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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Mystery
- Subject: Crime
- Published: 06/27/2014
Coloring Outside of the Lines
Born 1995, M, from Kentucky, United StatesColoring Outside of the Lines
By Joseph Logsdon
Randy Newman hated himself and everyone around him. He didn’t see decency or kindness in anyone. As a young boy, Randy was bullied by his fellow classmates. Randy was weak, delicate, and inquisitive. He loved to read and he loved to explore the world around him. The other kids hated him because he was too fragile to play sports. Randy wanted to be left alone, but was sadly forced to interact with bitter and hateful children.
Randy remembered the first day he started school. The other kids were coloring and staying within the lines of their drawings. However, Randy wanted to color outside of the lines. Randy’s teacher saw this and walked over to his desk.
“Why aren’t you staying within the lines, Randy?”
“I like coloring outside of the lines.”
“Why is that, Randy?”
“I like to do different things with my marker.”
“Randy, I want you to stay within the lines.”
“But why?”
“Because that’s how it should be done.”
Young Randy knew that his teacher was wrong, that she was only trying to prevent his creativity from growing. Throughout the years, things did not get better for Randy. He was bullied and rejected endlessly. When he turned eighteen, Randy decided that life was too much for him. Randy was failing all of his classes and his parents were pressuring him to succeed in a horrible and miserable world.
Randy came home from school one afternoon looking as if he had been beaten to death. His mother barely looked at him and his father didn’t even notice him at all. The world seemed to stop around him as his mother finally took notice of his wounds.
“Who did this to you?”
Randy did not answer his mother, for he knew that she did not truly care about him. His mother only cared about her reputation and appearance. Randy’s mother had spent a fortune on plastic surgery. He could see the vanity in her greedy eyes. Randy hated his mother for neglecting to love him and not being there when he needed her.
“Answer your mother!” she shouted.
“Why do you even care who did this to me?” Randy replied.
“I want you to be safe.”
“I don’t want to hear your shit and lies anymore!”
“Go to your room!”
“Or what?”
Randy’s mother paused. Tears of anger filled her eyes as the tension grew in the room.
“You’re no son of mine, Randy. You let everyone kick you around, you know that? I wish you could have been a little more appreciative of all the pain and heartbreak that I had to suffer through when giving birth to your ungrateful little ass!”
“Didn’t you think I suffered as well? It was difficult coming out of your cheap and whorish womb,” he said with a slight smile.
“Get out of my house!”
Randy slowly made his way out the door as snow fell upon the house. His father remained silent throughout the entire argument, for he stopped looking at his supposedly pathetic child long ago. Randy roamed the streets and found that the world was a very dark place. As nightfall came, Randy’s soul became tormented with anger and vengeance. Everyone hated him, even his own mother. Randy made the decision then to punish everyone who had wronged him over the years.
Randy attended school the next morning and he had a plan to finally rid himself and others of life. He would have to be patient, silent, and deadly for his plan to come to life. Randy had to wait until his third class before he could finally do the deed. Randy hated Mr. Lockwood and wanted to make him pay for failing him two years in a row. Randy could feel the anticipation in his bones and wanted to unleash his wrath as soon as possible. However, he would have to wait until Mr. Lockwood called him up to his desk. Randy knew that his actions would only lead to death, but he didn’t care. In Randy’s mind, society had painted him into a corner and there was no way out. Randy had no future and would only live a slow and boring life if he were to continue to live.
Randy sat at his desk and tried to concentrate on the task he had set for himself. He looked at the kids around him and thought about their useless lives. Most of them would go to college and experience a mediocre education. They would get married and have spoiled children. In Randy’s troubled mind, no one was different or unique. Everyone was the same and they all deserved the same fate.
“Randy, I would like to see you,” Mr. Lockwood commanded.
Randy knew that the time for action was coming and that he couldn’t afford to make a mistake. Randy slowly approached Mr. Lockwood’s desk. Mr. Lockwood was a hard and stern man, a man of incredible presence and authority. Everyone was intimidated by him, but not Randy. Randy feared nothing, for life meant nothing.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Lockwood?”
“How many times have you taken my class?”
“Three or four times,” Randy replied.
“Which is it, three or four?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You’re never sure of anything, you know that? Randy, you are failing my class again for the third time. Why do you think that is?” Randy asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Think about it for a moment.”
Randy paused for a brief moment. He thought about acting, but decided to wait a little longer. In Randy’s mind, Mr. Lockwood represented every fear and worry that he had ever had. Randy hated him and his pompous mannerisms. What could he possibly know about teaching kids? Randy knew that Mr. Lockwood had only been hired because he was the cousin of a school board member. Randy saw hypocrisy in everything and he wanted the pain of seeing what others could not see to end.
