The Principal Rushed In and Asked, “Who Does This Green Backpack Belong To?”

She left before we could respond. That meant four suspects remained: Priya, Leo, David, and the other freshman girl.

Unless the police were wrong and none of them had brought the gun. Unless it was someone else entirely and the green backpack was a red herring.

My head hurt trying to piece this together. The threatening texts suggested someone was watching me, someone who didn’t want me investigating.

That meant the person was still on campus, still free, still armed. Officer Banks appeared in the doorway.

“Kyle, Kareem, conference room now.”

We followed him back. The conference room was more crowded now.

Principal Garrett, Detective Voss, Officer Reyes, and two more uniformed police officers I hadn’t seen before were there. A man in a suit introduced himself as District Attorney Fletcher.

This was getting serious. DA Fletcher sat down across from us.

“Gentlemen, we have a situation. Someone brought a loaded handgun to school today in a green backpack. We’ve searched five of the six suspects. All clear.”

He paused for effect.

“That leaves one. David Guian has refused to consent to a search, which is his right, but it also makes him our primary suspect.”

“We’re obtaining a warrant now, but that takes time. In the meantime, David is in an office with supervision. He can’t leave campus and he can’t access his locker.”

DA Fletcher leaned forward.

“Here’s where you two come in. Both of you have had contact with David. Kyle, you’ve had classes with him. Kareem, you’re in his gym period. We need to know anything you can tell us about him: friends, social media, behavioral changes, anything that might help us understand why he’d bring a weapon to school.”

I thought about David. Quiet, headphones always on, sat in the back of every class.

I’d never had a real conversation with him.

“I don’t know him,” I admitted. “We’ve been in the same classes for two years, but we’ve never talked.”

Kareem nodded.

“Same. He keeps to himself, never causes problems, never participates in anything.”

Detective Voss pulled out her phone and showed us David’s social media profile. It was sparse.

No posts, no photos, just a default profile picture.

“He’s a ghost online. No digital footprint. That’s unusual for a teenager.”

She was right. Everyone our age lived online.

The fact that David didn’t was strange. DA Fletcher stood up.

“Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to bring David back in for another round of questioning while we wait for the warrant. You two are going to stay here in case we need more information. Your parents have been called. They’re on their way.”

My mom was coming. That meant this was really serious.

She worked forty minutes away and never left early. Kareem looked sick.

His parents were strict. This was going to be bad for him even though he hadn’t done anything wrong.

We sat in silence waiting. Twenty minutes passed, then thirty.

Finally, the conference room door opened and Officer Banks brought David in. David looked different.

His headphones were gone. His hands were cuffed in front of him.

His face was blank, completely emotionless. He sat down in the chair across from us without making eye contact.

Detective Voss sat next to him.

“David, the warrant for your locker will be here in approximately fifteen minutes. You can make this easier on yourself by consenting to the search now. Tell us what’s in your backpack. Tell us why you brought it.”

David said nothing. He stared at the table like he was looking through it.

Detective Voss tried again.

“David, bringing a weapon to school is serious, but your age works in your favor if you cooperate. If you explain why you felt you needed protection or were scared or whatever reason you had, that helps you. Staying silent only makes this worse.”

David finally spoke. His voice was quiet and flat.

“I want a lawyer.”

DA Fletcher sighed.

“You have that right. We’ve contacted your parents, and they’re bringing an attorney. Until then, you won’t be questioned further.”

They took David out. Kareem and I sat there in stunned silence.

David had asked for a lawyer. That seemed like an admission of guilt.

Why else would you lawyer up unless you’d actually done something wrong? But there was something about his face, that blank expression.

It didn’t look like guilt. It looked like resignation, like he’d expected this to happen, like he’d been waiting for it.

My mom arrived first. She burst into the conference room and immediately hugged me.

“Are you okay? What’s going on? They said something about a weapon.”

Principal Garrett explained the situation. My mom’s face cycled through shock, fear, and anger.

“And you searched Kyle? You suspected my son?”

“Everyone with a green backpack was questioned, Mrs. Brennan. We had to eliminate all possibilities. He’s cleared though, completely cleared.”

“Yes, Kyle is not a suspect.”

My mom’s grip on my arm tightened.

“Then we’re leaving now.”

Principal Garrett shook his head.

“We need him to stay in case we have more questions about what you just said.”

“He’s cleared! You have your suspect, that boy David. So Kyle is going home unless you’re charging him with something.”

DA Fletcher intervened.

“Mrs. Brennan, your son received threatening text messages earlier today, messages that suggest someone is trying to intimidate him into staying quiet. We believe Kyle might be a witness to something he doesn’t realize he witnessed. Keeping him here keeps him safe and gives us time to investigate those threats.”

My mom looked at me.

“Threatening texts, Kyle?”

I showed her my phone and the messages. Her face went white.

“Oh my god.” She turned to DA Fletcher. “You need to find who sent these. My son is in danger.”

Kareem’s parents arrived minutes later. His father was tall and imposing.

His mother moved with quick, precise gestures that showed her agitation. They had a similar reaction to my mom: anger that Kareem was being treated like a suspect, relief that he’d been cleared, and fear about what this meant.

The conference room was getting crowded. There were six adults plus Kareem and me, plus law enforcement.

Principal Garrett suggested we move to the library for more space and more privacy. We relocated and sat around one of the large tables usually used for group projects.

This felt surreal, like a scene from a TV crime drama, except it was happening to me in my school, in my real life.

Officer Banks came in with an update.

“The warrant came through. We’re searching David’s locker now.”

Everyone waited. Five minutes felt like hours.

Then Officer Banks came back. His face was grim.

“We found a green backpack. Inside was a loaded 9mm handgun, fifteen rounds in the magazine, one in the chamber.”

My mom gasped. Kareem’s mother put her hand over her mouth.

That was a lot of bullets. That wasn’t protection; that was planning for something terrible.

DA Fletcher stood.

“Where’s David now?”

“Custody. We’re processing him for bringing a weapon onto school grounds. His parents and attorney are with him.”