I didnt always look the way i do now. I actually used to be quite handsome. I had the perfect golden curls. Blue eyes that shone like clear lakes. A perfect nose, full lips, and a working body. I was vain and a stupid kid. I did stupid stuff like all kids did. I dated around with girls and i drank even though i was underage. I even tried drugs once or twice. Then there was the incident. The thing that altered everything. That took me from a stupid, vain kid into someone completely different. A friend i went to high school with had gotten a mororbike. It went super fast and he was learning to do tricks on it. It was so cool. I of course went riding with him a bunch. We sped down freeways and late at night down the main street. Being on the motorbike felt freeing. We could go anywhere and at any speeds. I never told anyone i was going with him. We were invisible yet everyone heard us coming. I could yell and scream as loudly as i wanted. My mom always shook her head at motorbikes. Said they were reckless and dangerous and just plain useless. She had never been on one of course. She didn’t know how you could get anywhere at anytime. One day it, it was a friday and it had just finished a week straight of rain. My buddy was itching to get on the road and asked me to go with him. I said yes, so excited to get out. I had spent the week helping my mom clean the house and fix it up a bit. We met at a store that had closed down a few years back. People used it to meet for car shows and racing at night. It was virtually empty during the day. It was out of the way and mostly used for car handjobs by teens. I parked my car near the entrance to the store and waited until my buddy got there. I jumped out and my foot splashed in a puddle. The sun was out, but there was a slight chill in the air. We greeted each other with fist bumps and i hop on the back of the bike. He takes off as soon as my butt hits the seat. Quickly getting up to speeds of 80 miles per hour. It’s honestly a bit scary going this fast and feeling thevwind pelting your body. But i do my usual cheering and yelling. He goes up behind the store. Taking the curves like a champ. Water splashes our legs as he hits puddles. Then the unthinkable happens. He hits a puddle and the bike loses traction on the road. We can both feel the bike losing control. My buddy curses and im so shocked, my hands immediately let go of him. My biggest regret from that day is my hands slipping off him. The bike starts sliding and with nothing holding me to the seat, i fly off the back. My body hits the road hard and I’m immediately knocked out. From the injuries i sustained, doctors say i must have slid at least 20 feet along the road. I had road rash all over my body. As the bike slid, my buddy pushed himself off and landed on the side of the road. Soft woodchips and dirt compared to the hard asphalt that ravaged my body. I made the wrong decision. My buddy got a few scrapes and a bumped head. My nose was broken. Both ankles broke. I had road rash on 70 percent of my body. I was scalped. Debris got into my eyes and mouth. I came to about a week later. The first thing i noticed was the pain. My entire body was on fire. I woke and immediately started groaning and crying. I was sedated almost immediately. Next time i awoke, everything was groggy. It felt like i was underwater. My parents were there. My little sister was there. I had to re-learn to walk. I had to get multiple surgeries to fix my road rashed skin. My hair didn’t grow back when it was rubbed off. I was miserable. I never saw my buddy again. He avoided me, even when my parents went after him for money. He paid them off and disappeared. I eventually made new friends from physical therapy and groups i joined. My family helped me a lot. The incident changed me. It not only changed my physical appearance, but my personality as well. I dont take as many risks. Im kinder. I take notice of people i wouldnt have before. The incident was horrible to endure, but it all turned out for the best.

It was a rainy day when it all happened. We were over riding at my friends house. I was on my dirt bike. We had made it about four miles in the woods, and then my bikes engine blew up. I was at the back of a group of five others, and they never noticed me not there. I was pretty irritated because I had never been on those trails and didn’t know where I was at. So I had too wait ten minutes till they stopped and turned around and found me. By this time I was very frustrated, so I was somewhat relieved when my friend Preston told me to hop on the back of his four wheeler. It was really muddy outside that day so everyone was trying to spray each other doing burnouts, and so was Preston. We had already sprayed my other friends a couple of times and we were having a good time. Well we parked in front of my other friends that are twins with dirt bikes. We all sat and talked a little bit while letting our bikes cool down. After talking for what seemed like an hour we started up all our bikes, and obviously me and Preston wanted to spray our other friends. So we put the four wheeler in first gear, grabbed the front brake, and mashed the thumb throttle. We were spraying them for like fifteen seconds and I wasn’t really holding on and then without any warning Preston dropped the front brake. I was terrified, I was sliding off the back of the four wheeler with two dirt chasing us not so slowly. And then it happened, I fell off looking at two bikes coming right at me. Then I woke up in a cold sweat at my friends house. I was spending the night with all my friends to go riding the next day.

