Why Would You Do That?

       At first glance, Brent seems to be quite normal. In fact, he is actually quite popular, or at least he claims so. "I really started to hate GT (Gifted & Talented group of students). I started calling it Goobers and Twerps because all of the kids that were in it were real dorks. None of the cool kids were in it, None. Well, one, if you count me"p. 8. Although he might have a problem with being humble, he did seem "cool". Brent was funny, he had friends, and he was good with the girls (especially with Abby, whom he got quite intimate with on the bus ride). 

        However, he begins to tell us that he has suicidal tendencies and has tried to kill himself a couple of times already. This is the part that really confuses me. He is not bullied or mistreated by anyone, so why do this? Even if you are a victim of bullying it is no excuse for suicide, nevertheless Brent Runyon was normal and popular. It really makes me wonder what is going through his minds. Life is a precious thing that we all must value and appreciate.

       After an incident in gym class where he purposely started a fire in the locker room, Brent seems to have gotten in a lot of trouble. The school claim they will expel the person responsible. Brent finds out that they will use fingerprints to find whoever is guilty. Suddenly he decides he is going to burn himself. First I thought he was joking, but when he gets home Brent pours gasoline on himself and lights a match.

Vocabulary:

1) arson: (noun) the act of intentionally or recklessly setting fire to another's property or to one's own property for some improper reason

2) clot: (noun) a mass or lump, as of coagulated blood