Both of these boys' lives are ruined (one is dead, the other will be locked up for a very very long time).
Both of these boys' had terrible situations at home.
Both were outspoken in their own way. Brandon "who wouldn't back down in a confrontation" and would use his physical "prowess to intimidate others";
Larry who was his own person in a self assured, and self defensive, yet refused to change despite being a minority in the majority of his peers at his school.
Both of these boys had a lot of pride (and at their young ages were good at hiding their insecurities through their pride).
Brandon was secure in his physical prowess, Larry was secure in his sexuality.
Being that both of these boys had a great amount of "pride" in their own different ways, it is like a clash of the titans or something.. It seems almost as if they would be perfect rivals. Both did what they wanted to do, not caring what others thought.
From article:
"There are a lot of rumors," said Brandon's friend Jessica, who never saw any arguments between the two. "No one knows what was going through his head. No one really knows for sure."
The day of the shooting, Larry seemed upset, friends said. He had come to school looking different. Gone were the boots and makeup. He wore regular tennis shoes and had his hair gelled and carefully combed to the side, said seventh-grader Laura Gilchrist.
"I said, Dude, what's wrong?'" Matthew said. "He said, Nothing.'"
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/feb/24/it-doesnt-make-sense/
Something must have really scared Larry for him to change from what he normally wore, scared him very much that he couldn't be himself. Since he was very strongly his own person, i am wondering how many children may have instigated this murder between the two boys. Children, being kids may have been trying to instigate a fight, instead it was a murder.
"In the days before the shooting, Brandon was hanging out around Silver Strand with his friends, doing what they always did: sitting on the jetty, hanging around the taco stand.
Brandon's friend Lauren said the rumors about Larry "hitting on" Brandon were heating up. Kids were joking that Brandon must be gay if Larry was acting that way toward him."
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/feb/24/it-doesnt-make-sense/
Given the fact that Larry was scared enough to not even wear his normal attire to school and dress it down a notch, Brandon should have left it at that. Given Brandon's bullying nature, and we also don't know how much he may have internalized his anger over the years, he blew up, shot and killed Larry to "prove his masculinity". Children are often insecure in school, and for Brandon, it really bothered him that people would think "he would be gay if Larry was acting that way towards him". The normal thing for Brandon to have done was just shrug it off. To pursue the situation as he did, makes himself look more insecure, yet a 14 year old child most likely will not realize that at that age.
Brandon killed Larry to "prove" he wasn't gay; and because Larry was gay. If Larry had been straight, then he would not have been a threat to Brandon since then he wouldn't risk the rumor of being called gay himself. I think this was instigated by other children spurring him on with rumors.
I do wonder where Brandon was able to get the gun.
