibe in the halls is more about kindnessI feel closer to everyone now. People understand if Im still jumpy when someone drops a weight in the gym and why it gives me the creeps to walk by that classroom. I keep thinking of Sam, with his dark hair and beautiful smile, and will always wonder what made him do something so drastic. Though we werent close, Id known him since fifth grade. He was a nice, smart, quiet guy who never seemed sad or angry. He was known for being obsessed with the Packers, fishing, and Boy Scouts. But nobody ever thought that hed take us hostage.

TERRIFYING TRAP

It was sixth period, the second to last class of the day, around 2 P.M. We were watching a movie on historical heroestrying not to fall asleepwhen Sam went to the bathroom, saying he felt sick. When he came back, we snapped awake, because he was holding a gun and shot a bullet into our teachers desk! There was stunned silence. I held my breath and tried not to cry, afraid any sudden move would make him shoot again.

Without saying a word, Sam pulled a stool to the front of the room and faced us, jingling bullets in his pocket to let us know he had more ammo. It felt like an unspoken threat: If you move, Ill shoot you. I wanted to call 911, but Sam commanded us to put our phones in the middle of the room. I had no idea what he wanted from us. So I flipped over the worksheet on my desk and wrote a letter to my family, saying I love you, in case I died.

Minutes later, Sam asked in a mellow voice, Hows it going, guys? I thought it was weird that he was asking a casual question in such an intense situation. One brave classmate replied, Pretty good, you? That broke the ice. Then we all talked to Sam about the stuff we knew he liked. Our teacher mouthed, Keep talking. Anything that kept Sam distracted made us feel safer.

GREAT ESCAPE

For the next hour, we eyed Sams gun and kept the conversation going. After the final bell rang, school officials noticed that my class was missing, and our two principals stepped into the room. But when Sam pointed his gun at them, they left fast, looking pale with fear.

More hours passed, and all we could do was keep chatting. Then Sam let a few students go to the bathroom. Of course, they never came back. As they left, Id hear voices in the hall yell, Hands on your head! I felt hopeful knowing the police were outside, but the rest of us were still trappedSam said nobody else could leave.

Around 8 P.M., our conversation with Sam dwindled and he looked bored. Suddenly, he shot my teachers computer. I jumped back in my chair, and within seconds, a SWAT team knocked down the door and tackled Sam. My heart was pounding with fear, but I felt relieved that someone was saving us! Just before I ran out of the room, I heard a gunshot. I thought maybe the SWAT team had shot Sam. But the next morning I found out that Sam had actually shot and killed himself.

It was devastating. Well never know what made Sam do this. The police didnt find a suicide note, and there were no drugs or alcohol in his system. So it wasand still isa mystery.

MOVING FORWARD

My classmates and I werent the only victims. Sam was a victim, toojust in a different way. He must have been suffering inside. Of course Im angry that he put my life at risk, but I feel sorry for him. When I get overly anxious, I can see a counselor anytime. I just wish Sam were still here, so he could also get the help he must have needed.

Red Flags

What happened to Kayla came out of the blue, but sometimes there are warning signs.

• If a student says, Ill blow up this building, dont assume that he is kidding.
• Speak up if a guy at school is like, Check this out! and points to a knife or gun in his locker.
• When a classmate isnt acting like himself, dont keep it to yourself.

If you notice any of the above, tell a teacher or administrator ASAP.

Shannon, 17, never expected her low-key school break to turn into a scene straight out of CSI.

As told to: Jessica Press

Over winter break, I couldnt wait to just sleep in all week long. But one morning of vacation, I woke up early to a friends text message, and a few minutes later, I heard a car pull into our driveway. It just sat there with the engine running, and since I was home alone and wasnt expecting anyone, I was a little freaked out. I decided to call my boyfriend, Keith. He lives down the road, and I knew it wouldnt be a big deal for him to come by and check it out.

But as soon as I hung up with Keith, I heard the cars horn honking like crazy. Then all of a sudden I saw a big guy, more than six feet tall, run out of the car and right past my bedroom window. He started knocking on my front doorI figured he must have needed directions, like a lot of people who come to our door do. Before I could answer the door, the guy went from knocking on it to slamming his body into it, over and over! I went into major panic modeI didnt know what this guy wanted, but without thinking, I decided to hide right there in my room. I crouched against the wall behind an oversize amusement park teddy bear Keith had won for me one summer, and covered my head with a blanket. When I heard the front door fly open, I put my head between my knees, and started praying to myself: Please dont let him hurt me.

PARALYZED WITH FEAR

I heard the intruder stomping down the hallway, opening each of the doors. When he got to my door, my body went so completely still, I could barely hear my own breath. I heard the guy open the door, then close it and move on to my parents room. I could hear him rifling through drawers, when I suddenly heard another car pull into the drivewayKeiths truck! The robber must have heard it too, because the next thing I knew, he was opening my bedroom door again and scrambling into my closet to hide. I was freaking outhere was this crazy person hiding in the closet, which was just a foot away from where I was hiding! I was so terrified he would find me that my body froze. But after just a few seconds, the guy ran out of the closet, out of my room, and back down the hallwhere my boyfriend had just come in. I heard Keith yell, What are you doing hereyou dont belong here! Then I heard things being thrown around, and a huge thump that sounded like our Christmas tree toppling over. I was petrified thinking how he might hurt Keith, but I was too scared to leave my hiding spot. Then Keith yelled, Shannon, call the cops! The intruder must have thought he was just trying to scare him away. Youre not tricking me, he said. I know no ones home. He told Keith he was going to kill him, and my mind spun out of control.