Mike Abrahamzon 

English 09 

The Day I Lost My Friend 

February 6th, 2007 

            As I went through my teenage years of life I thought myself to be invincible.  Through 15 years I had not broken a single bone or needed a single stitch in my body.  I could do any dangerous thing and not think twice about it.  It wasn’t until I lost one of my close friends in a car accident that I realized being a teenager doesn’t make me invincible.  My friend was killed in a car accident on September 28, 2002.  His name was Teddy Derrick and he was only 15 years old.   

            Teddy was driving a car home from a friend’s house.  He was crossing Highway 53 when he was struck on the side of the car.  Teddy didn’t have his seatbelt on, and was thrown from the car.  He was pronounced dead on the scene.

            I had been going to the same school with Teddy since sixth grade.  It wasn’t until the summer of 8th grade that we started to become friends.  Teddy and I hung out with the same group of friends every day during the summer of 2001 and 2002.  We would go swimming, biking, and try and cause as much trouble as we possibly could. 

            I woke up on September 28 just as I did on every Saturday.  I slept in after a long week of high school and was ready to have a great weekend and relax.  As the day went on and I sat on the couch watching TV I had no idea that I was about to lose one of my closest friends.                         

           I remember inviting one of my other friends over that day because we were going to go to my aunt and uncle’s house for a barbeque.  As my friend and I walked into my aunt’s house I had no clue of the news that I was about to hear.  When I got into the house my mother had told me the news and I just stood there and didn’t want to believe what I had heard.  At first I didn’t know what to feel for it still seemed that I would walk into school on Monday and see him standing there.  

            My high school had about 400 kids in the whole school and was one of those schools where everyone knows everyone.  The news of Teddy had spread quickly and it was tough walking through the halls watching all the tears run down my peers’ faces.  I had one class with Teddy and it wasn’t easy sitting there looking at his empty desk when just 3 days prior it had been filled by Teddy himself.            

           As the day went on I got a call from another friend saying that a couple people were getting together to talk about what had happened.  I thought it would be a good idea to be with my friends so that we could all help each other get through this rough time.  It helped a lot and I couldn’t imagine trying to get through that time without those friends.   We all sat around telling stories about the times that we spent together with Teddy and that’s when it first hit me that we would never be able to see Teddy again.   

            Being that I have only suffered one death in my life prior to Teddy’s, I didn’t know how to feel and how long it would take to recover from that tragic loss.  Eventually as time passed I started to recover.  Although some my memories are fading of Teddy I will never forget him.  As I look back I can’t believe it has been four and a half years since Teddy passed away.  Teddy’s life was taken so quickly from him that it made me realize tomorrow is never promised to us.  It also helped me realize to live my life to the fullest.  When it is my time to go I don’t want to have any regrets on my life.  I will always remember that day as the day I realized that I’m not invincible and how quickly life can be taken away from me.