We cut through the wind like scissors through paper. Our surroundings blur into splotches on either side of us as we passed by car after car. Even with Gina’s helmet on, terror wraps itself around me.

“You alright there, April?”

My eyes are shut, and I’m too terrified to open my mouth.

“April, we’ve stopped. We’re in your driveway. You can open your eyes now.”

I loosen my hold around Gina’s waist. I see my long driveway curling down the hill like a bridal train. The lights of my front porch shine in the night, creating long shadows in their wake. Dark clouds cover the sky, booming thunder promising an impending storm.

Gina giggles. Her eyes brighten with pride. “You almost suffocated me with how tight you were holding me. Like a sad kitten holding onto its mother.”

“Oh, shut up!” I smooth down my skirts. “I invited you to homecoming, bought you flowers, and this is the thanks I—“

My legs collapse under me, slip under the uneven pavement. The world around me spins like a wheel. Then an arm linked under mine, scooping me back onto my feet.

“Woah! Careful there!” Gina says. “We don’t need any broken bones.”

I respond with an unavoidable grin. Blush spreads across my cheeks. She kneels down to check for any cuts or bruises from the harsh pavement, then escorts me to the door.

“Please text me when you get home,” I say. Crickets chirp from their homes between the grass blades, as if agreeing with me.

“Don’t fret, April. You know I always do.”

When she backs her motorcycle, her black tuxedo makes her vanish into the night. The engine roars like a jaguar behind her, quieting as she speeds further and further away. Small, quick raindrops flick on my skin.

I sprint inside and slip my heels off. After hours of walking around, socializing with others, I feel my feet may need to be amputated. Maybe even my whole legs as the aching climbs up my ankles to the tops of my calves.

That’s when quiet vibrations ripple against my skin. I reach for my phone to find it’s from Gina.

All she sent was a heart, yet it made my own skip a beat.

I’m slipping Falling Going to fast Slow down Terrified Going to cry There’s a red light No more fright

“Shoot!” He screams uselessly. A chill thrill down his spine, adereline ready to send him into fight or flight. All he can feel is chill air filling his hands, the next second his body throwing freely against the will of gravity.

Wind is blowing in his face, cutting directly into his skin and veins like sharpened knife. Some say you see your whole life before you die. Others say only the dearest ones resurface. Funny he doesn’t see anything one step into the forbidden darkness. He only feels. The first, and the very only pain he can feel, is the pain in his face brought by the goddamned wind.

My body just goes numb. He thinks, terrified and amused, then amused at his abnormal amusement, before passing out into a tranquil sleep.

I remember being absolutely terrified as my friend Jake kept speeding up on his bike, begging him to slow down, the way my heart was racing. How terribly bad I wanted off that bike. Jake continued to speed up with my heart rate, I began to tremble. Suddenly the cars in front of us came to a stop. Jake went to hit his brakes and his hand slipped off of it. He screamed as he turned the bike in an attempt to avoid the stopped cars in front of us. The bike slid onto its side as it slip my body across the pavement. I felt the burn down my side as my head rushed. My ears started to ring, and my surroundings started to become a blur. I saw blood running down my arm and leg. I looked around me for my friend on the pavement, he wasn’t there. I turned to my right and saw Jake rolled on his side against the tree. His body was twisted . He wasn’t moving or talking. I heard sirens. I began to try to get up but my body was heavy, I fell back down onto the pavement and my vision went black.

“Hey bro can you come go on a ride to school with me?” my friend John messaged me on my phone “I forgot my phone at school” I was just wondering about how it would feel like being at the back seat of a morotcycle, what a great time for my friend to ask me for this. “I’ll accept that request if you drove your motorcycle instead of your car” I replied to him. “But I haven’t got my license yet, so I can’t really accept that” he replied to my text. “C‘mon it’ll be fine, the school isn’t too far away from my house anyway, how about this I drive you to school after you come to my house, or else you can just go yourself” I told him knowing that he is afraid of being alone. After he pondered for a moment he yielded. He regretted his decision after I hope on the back of his motorcycle. “Wait you are getting on the backseat? I thought you were going to ride, didn’t you promised to drive?” He said baffled by my actions. “You actually believed someone lazy as me would drive? You really are a fool aren’t you?” I slightly mocked him. Even though he wasn’t pleasant with my insults, John still gave me a ride. The wind blew my hair all over my face, I couldn’t see a thing. I accidentally hit John and made his hand slip. It was so sudden that he couldn’t even try to get control over the situation. He crashed on the road and then got shot by a tree. My results weren’t better than his, I’m flinged to the edge of the sign and I felt like my body was in absolute pain. We’re both send to the hospital by a passing kind couple, it’s a miracle that we survived that accident.

