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.