We walked into his house through the huge two door entrance in the front. It was packed fuller than the shopping mall a week before Christmas. I took a look around in which seemed to feel like the longest moment of my life. The stink of alcohol and cheetos corrupted my nostrils. The buzz of gossip and laughter creeped into my ears and suddenly my heart started pumping in fear of all of the people i was surrounded by.

              I have never been to a party before, at least none like this! Its not how you picture it exactly. Not like the ones you see in the movies of the frat boys sliding down the stairs and ramming through the glass window on a sled no theres just a teenaged every square foot with a red solo cup in their hand either conversing, drinking, smoking, or frenching. I could not decide weather i was repulsed or entranced by this new world i had stepped foot in to.

             Well now that we were in all i wanted to do was find Nick Joseph. I turned around to find Lexie was already on her way to making new friends and lost her. I started to walk down toward the back of the house and found the back yard which, was also huge with a massive pool. The view was just amazing, it was a huge overlook of the ocean as i was admiring it there was a set of two or three steps coming off the deck i had missed i slipped and as i was falling forward someone caught me.

      I looked up only to find it was Nick Joseph.
             “How many times are you going to fall, hahahahahahha?” he said as we locked eyes.

            “Haha oh i don't know how many times are you going to be there to catch me?”

          “So what do ya think of the house? You want something to drink?”

        When he offered me something to drink i was not sure what to say did he mean alcohol i have never even sipped wine what does vodka or beer taste like? I know thats what everyone here was drinking but i did not want to decline his answer deeming myself lame or uncool.

         “I could use a drink yeah, and i like it super nice! What do your parents do??”  I said it i said it and no turning back now.

        “How about a game of beer pong!!!!” some guy yelled.

      “You up for some beer pong? We could be partners?” Nick Joseph asked me with a wink. 

         “Yeah sure.” I replied with forced enthusiasm.
                I have never played beer pong and my hand eye coordination is at a level zero. We started playing and miss after miss i started drinking. Nick Joseph was quite a shot and by the time it was over he won with a perfect score and i was drunk.

           Being drunk is quite the experience i think. One moment you are standing there and the world i sitting still but after a few drinks everything starts to move. I have never been drunk before this but in the moment i knew i was. A flash of panic began to sweep over me oh no is my dad gonna be mad how am i gonna get home?? But then all of a sudden i realised that i was not afraid to do or say anything, i felt invincible although it was probably just the effect of the 12 cups of beer i had just consumed.

             “Hey Nick you know what? You are really very good looking you know that? Because I know that! Your pale blue eyes and faded bouncy brown hair it makes me it makes me melt.”
 
          “Oh yeah haha you are pretty cute yourself you know that? he said right before he started to chug a bottle of vodka i think it was.

Chapter 9
        “You wanna just you wanna go for a ride Sam? Lets go to the beach”

          “Oh i don't know if..”

         “No it will be fun i promise.”

         Without really knowing exactly what i was doing i followed him to his car and stumbled into the passenger seat. I mean i don’t think he was that drunk. Before i knew it we were on the road i started to think it was going to be fine because it looked pretty empty aside from the one 14 wheeler truck in the distance.

         “What do you want to listen to Sam?” Nick said fumbling with the radio.

                 “Watch the ro-” I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence. I blinked and when my eyes opened all i saw were two bright lights coming toward me. The door-less roofless jeep had hit the truck and we were flying through the air all i felt was myself hit the ground. I wasn’t in the jeep anymore i don’t even think i ever put a seatbelt on. I could not move i could not talk all i could see was the dark sky above and the stars. I tasted the blood rising to my mouth and felt it streaming out of my nose. For a moment my whole life flashed before my eyes, memories from when i was an infant memories of my mom my brother my father. In an instant everything grew cold and black. Thoughts no longer streamed through my mind and the world ceased to exist. I had died.

    
Chapter 10
   Thump… Thump… I opened my eyes to a searing pain in my chest.

               “We gotta pulse!” the EMT yelled to somebody.