Ella always thought of motorcycles as death vehicles, when Olivia— her dearest friend— asked her if she wanted to go for a ride she said ‘yes’.”

Looking back on it, she wasn’t really sure as to why. _Mabye, _she thought, it was just a ‘in the heat of the moment’ kind of thing. __ _ _At first, everything was going smoothly— that was, until Olivia made a right turn too quickly and hit a bump— Ella, who had always been a bit clumsy, let her hand slip away from Olivia’s waist.

Ella’s life flashed before her terrified eyes. Was this really going to be the end? If she fell, not only would she hit the ground and get many bruises and possible broken bones, but, she would also get ran over by the ongoing traffic.

Very suddenly, she was pulled back up onto the motorcycle. It took her a few seconds to process what had happened. Olivia, who was always prepared for some thing like this— she knew how clumsy Ella was— was able to quickly grab Ella by her shirt collar and lift her back up onto the motorcycle. It was good to have a friend like Olivia, even though it was her motorcycle that got her into this mess, by her side. She’ll never forget that.

In moments like this, you appreciate having hands. Without my hands, I would have fell right off. But with my hands, I was able to hold on long enough for the motorbike to reach an ungodly speed that sent shivers from my bottom, to my gut, to my stomach to my heart and to my hands then not to my hands.

Your life flies before you and in my case, the surroundings flies before you and actually, you find you’re the one flying.

Why did I agree to get on. He seemed so cool and I just wanted to seem willing to join him. I hadn’t expected him to do this and I hate that in this moment, I’m terrified, regretful and angry with myself.

We fly. I tumble and a hedge catches me in its grasp. I am shredded. He, however, is smushed against the tree trunk, the tree’s bark imprinting its ultimate wisdom to his decisions.

I am thankful. The scars I will have will remind me like the wisdom of the tree to think twice in the future.

Jade's heart raced as she held onto Tommy tightly while riding on the back of his motorbike. The wind whipped through her hair, and the thrill of the ride mixed with the nervous excitement of being so close to Tommy. She stole glances at him whenever she could, admiring his confidence as he navigated the winding roads.

As they rounded a sharp curve, Jade's heart skipped a beat. Her hand slipped from Tommy's waist, and panic surged through her. "Tommy, I..." she started, but before she could finish, her hand slipped completely, and she felt herself losing balance.

Tommy sensed Jade's sudden movement and quickly reacted, reaching out to grab her hand just in time. "Jade, hold on tight!" he shouted over the roar of the engine, his eyes reflecting concern for her safety.

Jade's heart pounded in her chest as she tightened her grip on Tommy, her fingers intertwined with his. "I-I'm sorry, Tommy. I didn't mean to..." she stammered, her voice trembling with fear.

Tommy's gaze softened as he reassured her, "It's okay, Jade. Just focus on holding on, I've got you." His words were a comforting anchor in the midst of the chaos around them.

The road stretched out ahead, and Jade felt a mix of fear and trust in Tommy's ability to keep them safe. The wind howled around them, and every turn felt like a test of their bond.

As they finally reached a straight stretch of road, Tommy slowed down, giving Jade a moment to catch her breath. They pulled over to the side, and Tommy turned to Jade, his eyes full of concern. "Are you okay, Jade? That was a close call."

Jade nodded, still shaken from the experience. "Thank you, Tommy. I don't know what I would have done without you," she admitted, her voice filled with gratitude and a newfound appreciation for his presence in her life.

The adrenaline of the moment slowly faded, leaving behind a sense of vulnerability and a deeper connection between Jade and Tommy. They sat by the side of the road, the sound of passing cars fading into the background as they shared a moment of quiet understanding.

In that moment, Jade realized that sometimes it takes a moment of fear to truly appreciate the people who stand by us when we need them the most. And as the sun began to set, casting a warm glow over the horizon, Jade and Tommy's bond grew stronger, forged in the intensity of a shared moment of fear and trust.