“Why are you failing my class, Randy?”
“I don’t’ know.”
Anger filled Mr. Lockwood’s eyes, anger that would ultimately trigger Randy’s outburst. The other students watched as things became tense between student and teacher.
“You’ll never amount to anything, Randy. You think you know what the world is like, but you have no idea. Randy, you’re nothing but a punk and a thief. I know about your past, about your insane mother and deadbeat father. There was a time when I thought you could rise above your background, but I was an idealistic fool for thinking so. You’ll never amount to anything as long you continue down this destructive path.”
Randy could not stand the anger that was building in his heart. Lockwood had driven him to the point of no return and there was no going back.
“You don’t know anything about me, Mr. Lockwood! I have suffered and seen things that you will never understand. What right do you have to judge me? All my life, people have looked down on me. I was never good enough for anyone, not even my own family. I hate this world, Mr. Lockwood. In some ways, you helped me realize that.”
“What do you mean?” Lockwood asked.
Randy knew that it was time to fulfill his greatest desire. He pulled out a knife from his pocket and cut Lockwood’s throat. Randy then turned and proceeded to stab several of the fleeing students. An alarm sounded, causing the school to automatically go into lockdown. Randy had killed three people by the time the lockdown had started. Blood was on his hands and it could not be removed. Randy wandered the empty halls. The young man thought about his miserable life, about all of the people who had wronged him. It was not long before the police arrived. Randy was about to finally get his wish.
All was silent as he walked out the front door. Randy held the knife in his hand and he would not let go of it. The knife represented salvation, a salvation that would end his painful reality.
“Stay where you are!” the police officer commanded.
Randy had no intention of staying where he was. In his troubled mind, the police officer standing in front of him was the key to his eternal salvation. He came closer and closer. The police officer did not want to shoot a young man of eighteen, but he had no choice. In his final moments, Randy thought about his first day of school, about the teacher who had told him to color within the lines of his drawing. He then realized that his madness had started when he was told to color within the lines. That was his final thought before the police officer fired two bullets into his chest. Randy fell to the ground, but he did not die.
A few weeks later, Randy woke up in the hospital. His plan to kill himself had failed. His trial was short and his sentence was long. Randy still hated the world when he was sent to prison, but he learned to live with that hatred for the rest of his life, for that punishment is worse than death.
[Note: The author's story "Escape" is a continuation of this story.]
Coloring Outside of the Lines(Joseph Logsdon)
Coloring Outside of the Lines
By Joseph Logsdon
Randy Newman hated himself and everyone around him. He didn’t see decency or kindness in anyone. As a young boy, Randy was bullied by his fellow classmates. Randy was weak, delicate, and inquisitive. He loved to read and he loved to explore the world around him. The other kids hated him because he was too fragile to play sports. Randy wanted to be left alone, but was sadly forced to interact with bitter and hateful children.
Randy remembered the first day he started school. The other kids were coloring and staying within the lines of their drawings. However, Randy wanted to color outside of the lines. Randy’s teacher saw this and walked over to his desk.
“Why aren’t you staying within the lines, Randy?”
“I like coloring outside of the lines.”
“Why is that, Randy?”
“I like to do different things with my marker.”
“Randy, I want you to stay within the lines.”
“But why?”
“Because that’s how it should be done.”
Young Randy knew that his teacher was wrong, that she was only trying to prevent his creativity from growing. Throughout the years, things did not get better for Randy. He was bullied and rejected endlessly. When he turned eighteen, Randy decided that life was too much for him. Randy was failing all of his classes and his parents were pressuring him to succeed in a horrible and miserable world.
Randy came home from school one afternoon looking as if he had been beaten to death. His mother barely looked at him and his father didn’t even notice him at all. The world seemed to stop around him as his mother finally took notice of his wounds.
“Who did this to you?”
Randy did not answer his mother, for he knew that she did not truly care about him. His mother only cared about her reputation and appearance. Randy’s mother had spent a fortune on plastic surgery. He could see the vanity in her greedy eyes. Randy hated his mother for neglecting to love him and not being there when he needed her.
“Answer your mother!” she shouted.
“Why do you even care who did this to me?” Randy replied.
“I want you to be safe.”
“I don’t want to hear your shit and lies anymore!”
“Go to your room!”
“Or what?”
Randy’s mother paused. Tears of anger filled her eyes as the tension grew in the room.
“You’re no son of mine, Randy. You let everyone kick you around, you know that? I wish you could have been a little more appreciative of all the pain and heartbreak that I had to suffer through when giving birth to your ungrateful little ass!”
“Didn’t you think I suffered as well? It was difficult coming out of your cheap and whorish womb,” he said with a slight smile.
