Creation Of A School Shooter
Excerpt: ……It has only been two days and already everyone knows why Angelo left. Their attention turns to me.
“What happened to the fat baby? Did he cry?”
I ignore them. That only makes it worse.
“Are you going to leave now? Are you going to cry? Are you a fat baby, or are you just a baby fatty?”
And there it is – the nickname that sticks. I am no longer called by my name. I am no longer called by any other names. I am only called by one.
As I alone leave for the day, in unison, as I exit the gates of the schoolyard, “Bye-bye baby fatty” resonates louder than Sweeny’s bell.
I bawl the entire walk home. I want to tell my mom, but can’t. It will break her heart. When she found out why Angelo left school, she turned to me with such hurt in her eyes and asked if I too was being picked on. Seeing that hurt left me with only one option. I told her “No.” I can’t very well go in to the house sobbing, and now tell her the truth.
For some, school is a nightmare. Each and every day made a living hell by those who are stronger, bolder, without kindness or compassion.
What happens to one who lives in fear?
One who is pushed to their breaking point?
One who simply wants to be accepted?
We can’t escape the headlines of mass murders occurring in our schools. The very place where children are sent to be educated. The very place where they should be safe and free from danger.
Sadly, school shootings have become the new normal. These horrific crimes and events lead us to ask –
Is a mass murderer born or created?
What makes a school shooter?Is it availability of guns?Is it mental injury or illness?
Could it be something else? Shouldn’t we look for a cause?
Now more than ever people need to read "Tortured and Tormented"
This novella explores these questions.
The Author’s Philosophy
Joe Leonardi, who hosts his works on his official site Short Story Scribe, describes himself not as a rigid essayist or English professor, but as a pure storyteller. He emphasizes that the emotional core and truth of the narrative itself matter far more than flawless sentence structure or technical grammar perfection. Many of his works touch on dark, heavy themes of mental wellness, despair, and trauma — focusing on substantial psychological, emotional, and health-related themes
.About the AuthorLeonardi identifies primarily as a storyteller rather than a formal academic, emphasizing raw, narrative-driven impact over rigid grammatical structures. His personal website and bibliography can be explored via his Amazon Author Profile.
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