Pages

Friday, October 20, 2017

"The Poor Blue Bug" by Taylor V



     It was junior year. The day had started off as normal as any other. I went to school, talked to friends, did my class work, and counted the down the minutes until school was over. At last, the final bell rang and the day was now able to begin. My friends and I hung out all night doing typical teenage things; listening to music, eating food, and enjoying each others company.
It was approximately 10:40 p.m, I started to drive my friends home- yet again another normal task to do. As I came down the street of Etiwanda, approaching the intersection of Highland, I had a green light. As any other driver would have done, I proceeded through the intersection. Unfortunately, a drunk driver was not paying attention to the bright red light that was ahead of him. I remember these next moments vividly.
Suddenly, our cars collided and a large crashing noise was heard. I saw as the front of my car shriveled up, the air-bag quickly inflated, smoke started to come from the front, and my blue Volkswagen Beetle started to spin faster than a merry-go-round. All I remember thinking to myself is “why me.” I was paralyzed in thought. Unable to react, I hadn't even noticed the car stopped spinning. “Taylor! Taylor get out of the car!” my friend exclaimed from the front seat. As I slowly re-entered reality, a rush of pain was felt on my stomach from the air-bag. I got out of the car and noticed myself limping due to pain on my left leg. This pain was unbearable, I wouldn't wish this pain on my worst enemy. I sat on the curb, crying hysterically, not knowing what to do. Luckily, God sent an angel to come help me in the form of a woman's body. “Sweetie, you have to call your mom. Sweetie please call your mo- Yes hello, 911?” I heard her say before I realized to call my mom. I raced to the car to grab my phone, which somehow ended up in the back. The cops and ambulance came and the sweet lady left. I never even got her name. I could barely get a word out to the officers in between my crocodile tears. I looked behind me and noticed my hurt friends and there was nothing I could do. I felt terrible. They trusted me to get them home safely and I failed them.
It seemed liked hours had went by, but in reality, minutes passed and everything began to settle down. I remember sitting on the curb with my friends, all of us w stained cheeks from our tears. As we stared at the wrecked blue bug, many thoughts ran through our head “Why us” “If only we were there seconds later” “What's going to happen”
The following week at school was the weirdest by far. I felt as if every person at school was just staring at me and my limp, as if I did something wrong. Rumors started to spread of what had happened. They made me feel as if it was my fault for the accident. I couldn't help to believe that it was. My best friend, at the time, did not talk to me for the entire week. On top of all the rumors spreading, my BEST FRIEND wouldn't even talk to me. This had put me even more down than I already was. I felt as if I had done something wrong, as if this whole thing happened because of me. I apologized for what I had done numerous times to my friends who were involved, and even their parents. My mom assured me that the accident wasn't my fault, but it was so hard to believe that I hadn't done anything wrong when rumors were spreading and I couldn't even get my own best friend to be there for me, as a good friend should.  
Moving on from this day, I've learned many things: be cautious when crossing an intersection, dont drink, dont drink AND drive, but most importantly, I learned to be strong, both mentally and physically. Mentally, I had to overcome my developed fear of driving. I am still working on my anxiety of driving at night and nearly six months later, I still avoid that intersection at any cost. I also had to learn to believe in myself. I had to believe that I had not done anything wrong to harm my friends nor to push away my friend. Physically, I had to learn how to make my soft and inflamed knee-cap strong again. It took months, but I am slowly starting to feel less pain in my knee. Everything happens for a reason, which is why I now believe that this happened to allow myself to make myself a stronger person. By believing in myself mentally, I was able to believe in myself physically and heal faster than the doctors said I would.
I adored my royal blue Volkswagen Beetle. Blueberry Azul Quavo Petunia, as my friends called my car, gave so many memories to my friends and I. From beach trips to spontaneous trips to get boba, my blue bug gave all of us joy. Tragically, my beloved blue bug was unable to be fixed, but my friends and I were able to walk away with not so serious injuries. I was devastated at the death of my car, but I had to understand that my friends and I physical health is far more important than any car. Although this accident impaired me both mentally and physically, it has made me by far a more stronger person.


