Everyone thinks that I’m a victim from the shooting. Some also call me a survivor, I’ve done the interview and the press, gotten used to the pity in people’s eyes when they looked at me, hell I even got free stuff because of it. “ Layla you’re so strong, you’re so lucky, I can’t believe she was your friend” people would say but no one knew the terrible secret I was hiding for over twenty years now.

“ Hey they’re finally killing that kid killer from your old town “ my roommate said as she handed me the morning paper. I looked at the headlines “MIRANDA LAMBERT. Child shooter to be put to death this weekend “

I put the paper away because I already knew what happened that day. I had to go back to my old town to see Miranda one last time.When I got to town I made a stop at the high school before heading to my parents house, nostalgia and dread washed over me as I stood in front of my old high school, where it happened, where I met Miranda.

Miranda moved to our town junior year of high school, she was tall and scrawny looking with short brown hair, blue eyes, lots of freckles and a round nose. I noticed she was sitting alone during lunch so I joined her, when I got close to her I realized why everyone was avoiding her, she smelled very bad and I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose

“You can just leave okay, I know I don’t smell good. Our shower and our water ain’t fixed yet and my momma won’t let me stay home “ . Miranda said

“No, no I’m sorry about wrinkling my nose, look let me help you. I’ve got some baby wipes in my bag. Let’s get you cleaned up”


Unfortunately while I was helping her out, the devil’s incarnate Bianca Wilson came into the bathroom with her minions; Sasha and Trudy. Her posse also included her boyfriend Chad and his friend Dave.Bianca and i weren’t best friends but we were cordial until the first day of freshman year when I had my period and soiled myself and she made sure to point it out to everyone to embarrass me, I was so humiliated but that incident cemented her as the ruthless mean girl everyone should watch out for. I kept to myself since then and steered clear of Bianca and her friends. Once a while they would knock into me on purpose in the hallway or spill something on me for no reason at all. Bianca and her friends looked Miranda and I up and down and sneered at us. They practically pushed us out of the way just to use the mirror.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse for Miranda they did. The next day to compensate for how bad she smelled she used a ton of hairspray all over her body because she couldn’t afford perfume or deodorant. One whiff of her and Bianca named her hairspray.
“ Yesterday you smelled like garbage and today you smell like cheap hairspray? Wow you must really come from the gutter New girl “ Bianca said and the whole class burst out laughing. After school that day I invited Miranda to my house and offered her deodorant and some of my clothes. I also invited her to shower at my place anytime she wanted. She was so emotional and told me her story. She and her parents had just moved to our town from Texas and were really struggling financially. We bonded over how much we hated Bianca, and honestly before we had that conversation I didn’t realize how much I hated Bianca and her friends and how much I was affected by what she did to me. Miranda and I became very close after that day, I went to her house often and she came to mine and we spent a lot of our time together.

One day after gym class when we were all getting dressed after we showered, Miranda and I realized that her clothes were missing. I quickly jumped into action and looked everywhere for it but it was nowhere in sight. I noticed that Bianca, Sasha and Trudy were giggling so I went up to them. Bianca had ordered them to throw Miranda’s clothes away and now she was in the girl’s locker room naked. I rushed to the bin but it was trash day so all the bins were empty and nothing from the lost and found fit her.Miranda had to stay in the locker all day till school was over and I got clothes from home for her. I was so angry and so was she, in my anger I said “ Miranda why don’t we kill those brats. It’ll be so easier for everyone if they didn’t exist “

“I don’t want to do that Layla, I mean I know how to shoot and all but I don’t want to hurt anyone “ Miranda said

“ Do you want Bianca and her brats to treat you like dirt and less than nothing all of high school?, just think about it. She’s been working you over since you got here. Don’t be a wimp. Teach me how to shoot. Let’s do them in” I said
After much coaxing She agreed “ my dad has got a ton of guns and he taught me how to shoot before I could talk, like a real Texas girl”, I can teach you how to shoot if you want “ Miranda said.


We spent a lot of time together, shooting cans, birds, squirrels and other small animals and planning how we were going to kill Bianca and her friends. I know that in that moment I was angry and that I had suggested the idea in the first place but deep down I didn’t think that we would actually go through with it.
The day of the incident started like any other day, I waited for Miranda in front of the school and when she arrived she opened up her bag and showed me two guns.

“Today is the day Layla, one for you, one for me. Today we kill these bitches” Miranda said as she smiled

It was too real for me, in that moment it was happening too fast

“ I can’t do this Miranda. It’s actually killing people. I’m sorry.” I said and I ran into the school. I should have alerted a teacher or an adult about Miranda but I said nothing, I just headed off to class. I waited and waited for Miranda but she didn’t show up to class, She was absent for all our classes before lunch so I thought she had gone home. During lunch Miranda walked in, walked up to Bianca’s table, took out the gun and fired two shots into Bianca’s head. Everyone began screaming and running out of the cafeteria, I was too scared to move so I saw her proceed to shoot Sasha, Trudy, Chad and Dave. She then walked up to me and whispered “ That was fun, you should have done that with me “ .

The school’s security guard rushed in and tackled her to ground and took the gun and her bag. No one knew that she was just talking to me, everyone just assumed that she was going to shoot me next and I was seen as a victim and a survivor at that. No one also knew that I suggested the idea, trained for it and chickened out at the last moment or that I had seen her earlier with the guns and didn’t say a word and now 5 kids were dead because of me.


Miranda didn’t say much to the police which didn’t help her case that much. She had her head down throughout the trial and didn’t look anyone in the eye.My parents took me to a lot of therapy but I never told them how involved with Miranda I was, I had to attend all five funerals which was brutal because I didn’t care much for any of them. Seeing as I was the last person Miranda got close to and how we were friends, a lot of people wanted to talk to me, the police, tv stations and radio. My parents moved me to private school for the rest of high school and I went to college out of state.Miranda was taken to juvenile jail for a year till she turned 18 and now after 20 years she was getting the electric chair. At first I could barely sleep, I had a recurring dream where Bianca with a hollowed out head was chasing me through the school accusing me of her death. I even thought of telling my parents the truth or even the police to see if it would unburden me but I didn’t and I sleep much better now.


I walked out of my old high school and headed for my parents house to get ready to see Miranda again. I went to the prison the next day to see Miranda. When they brought her in I was surprised, she looked even more scrawnier, she had shaved all of her brown hair off but her eyes looked the same. We sat in silence for a while till she said “ I asked for Ice Cream and apple pie for my last meal “

“Oh good choice, gotta go out with a bang” I said and we both laughed

“ I’m sorry Miranda, for everything.” I said

“ There’s nothing to forgive Layla. Besides you suggesting murder didn’t actually mean I should commit murder , you know???

As they were taking her away, she looked back and asked me “ Why did you change your mind or come find me to stop me?”

“I think I was a coward, still am a coward “ I said

“Well, your secret is going to die with me .Will you be there tomorrow?” Miranda asked

“ I wouldn’t miss it” I said




THE END
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