I've often heard that when something bad happens to you, you see your life flash before your eyes: a sixth birthday party where the clown didn't show up and the sprinklers went off on the guests, soaking the presents and food. A fifth grade dance recital where your partner falls off of the stage and breaks her arm. An eighth grade graduation ceremony where your mother cries absently in the back, embarrassing you. Your first day of ninth grade, then tenth grade, then before you know it, you're a junior, watching your older brother become a senior.
It was amazing that you could even remember that stuff in the event of an accident, but I could. It was a chilly September night, and my older brother Michael had just scored the winning touchdown, leading us to victory against the Bonnerville Tigers. My parents were in the stands cheering, free for one night from my baby sister, Elle.
I was on the sidelines, conducting a cheer with my friends, waving pom-poms and jumping up and down, getting the crowd on their feet. I turned just in time to see my brother kick the ball over, winning. The crowd erupted and the football players surrounded him, lifting him up. The cheerleaders went nuts, all of us running onto the field, soon followed by the crowd, all of us chanting and screaming and hollering.
The opposing football players were amongst us, congratulating us on our win, not once sneering or acting sad. They were true sports.
When the hype had died down, and most of the crowd had left, my brother and I walked towards our waiting parents, who were smiling big.
"Congratulations, son." My dad said, clapping Michael on the back. My mother hugged him.
"Undefeated." I waved my pom-poms in Michaels face, causing him to laugh and shove them aside. "All thanks to you!"
"It wasn't all me. If Mitch hadn't takled that linebacker, we wouldn't have won." That was my brother. Always humble.
"We still have an hour before we have to relieve the babysitter." My mom said, looking at her watch and then at my dad.
"Pizza?" My dad asked us. We shrugged.
"Oh, come on." My mom said as we walked through the gates to the parking lot. "You can't tell me you're not hungry after playing and cheering for the past two and a half hours."
"Okay, maybe I am a little." I confessed. Michael nodded too.
"Then pizza it is." We got the car, my mom and dad getting in the front and me and Michael piling in the back like a couple of animals. My phone beeped, lighting up the car. Michael's did the same.
"Jules?" He asked. I nodded.
"Parker?" I asked him, and he nodded.
Party tn! @ Parkr's estate. U n? I shook my head and replied. MayB. Celebrating w/ the parents. What time?
"Same thing?" I asked Michael, leaning over and looking at his phone screen. "Yep."
Jules replied almost immediately. Last's until 2. I looked back at Michael. "Think we can make an appearance?" Where R U even? I asked her, knowing that she probably hadn't even left the field yet.
He shrugged. "Maybe. Depends."
Just left the field w/ Parker. Should B N town N 10.
"Depends on what?" Mom asked, looking back at us. "Already making party plans?" She shook her head laughing. "Kids."
"It's not that big of a deal." I said.
"You kids can go, but keep in mind that you have a curfew." Dad said, turning onto the main road.
"But," Our mom said, putting a hand on dad's shoulder. "We'll excuse it for one night, because we love you both."
"We love you too." Michael and I said at the exact same time. Dad looked back at us, and that's when everything changed. All I saw were bright lights. My mom screamed something inaudible. I felt myself moving forward, then slamming into Michael. I heard the crunch of glass and the squeal of tires.
It felt as if I was on a roller-coaster. I felt myself go up and down, up and down, up and then down on last time. There was a warm liquid spilling down my face, and I was laying in an awkward position. My feet were above me, and my torso was curved so I was resting on my elbows, which were on broken glass. My seatbelt was cutting into my aching chest. I looked down and saw blood all over my blue and white uniform. I looked over at Michael, who was slumped against the broken windown, cuts all over his face. His arm was hanging out the side of the window at an awkward position. There was blood all over his jersey. I tried to shake him awake, but my seatbelt was holding me back. The more I tried to unhook it, the tighter it felt.
"Shit." I said, starting to panic. I looked in the front seat. All I could see was my mom's feet. She had gone through the windshield headfirst. Tears streamed down my face. My dad's head was on the steering wheel and he had a shard of glass in his neck.
"Mom?! Dad?!" I screamed, or so I thought, but it wouldn't come out more than a whisper. My head was starting to hurt and the back of my neck was cramping. I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, so I closed them.
A car screeched to a halt. Car doors slammed, then footsteps. "Holy shit!" Cried a female voice.
"Don't get too close, Jules!" Came a male voice. Jules and Parker.
"Do you know who it is?" Jules asked.
"No! Be quiet, I'm calling 911." Parker said. "Yeah, hi, we have a car wreck on Maple Avenue. The corner of Maple and Highway F. It's pretty bad. Uh, I don't know. We just need an ambulance!" He screamed into the phone.
I heard footsteps approaching cautiously. "Shit! Parker!" She cried out. "It's-it's," I could tell she was crying because she was letting out heaving sobs. "It's..."
"Who?" I heard Parker's voice get closer. There were sirens wailing in the distance. "Holy fuck." He said. I could imagine what they saw: their two best friends, bloody and battered in a car accident, incoherant and one of them probably dead.
"Back up, the ambulance is here." Parker said, and I heard them walk away. The next few hours seemed like they went by fast. I felt a hand on my arm, then on my neck, checking my pulse.
"This one's alive!" An officer shouted. I heard Jules let out a sob of relief.
"This one too!" Another called from Michael's side. This time I let out a few tears. Thank God. Just then, I heard a loud noise next to my ears, but I was too numb to do anything.
Then I was being pulled carefully from the car. I felt cold hands under my arms, dragging me out. I felt a cushiony surface underneath me and realized that I was on a stretcher. Jules ran over to me.
"We'll meet you at the hospital!" She cried before the ambulance door shut and sped off. A light shone in my eyes, an oxygen masked was strapped to my face. Brighter lights, now. More voices. I was being rushed into the hospital. Stripped, cleaned, checked.
The last thing I heard before I drifted was my heart monitor.
So?? What do you think? I just wanted to try this out. If I get a positive response, then I'll post more! Keep reading/voting/commenting/fanning!
