Always be kind(Gail Moore) There friendship went back many years. She still remembered the first time they laid eyes on one another.
She was all of two years old and had had a brief chat through the crack in the fence. She then went inside and told her mum that she had found a boy that was going to marry her.
So that was the beginning of a long friendship. They played with each other everyday until they had both turned four Toddy was three weeks older than Jemma but he would not go to kindergarten without her.
On their first day at kindergarten they held hands nervously waiting to be introduced to the other children.

Toddy was so shy and relied on Jemma to pave the way for both of them.
He had come from a broken family and had lived with his grandmother and his mother next door to jemma for the past two years.

So here they were now friends for life. Soon after they started school together and again Toddy waited three weeks longer for Jemma to start.

Jemma’s mum bought two dozen lollipops every Friday for every child on the bus.
Jemma always saved the lime green one for Toddy.
This went on for years. Students tried to take Toddy’s green lollipop but Jemma stuck up for him and told them off.

You might say she was miss popular and he was the exact opposite.

Many years had come and gone and just like that they went form little kids to seniors in high school.
Jemma was still miss popular and Toddy, well he was just Toddy. No one noticed him, no one talked to him.
He came to school then went home. Every second week he went with his grandma and.
Visited his dad. His mum never went.
Jemma talked to Toddy about his dad and he just said he didn’t want to talk about him.

Jemma was the first to notice that his personality was changing. He got angry easily. She said she could fix him and gave him two lolly pops every Friday.
Held his hand every morning and told him to cheer up.

15th December was different though. He slammed the door, walked out onto the sidewalk and nearly yelled at Jemma.” I’m taking nanas car not the bus today, do you want a lift”
She declined, walked over told him to cheer up and gave him a lollipop for each hand.
She could tell he had been crying but said nothing. Probably something she would regret.

Jemma arrived at school and went to her first class. Just as she got to the door she heard a very loud bang, kids screamed and ran left , right and into her. Screaming , we have a shooter.
Under the desks everyone. The shooter came closer and closer. The door flung open with force. Bang, bang, bang. Someone fell on Jemma legs. She could see blood.
She covered her mouth with her hands trying very hard not to move and not to make a sound.
Closer and closer. The shooter came to Jemma. Knelt down beside her. It was then she could see it was Toddy. Tears rolled down her face.
Oh Toddy what have you done, what have you done!

Jemma , I just couldn’t take anymore. Everyone hates me , no one ever speaks to me. Not even my mother. She says I’m evenly just like my dad.
Then his voice changes he turned away from Jemma and shot another victim.
Turned back to Jemma and yelled . “ I am my fathers son” then he laughed.

He announced, “kind Jemma I would never hurt you”

At that moment someone came in with a rifle and shot Toddy right in the chest. He died there right beside her.

Medics arrive, police arrive, helicopters circled above. Children , parents and teachers congregate on the school field. Everything is chaos. Jemma’s parents find her after an alert cam over their phones.

Jemma is taken to the hospital then taken home by her parents, She is unharmed physically. Mentality she is messed up.
Police are at Toddy’s home next door. They remove the bodies of Toddy’s mother and grandmother. He had murdered them the night before.

Headlines read. 13 dead in yet another mass shooting.
Son of mass murderer follows in his father foot steps.
Jemma thinks , no wonder Toddy never talked about his father.

Jemma , never went back to school after that day. Every day she just sat on the porch looking at Toddy’s house. The lawns grew long. No one ever went near the place. Police tape still blocked the driveway.
Day after day Jemma just sat and looked at that house. She had lovely memories of her and Toddy playing together every day.
She repeated this everyday. Her mum and dad wanted her to go and live with her aunt in the city but she just sat. Every day reminiscing.

It was Christmas three years later that Jemma got out of bed, packed her bags. Went into her father shed. Picked up a large container of gasoline, walked next door to Toddy’s house, poured it all over the house and threw a match on it. She walked to the letterbox , stood there and said goodbye Toddy,
“I hope your next life is beautiful. I forgive you”

She was sure she heard Toddy’s voice saying Jemma always be kind.

Jemma then walked home picked up her packed bags and walked down to the bus station.
She never went back to that town again.

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