The List

It's a new school year we have three new kids Demarco, Jeff, and Kent. I like Demarco he is a stud at basketball. Jeff I think plays soccer and Kent is pretty good at baseball. I head to Walnut where I get picked up by the bus to go to Avoca. I arrive to school and everything's going good. We have a first basketball game tonight. It's almost game time, we’re all stretching and watching the other team walk in. We go for jump ball and we won it. Joey goes down and makes a layup. We’re up by twenty at half. I step up to the three-point line and shoot; I actually make it! What a win for us, I mean Riverside isn't any good, but a wins a win.

I get to school the next day and unexpectedly Seth's still not here he's been gone for like three weeks and he won’t answer my texts. Now today Brady's gone and I'm not sure why either; it's starting to actually scare me kids are just not coming to school and not answering their phones. Now Mr. Ross is gone, I don’t even know what's going on. Are they all sick with something, have they been kidnapped, are they dead? I just don't want to be next.

The next day I got detention for talking again, but so did Joel. After the detention I had to go to basketball so Joel and I walked around for awhile instead of going. Weirdly Kent was waiting for Joel. He says “How's it going my man?”

Joel answers “ Pretty good man.”

“Hey I have something to show you.” says Kent

Im standing there confused I just say “Hey I got to go.” so I walk away slowly and then I hear Joel ask “What you want to show me.” Kent then pulls out a knife! I seen it all walking away I run towards him yelling “NO JOEL!” Joel tries to fight back. I run towards Kent and jump on his back he shrugs me off, I hit the floor and watched Kent take Joel away. I freak out and try to chase him. They hop in this big van and didn't noticed, I was following them then the driver yells “Hey he's following.” Kent throws Joel in the van then pulls a gun out and says, “ If you don’t back off I'm going to shoot you square between the eyes!”

I scream, “Joel!”

He yells back, “I'll be okay Brody.”

Almost Crying, I go back to the school and noticed a piece of paper on the ground .It has a whole list of names it's everyone in the eighth grade but Kent so it has to be Kents. I put it in my pocket and call my mom and tell her to pick me up. I tell her all about it on the way home. She kept telling me to stay calm, then she asked me to see the list. I handed it to her and she read it, then she noticed that after Joel was my name she started crying. I asked what was wrong she handed the list back to me I then I noticed to, I freaked out.

Next morning my mom didn't want me to go to school, but I told her I had to so I could stop them. I look at the list there is only two boys on the list left, and there Jackson and Gavyn. So I show them the list, they were shocked. Gavyn upset mentioned that I was next.

I told him, “I'll be fine.”

Gavyn says, “We got your back Brod right Jackson.”

“Yeah man” says Jackson.

“Thanks guys” I say.

I tell them we have to do something about this, they both agree. We start following Kent and taking notes. We all got together and talked about what we noticed. I say, well see ya guys I have to go to basketball. I get there, it was an easy practice. We’re all leaving practice and since Joey and Clayton are gone it's just me and Demarco sitting outside. This big white van pulls in and I notice instantly it's Kent's so I stand there in disbelief. He starts to walk towards me I yell for Demarco I start stumbling backwards the next thing I know Demarco grabbed me. I was scared Gavyn came sprinting towards me, he heard me scream, he tackled Kent. Gavyn and I got up and ran into the school they drove away. Gavyn and I each take some mopeds and chase the van. I get a call from Jackson I pull over and answer it he says he tracked everyone's phone to a house just up the road from Joel’s. Gavyn and I back off the driver before he notices were following him.

Next morning we all met together and took Gavyn’s mom's car down to the house I drive by slowly Kent, Demarco, and Jeff all got in the van. Jackson tells me just to go by and park at Joel’s and wait for them to leave finally they do. We walk up to the house the door of course is locked so we threw our weight into it and knocked it down. We stumble in, there's knives and guns everywhere. We hear some yelling, we run into this room they’re all sitting in chairs tied up looking at each other everyone is crying. Gavyn instantly goes to Lucas he cuts the rope Lucas then stands up and they hug. Lucas then run to Tristin and gets her out. I go to Joel we hug and get everyone else untied. They're all hungry because they got very little food. Mr. Ross suggest we take the food from the fridge, we’re all leaving the house with an armsful of food. We head to Joel’s and we see the van we hide behind some bushes and watch them walk in. They come out of the house screaming “NO.” We call the police they pull up to the house and arrest all three of them. They all thank Gavyn, Jackson and I, and walk back to there house with the biggest smiles.