On February 14, our parents got ready for work, kissed us on the cheek and we wished each other a good day. After we left, rushing out the door to catch the bus, we assumed we would be safe and would return home safely. But for some parents, that was the last time they ever saw their children alive.

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, one of the most deadly, changed the course of the United States forever. Nikolas Cruz is no longer just a “weird” kid that creeped students out, but yet one of the many school shooters that will go down in history.

Cruz is a tormented soul, who lived a tormented life. With both his his parents dead, and evolving mental issues, we can’t help but ask, “Did any notice?” or more importantly, “Did anyone care?” Students often described Cruz as ‘weird’, mostly because he has a fascination with guns. Cruz often posted strange and threatening messages on YouTube and Instagram. Cruz even made a post stating that he would be “the greatest school shooter ever.”

The shooting left 17 killed, 14 students and three teachers.

We later found out the FBI received two tips six months prior to the shooting. I guess the FBI was too busy hopelessly scrambling to find ‘something’ on Trump, instead of doing their actual job, and protecting innocent children.

It is also hard not to blame the teachers and administration, who were well aware of Cruz’s state of mind. Again they are the adults, and we are children, and as teachers they are partly responsible for the well-being of children, especially at such the vulnerable stage of high school. Yet they all stayed away from Cruz, like he had a disease. For those who believe students are the ones to blame, just remember, we are the children, and they are the adults.

We all would like to think that we are the hero. The one trying to help the tortured soul, the one being nice to that one weird kid, the one taking the bullet. And by no means do I think that anyone deserved to die for Cruz’s own downfall, because he is to blame too, but if we can learn one thing from school shootings, it is that we have few brave heroes that emerge; most are cowards who kept things quiet. Everyone is to blame.