Friend turned almost school shooter

I had been friends with a boy since middle school. He was socially awkward and often seemed strange, but I had known him for a long time. He came out as pansexual and told me that he liked a boy at school. He asked me to help arrange a date, and I did. They went out a few times, but the relationship ended awkwardly.

Later, he told me that he liked a girl I knew and again asked me to arrange a date. I helped them meet. The relationship was intense and unstable. During their first date, the girl climbed down near a waterfall, became stuck, and needed police assistance. The relationship ended after she was hospitalized following a suicide attempt. I did not know what had led to it.

I apologized to my friend, and he told me that everything was fine. Soon afterward, he posted an alarming message on social media. He said that he was going to shoot up our high school and claimed to have a plan. He posted blueprints of the school and described where he would go first. He also dragged another student into the threat, even though that student was not involved and was horrified to see his name mentioned.

He targeted me specifically, called me terrible names, threatened me, and said that everything was my fault. Another student and I tried to talk him down through the social media post while other students made the situation worse with their comments. It was terrifying to see someone I had considered a friend describe an attack on our school in such detail.

I took screenshots and emailed them to the principal and assistant principals. They treated the threat as serious, and law enforcement became involved. Officers were present around the campus, and several students, including me, obtained restraining orders against my former friend. He was removed from the school and I never saw or heard from him again.

I never learned exactly what happened afterward. What stayed with me was how quickly a personal disagreement became a detailed threat against an entire school, with me singled out as someone to blame. I had helped him meet people because I thought I was helping a friend. I never expected that friendship to end with police involvement and a restraining order.