Chapter 24

Elliot squinted, trying to make out what it was. It looked like it was made out of plastic with some kind of pointy end the boy used to balance the device on, and he supported the back end with his index finger. Elliot frowned. It looked almost like…surely it couldn’t be…?

The boy picked it up. In the light streaming in from the windows, Elliot saw the item clearly

A box cutter.

His eyes widened, and he stiffened in his seat. Had the kid brought a knifeto school? Elliot took a deep breath as he glanced down on the seating chart to learn the name of the boy.

Kenny Coleman.

A small smile played on Kenny’s mouth as he kept his gaze trained out the window, looking completely relaxed, almost happy. He put the knife back down, rested it on the protruding blade, and slowly started spinning it with his thumb, index, and middle fingers. Round and round, without looking at it, the smile never leaving his face. Elliot gripped the edge of his desk so hard, his knuckles turned white.

Other students started noticing, and Elliot knew he had to act. But his mind was blank. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember what he was supposed to do. There was a plan for this sort of thing, that much he knew, but he couldn’t recall what it was. There was always so much information at the start of a school year, so much else occupying his mind, that he hadn’t paid enough attention to the emergency plan. Stupid.

Should he call someone? Or just walk up to Kenny and demand he hand the knife over? He had no way of knowing how the boy would react to any of his actions. Today was the first time he’d met this class.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, took a deep breath, and tried his best to be calm. He still had no idea what he was going to do when his racing thoughts were interrupted.

“Mr. Dunn?”

It was one of the whispering girls, and she pointed a thin, trembling finger in Kenny’s direction. All eyes were on Kenny by now, but it seemed like he was unaware of the stares. He kept spinning the knife, smiling that serene smile, as if it was a pen in his hand and not a weapon.

Elliot stood and stepped carefully around his desk, trying his best not to scare Kenny. He put his hands behind his back, his right hand grabbing his left and squeezing it hard. He turned his head and glanced at the seating chart again before clearing his throat.

“Sophia?”

The girl who’d alerted him, and who sat closest to Kenny, responded with a quiet, “Yes, Mr. Dunn?” without taking her eyes off the boy and his twirling knife.

“Would you please go and knock on Mrs. Stewart’s door in the room next to us? Tell her we have a situation and we need security.”

Kenny’s smile grew wider, no doubt having realized Elliot had detected the knife.

The girl stood and backed away from her desk, reaching for her friend who grabbed her hand without hesitation and hurried out.

As the door closed behind them, Elliot spoke up, “Kenny, would you please get back to your writing assignment?”

He wondered if his voice sounded as shaky and uncertain as it felt. All he could think was Hurry, hurry, but realistically, it would take several minutes before someone arrived to help.

“Kenny?”

The boy’s smile was so wide, it threatened to split his face in two, but it looked more strained than before. He rotated the knife faster, keeping his gaze averted from Elliot.

Elliot gestured to the rest of the students, trying to make them stand and move away from the situation. None of them paid attention to his hand signals, all eyes focused on Kenny. He was amazed that everyone remained so calm. It felt like he was the only one freaking out in a roomful of kids.

“Kenny, please?”

“No!”

The word was like a whip, and Elliot hadn’t even seen Kenny’s mouth move, but the smile faded. As he took a step closer, he detected a slight tremble in the boy’s hand.

“Don’t come any closer!”

Elliot froze, not wanting to provoke Kenny or force his hand. He hoped the situation was innocent and that he was over-reacting, but it seemed unlikely. Kids weren’t supposed to bring knives to school, and he had no idea what to do. It wasn’t like he’d taken classes in how to disarm preteens in college.

The students were getting antsy, whispering to each other, and fussed and fidgeted in their seats. The increased noise level made Kenny’s smile even more strained, and his eyes darted around the room, landing briefly on Elliot before moving away again. The hollow wildness in them made Elliot draw a breath. It was like Kenny hadn’t really been there at all.