“Get out of my house!”
Randy slowly made his way out the door as snow fell upon the house. His father remained silent throughout the entire argument, for he stopped looking at his supposedly pathetic child long ago. Randy roamed the streets and found that the world was a very dark place. As nightfall came, Randy’s soul became tormented with anger and vengeance. Everyone hated him, even his own mother. Randy made the decision then to punish everyone who had wronged him over the years.
Randy attended school the next morning and he had a plan to finally rid himself and others of life. He would have to be patient, silent, and deadly for his plan to come to life. Randy had to wait until his third class before he could finally do the deed. Randy hated Mr. Lockwood and wanted to make him pay for failing him two years in a row. Randy could feel the anticipation in his bones and wanted to unleash his wrath as soon as possible. However, he would have to wait until Mr. Lockwood called him up to his desk. Randy knew that his actions would only lead to death, but he didn’t care. In Randy’s mind, society had painted him into a corner and there was no way out. Randy had no future and would only live a slow and boring life if he were to continue to live.
Randy sat at his desk and tried to concentrate on the task he had set for himself. He looked at the kids around him and thought about their useless lives. Most of them would go to college and experience a mediocre education. They would get married and have spoiled children. In Randy’s troubled mind, no one was different or unique. Everyone was the same and they all deserved the same fate.
“Randy, I would like to see you,” Mr. Lockwood commanded.
Randy knew that the time for action was coming and that he couldn’t afford to make a mistake. Randy slowly approached Mr. Lockwood’s desk. Mr. Lockwood was a hard and stern man, a man of incredible presence and authority. Everyone was intimidated by him, but not Randy. Randy feared nothing, for life meant nothing.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Lockwood?”
“How many times have you taken my class?”
“Three or four times,” Randy replied.
“Which is it, three or four?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You’re never sure of anything, you know that? Randy, you are failing my class again for the third time. Why do you think that is?” Randy asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Think about it for a moment.”
Randy paused for a brief moment. He thought about acting, but decided to wait a little longer. In Randy’s mind, Mr. Lockwood represented every fear and worry that he had ever had. Randy hated him and his pompous mannerisms. What could he possibly know about teaching kids? Randy knew that Mr. Lockwood had only been hired because he was the cousin of a school board member. Randy saw hypocrisy in everything and he wanted the pain of seeing what others could not see to end.
“Why are you failing my class, Randy?”
“I don’t’ know.”
Anger filled Mr. Lockwood’s eyes, anger that would ultimately trigger Randy’s outburst. The other students watched as things became tense between student and teacher.
“You’ll never amount to anything, Randy. You think you know what the world is like, but you have no idea. Randy, you’re nothing but a punk and a thief. I know about your past, about your insane mother and deadbeat father. There was a time when I thought you could rise above your background, but I was an idealistic fool for thinking so. You’ll never amount to anything as long you continue down this destructive path.”
Randy could not stand the anger that was building in his heart. Lockwood had driven him to the point of no return and there was no going back.
“You don’t know anything about me, Mr. Lockwood! I have suffered and seen things that you will never understand. What right do you have to judge me? All my life, people have looked down on me. I was never good enough for anyone, not even my own family. I hate this world, Mr. Lockwood. In some ways, you helped me realize that.”
“What do you mean?” Lockwood asked.
Randy knew that it was time to fulfill his greatest desire. He pulled out a knife from his pocket and cut Lockwood’s throat. Randy then turned and proceeded to stab several of the fleeing students. An alarm sounded, causing the school to automatically go into lockdown. Randy had killed three people by the time the lockdown had started. Blood was on his hands and it could not be removed. Randy wandered the empty halls. The young man thought about his miserable life, about all of the people who had wronged him. It was not long before the police arrived. Randy was about to finally get his wish.
All was silent as he walked out the front door. Randy held the knife in his hand and he would not let go of it. The knife represented salvation, a salvation that would end his painful reality.
“Stay where you are!” the police officer commanded.
Randy had no intention of staying where he was. In his troubled mind, the police officer standing in front of him was the key to his eternal salvation. He came closer and closer. The police officer did not want to shoot a young man of eighteen, but he had no choice. In his final moments, Randy thought about his first day of school, about the teacher who had told him to color within the lines of his drawing. He then realized that his madness had started when he was told to color within the lines. That was his final thought before the police officer fired two bullets into his chest. Randy fell to the ground, but he did not die.
A few weeks later, Randy woke up in the hospital. His plan to kill himself had failed. His trial was short and his sentence was long. Randy still hated the world when he was sent to prison, but he learned to live with that hatred for the rest of his life, for that punishment is worse than death.
[Note: The author's story "Escape" is a continuation of this story.]
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