          

34 comments:

  1. When I first started reading this I thought that it was going to be about a normal story about your daily life but as I continued to read, the story evolved to describe a tragedy that happened to you. I am so sorry to hear what happened and I hope you are doing much better now. The way you worded the story kept me interested the whole time and I can feel the strong emotion you have towards this incident in your life and how you are now a stronger person. Great job on this piece.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It’s good that you were able to recover from such a tragic incident and learn from what happened even though it was someone else’s mistake. Great post talking about a horrific yet plausible event and turning it into a positive message.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I cannot even imagine the pain and mental suffering that was caused by this car accident you were involved in. Car accidents are one of the scariest things a person can experience, and I can confidently say that you displayed it very well in your blog post. I also really enjoyed how you mentioned the life lessons you learned from it. I too believe everything happens for a reason, and that it teaches us something new that we can learn from. Your post is just one example of how a traumatic experience led to you changing your perspective and mindset, and taught you to be stronger both physically and mentally. Thank you for sharing this incident you experienced because it will definitely show people that everything happens for a reason.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Breanna Carrillo
    This was an amazing piece to read you had so much detail on to what happened with your car. I'm super glad you are okay! In overall this was a great story to read because it showed a life lesson to not only you but to the readers!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Reading this and thinking about how much this happens to others is one of the scariest things. It feels that more and more people don't get the memo that drunk driving is a serious manner and yet they continue to do it. luckily some people make it out fine, but what about those who don't? It's also annoying when people say they have a skill to drive drunk and make it home "safely". Good job

    ReplyDelete
  6. Woah. Although I've never been in a car accident, I felt the daze and confusion that you felt after the accident. The pain of the moment, the daze and hysteria, and most importantly the emotional pain that was felt after such an accident. When you wrote, "They trusted me to get them home safely and I failed them" I felt the guilt and pain that no teen should feel. Overall, very well written piece.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I’ve only ever been in a very minor accident and that in itself was terrifying. I can only imagine the terror involved in this situation and I’m incredibly sorry you had to endure someone else’s stupidity. The story was beautifully told and I could vividly see the scene and feel your pain. This has touched something in me about the value we put on material objects and the people we love.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Loved how you covered the social issues you faced in the aftermath of the accident. Sometimes that's the most frustrating part of an accident and you captured that perfectly.

    also rip bug D:

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your piece got me thinking about how terrifying it is to get into a car accident. I could only imagine the horror and pain you felt after everything happened. I'm glad no one got seriously injured. Your word choice really helps the reader feel as if they experienced everything with you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I always adore every time you’re able to talk about this subject so openly as I know how hard of a time it was for you. To put it on this for many of your peers to see, makes me so happy of how far you’ve come. Not everyone knows what can happen out of your control, and your piece really shows exactly that. Good Job.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is my very fear when I am driving, so I'm so sorry you had to go through that. The way you told your story was very compelling and raw, you put me right in the middle of your story. I am however really upset that your friends turned on you instead of understanding that there was nothing you could've done. I hope other students who read this understand the dangers of drinking and driving, along with learning how to grow after a tragedy strikes. You are incredibly strong and I wish you luck with overcoming your newfound anxiety.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Aw Taylor, I remember you telling me everything, but reading it again literally brought tears to my eyes. You described what had happened so well, and I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Keep being positive though, because you are such a beautiful person inside and out. I hope you know that nothing was your fault and your friends should be there to support you. I'm so proud of you for writing this and sharing your feelings since I know last year was difficult for you. Love you Taylor, good job!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Taylor, this story was incredibly moving. You are such a strong person for being able to conquer this obstacle and be able to write an entire blog post about it. I can't imagine the fear that you must have experienced or the hardship of your best friend not speaking to you. Thank you for a very candid and moving post!

    ReplyDelete
  14. At first I thought this was going to be a story describing your little bug, but throughout it you really described well what happened and how you have overcame this social issue. I'm glad you've accepted and moved on to be stronger not only physically but mentally as a person. Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank God no one died, what an incredible event. The story was well orchestrated and full of solid imagery. I was able to put myself in that same scenario wondering why would this happen to me?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Taylor you brought me to tears. The way you wrote with so much emotion and personally knowing you makes this piece so much more heavy. However, you took what happened and you grew with it. Thats the best thing you could ever do. Im proud of the way you overcame the accident. Not to mention your piece makes me feel like I'm watching an action movie

    ReplyDelete
  17. I don’t drink and drive but after hearing your story it makes me want to advocate more for not drinking and driving. Thank you for telling your story first hand. I don’t know you personally but thank you so much for sharing this and overcoming it. Especially when your best friend wasn’t there for you, you managed to push trough. You aspire me to be strong through the hardships life will give.
    Avalon Freeman
    Pd 2

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh my gosh taylor I'm so sorry that you had to experience something so hard and horrific. This literally brought me to tears just hearing that my little taylor had to go through this. Im so proud of how strong you've become and how much you've grown and i know that this experience has helped shape you into the great girl you are today. Continue to be strong and positive and great piece! Love you taylor!