              “Where am i!!! Who are you? What happened? What happened!!?? Wheres my dad I just want to see my dad” i screamed demanding an answer i was in so much pain my back my legs my neck especially it all hurt so bad i just wanted my dad.

           “You were in an accident we are going to call your dad as soon as you calm down.”

          “Get me out of here let go of me!” I tried to fight my way out of the ambulance but i couldn’t move all i felt was pain and then a pinch in my arm.

          When i came to i was in a hospital bed in a hospital. All i remembered was laying on the ground and then riding in the ambulance. My dad was sitting next to my bed in a chair.

          “Dad” I managed to speak but it hurt really bad to do anything. “Dad what happened?”

         “Sam you were in a very bad car accident the boy who was driving was very drunk and you both crashed the car was turned over and you injured your neck very badly.”

      Oh no oh no i remembered everything now the party the drinking the drive to the beach the truck, oh no oh no what had happened? Nick Joseph! What happened to Nick? Was he dead? Was he okay? “Nick what happened to Nick? Is he okay?”

       “When the car flipped Nicks legs got stuck, they had to cut both of his legs off, he survived but hes in very critical care just like you, the both of you are very very lucky to be alive. You died Sam your heart stopped beating for 7 minutes they shocked it and revived you. You were dead Sam you’re so lucky.” My Father began to weep by my side as he laid his head down on my lap. Just in time for Jake to walk in.

          “Sam! You’re awake!” He ran over and kissed my forehead. I was with my family I was alive.
 
            Four months passed by, Nick and I were both out of the hospital, both living, both functioning, both out of the hospital, both alive. That day at school they held an assembly on drinking and driving. Nick and i were both speaking. I guess i was up first because the women who just spoke about the statistics of teenagers who die in drinking and driving accidents had called my name.
        
              I walked out on to the stage, all eyes on me. This time i didn’t trip this time instead of stitches i was wearing a neck brace from breaking neck.
             “Some of you may remember me from the second day of school when i tripped during an assembly and busted my chin open.” I tried to break the silence with something charismatic I got a few chuckles from that opening but everyone drew back to the dead silence.
                 “Now most or, pretty much all of you know me as that girl who got in a car accident and has to wear that big neck brace because she went flying out the roof. Thats me, and as weird as it may look i thank my lucky stars to be alive.
               “I know its cool to drink, to party, to smoke, and yes it all seems fun until, you wake up in a hospital bed and find out in the middle of a drunken blur you and your also very drunk friend decided to go for a glory ride. I know what you’re thinking i would never do that and even if i did i would never drive. I thought the same too.
              “That night in September was the first taste of alcohol i had ever experienced. I didn’t even know i was going to a huge party like that i had no idea i was going to die for seven minutes that night. I was legally declared dead but for some reason the doctors kept on trying to revive me and they did.                                  Had I not been drinking that night i could have stopped Nick from driving, hell i could have even stopped him from drinking. I could have stopped that truck driver from flipping his truck and getting severely injured. You, you guys can stop it. Don’t drink, just dont. But if you do, whatever you do don’t get behind the wheel with someone who has been drinking. Chances are you will save a life and probably your own. Thats all i have to say.” I said as i looked over at Nick and handed him the mic.

              He wiped the tears from his face and cleared his throat as he wheeled up to the stage and took the mic from my hand.
             “You all see my legs right? No you don’t. I lost them when i made the foolish decision to get behind the wheel with an intoxication level of 1.5 thats almost three times the legal limit. They still can’t figure out how i had not fainted from alcohol poisoning.
              “I don’t remember much or really anything of that night but i do remember waking up in a hospital bed without legs. I remember before that i had legs. I remember before that i had a full ride to stanford on a water polo scholarship. That’s all gone, i can’t play without my legs. I can’t even stand behind the podium here, and what for? For some stupid mistake i made one night.
           “I put my life and the life of two others in danger. I encourage all of you to abstain from drinking and especially driving. It is not worth it its not worth anything that it could bring to you. Thats it.” He dropped the mic on the floor and wheeled behind the stage. No one said anything.