It started out as an ordinary day. Five high school students grabbed their lunch and sat down in the cafeteria, unaware that their lives were about to be changed completely. It was then that he walked in. His expression remained calm as he gripped his gun. He held it up, pulled the trigger, and suddenly six lives would never be the same.

Jaylen Fryberg, 15, was called the “Golden Boy” at his school. He was a football player, popular, and even voted Homecoming Prince on Oct. 19. According to his friends, he had begun to change when his girlfriend broke up with him. His mood was darker, and his tweets were hinting that his relationship wasn’t going well. Nobody knows why, but on Oct. 24 he made the decision to take his issues out on other people.

Around 10:30 a.m., Fryberg entered the cafeteria, walked up to a table, and shot five people in the back. The strangest thing is that these teenagers were his friends, and had done nothing to him. He even sent them a text inviting them to his lunch table that day, and also sent a selfie of himself with a gun to his ex-girlfriend. So far, three are dead, including Gia Soriano and Zoe Galasso, both freshmen. Fryberg also killed himself in the process. Andrew Fryberg, 15, Nate Hatch, 14, and Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, 14, are all still in critical condition. Both boys are the shooter’s cousins. How do the boys feel about being shot by their cousin? They forgave him.

The only reason why more people weren’t injured was because of a teacher’s fearless act. Megan Silberberger walked up to the shooter and grabbed his arm, so he couldn’t hurt anyone else. Silberberger is called a hero because of her courageous decision. While most people chose to run away or hide under tables, she knew that something had to be done to protect her students. There seems to be a common thread with most school shootings: a teacher is usually the one who helps stop it. As students, we never acknowledge the fact that our teachers constantly put our needs in front of their own. Even if it may not be as extreme as confronting a gunman, teachers have their own way of being selfless.

I honestly can’t tell you why this tragedy occurred. “Why?” seems to be the only question people ask when bad things happen. I don’t know why this “Golden Boy” would choose to take the lives of his friends. I don’t know what was so horrible in his life that made him take it out on the innocent. And I definitely don’t know what good will come out of this, but I know that there will be some. I wish I had the answers, but unfortunately, I don’t. I only wish that his friends and family had seen the signs before it was too late.