    ReplyDelete
  19. When I first read the title, I literally thought the story was going to be about a blue bug that was poor. It wasn't!! I'm happy it wasn't because I got to see a different side of you by reading your story. It amazes me how you thought about the safety of your friends and the thoughts they might have of you ever since the accident. This proves how sincere and genuine you are about others and how caring and heartfelt you are about friends. <3

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow, Taylor I can't even imagine what you had to go through. Reading this blog made me realize what a strong person you are and what your mental fortitude is like. My experience with an accident is minute compared to yours. One similarity that we shared in our accidents is that they were both caused by the stupidity of others. I am very happy that you came out of the situation with no physical harm. You being so open about this topic shows how strong you are and I know that you will get over your anxiety of driving. Once again, good job!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I remember getting told that you were involved in a car accident and the only thing I could think about was the wellbeing of Blueberry Express... and you too. The vivid imagery of this story made me feel like I was right there with you, you did a very effective job of relaying the emotion and terror of this unfortunate event. Very well written piece, as I was able to see through your perspective of how you became stronger mentally and physically. RIP Blueberry
    -Kyla Hardy

    ReplyDelete
  22. This story was the perfect combination of detail and story telling, and it controlled my attention throughout. I’m glad you were able to keep on pushing through this part of your life!

    ReplyDelete
  23. This was such a powerful story. Omg I thought this was.goung to be a story about what you do in your everyday life but as soon as you got to the tragedy I was in awe.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wow Taylor, this story really made me feel how painful being involved in a car accident could be for someone. I found the portion of the story about your experience after the accident especially interesting because of your thorough description of the complex thoughts and feelings you had. Thank you for sharing this story.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I think it is a great thing that you were able to turn a very negative experience into a positive lesson. I also enjoyed your use of imagery and detail, especially about how you felt.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I really didn't know what to expect from your story just reading the title. In the beginning it thought it was just going to be a normal day for you, but then I kept reading. I am so sorry to hear about this and I am just glad you are okay. Your story had to much detail about what happened and I can just see in my head everything that was going on, Good job Taylor!

    ReplyDelete
  27. You're an incredibly strong-minded and wonderfully beautiful person to take a very traumatic experience and make the best of it- turning it into a building block of your sturdy confidence, rather than something to tear it down. Even though it was such a negative experience (and I hate to even compliment about this part), your ability to describe the slowly of time and the exact moment of the accident was nicely done. Also, I love how misleading the title was... I took it so literally. -Imani Crenshaw

    ReplyDelete
  28. Aw Taylor, I'm so sorry you had to undergo an incident like this. Every detail you wrote squeezed my chest tighter with anxiety as it felt as though I was right there with you. Just reading your story brought tears to my eyes. I'm happy that you were able to heal mentally and physically and become a stronger person from the accident. No one should have to go through an event as traumatizing as that. It's great that you shared your experience with others and hopefully it will prevent readers from ever drinking and driving.
    Love you <3
    -Sammie Sandoval

    ReplyDelete
  29. Im extremely thankful that you are here taylor after this experience. The way you worded your experience made it very emotional for me to read. Im glad that you were open about this story and informative about the effects of drunk driving. Exceptional piece! keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Wow, I cannot even imagine the pain and trauma that you must have experienced as a result of this event-just reading every detail made me cringe in fear. Your story undoubtedly has brought realization to the eyes of all. Though drinking and driving is usually a topic that is ignored and overlooked as teenagers, it is so real and unpredictable. Thank you for addressing it in such a unexpected, truthful way.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Taylor, that was such a beautifully crafted piece. I admire how you use your involvement in such a tragic event and create a positive outlook on it. I like how you imply that barely anybody was there for you in your time of need, because it emphasizes how ostracized high school/tragedies like these can make you feel. I am so incredibly proud of you for overcoming this event in your life, and having the courage to tell this story. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I really liked this story. Not because of what happened in it but the message that I was able to take from it. There are not many stories like this and I am glad you decided to write about a meaningful experience to you in order to help the audience. Thanks, Taylor, because I definitely learned from it.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Wow, this story really took you on a turn of wild events. I really enjoyed all the details you put in this piece and I’m so sorry that you had to experience that, but I’m glad you somehow turned a terrible event into a life lesson.

    Samantha Ehrlich Period 1

    ReplyDelete
  34. When I first saw the title "poor blue bug," I first thought it was going to be a story about an unfortunate blue insect living life. You could imagine my shock when I learned that it referred to a car accident. I know that this story wasn't easy to tell, and I applaud you for doing so. Just be careful of your use of the phrase "crocodile tears," as it doesn't create the effect you want it to have (crocodile tears are also known as fake tears). Overall, nice job.

    ReplyDelete

Remember, make your comment positive, supportive, and specific to the piece you're commenting on. No anonymous comments! :)