Life Changes

Life Changes

"If you don’t hurry up, you’re going to be late for class." Kari scolded as her older brother stopped to look in the store window.

"Yeah, I’m coming," he said, his eyes gleaming over the motorcycle display, "Jeez Kari, you can be such a worry-wart sometimes!"

"I am NOT," Kari protested, "you don’t want any more notes sent home do you?"

Mark knew Kari had a good point; in the last month he had served detention twice because of tardiness. His birthday was coming up and Dad threatened he wouldn’t get his driver licence if he got another complaint from the school.

"Okay, let’s get going then," Mark laughed, one final glance at the bike in the window, "but it’s such a nice day, too nice to go to school!"

Dancing ahead of his young sister, Mark poked her side as he went by, grinning and crossing his eyes at her.

Kari had to laugh in spite of herself; her fifteen-year old brother could be such a goof. She was worried though, Mark had been goofing off a lot lately.

"Mark?" Kari called, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what do ya wanna know," he laughed "secrets to finding a hot boyfriend?"

"Ha!" she said, "No, I just wondered why you goof off in school so much."

Mark quit making faces at the seriousness on his sister’s face, "I don’t..." he started, "yeah, I guess I do sometimes, but life has to be about more than school and serious stuff."

"But Mark," Kari argued, "school is important. You want to go to college don’t you?"

"Yeah," Mark sighed, as they came to the gate of Columbine High School, "I do, anything to get out of here!"

It was April 20, 1999; at 11:17 a.m. the killing began.