WHAT THEY WERE THINKING: A portfolio of images taken outside Santana High School in Santee, Calif., on March 6, the day after Charles Andrew Williams opened fire, killing two and wounding 13 others.

Photos by Taryn Simon/Interviews by Nancy Rommelmann

Erik Wallingford, 15, sophomore: ''I thought I could deal with it really good untilI came and saw the memorial, and then I started to crack up. My main concern is that my friend Randy Gordon is just going to be another number. I think he's the 27th person who's been killed in a school shooting in the past five years. We're still trying to figure out what we're going to do about his family -- his mom lives alone. I feel this is probably the worst day of my life, and it's probably the worst day of hers. Me and the cross-country team are trying to figure out what we can do to help. To honor his memory, we're going to put his initials on our track jerseys.''

Tony Kaiser, parent: ''I'm here to pay my respects. It's really kind of tough to be here. I was an hour away when I got the news, and it was the longest hour I ever spent, driving back, because you didn't know what was going on. As grateful as I am that the Lord spared my son's life, I got a craw in my throat thinking about why was my son spared and two boys weren't. That's an issue I'm dealing with right now.''

Sean Kaiser, 17, senior: ''I think it's going to be weird returning to school, but I think you have to do it to get over what happened. You'll never get over it, but you have to try. It's scary that someone might decide to bring a gun tomorrow, maybe, and do the same thing.''

Jenna Bobo, 14, freshman (left): ''It hadn't hit me yet -- I couldn't believe it. I was sad, and I was kind of mad at the shooter. He was in two of my classes last term, but I didn't really talk to him barely. I knew that he smoked pot and stuff, but I never thought he would do anything like that.'' Heather Bobo, 17, junior: ''I was walking through the hallway into the small quad, and I just saw this girl bleeding. We didn't know, maybe she got in a fight, and we heard pops. It didn't sound like a gun or anything, but everyone was running, so we just ran with the crowd. People were dropping their backpacks. It was a madhouse in the parking lot. I had 12 people in my car trying to get out. Santee is the 'Brady Bunch' neighborhood where you can leave your doors unlocked and everybody knows everybody, and for something like this to happen, it's really unreal. I think everybody's waiting to wake up from this nightmare. If this is what's happening to me now, I hate to think about, in 20 years, what will be happening to my kids?''

Steven Meincke, 16, sophomore: ''Andrew was my best friend. He was everybody's little buddy. He was just the kind, caring person that you could rely on. Hell, he'd take a bullet for me -- I'm serious on this. I don't know how I'm going to face people that I know that hate Andy because of what he did. Honestly, he wouldn't hurt a fly, he wouldn't. He was nice and kind. Seriously, the only way he shot those girls was because of an accident. I know for a fact he'd never shoot a girl. He'd never even hit a girl, because if he did, for one, he'd kick his own butt, and for two, I'd kick his. He'd stay at my house and everything. He was the best friend I could ever ask for. I could trust him. He never stole off me. I could give him stuff to hold on to. I don't care that he's done this. He's done it. It's done with, you can't take it back. I mean, he made a bad decision, but I still like him, he's still my best friend and I still love him like a brother.''

J.T. Faulkner, deputy sheriff: ''I stayed with the suspect from 10 o'clock until about 4:30 in the afternoon. At his age, when the realization actually sets in on what he's done, he'll probably go through a real down phase, but right now, all the celebrity that's involved -- I mean, look at all the cameras out here, this is all for him.Yesterday, when we came out of the station, a reporter was following us down the highway taking his picture; we had helicopters overhead following. He was . . . I don't want to say enjoying, but he was not unhappy with the celebrity he was receiving.''