I have everything I told myself…. I think. Shirts, Shorts, flip-flops, hat? Check check check and check. I zipped up all my bags and threw them out of my room, with everyone else’s stuff. The week before our trip I had packed and repacked my things about a hundred times. Now the trip is here and I most likely am forgetting something. My dad loaded up the car and mom grabbed the food. We hopped in the beloved mini van and backed out our driveway. I knew I was forgetting something, what was it? “Wait!!” I yelled once we were halfway down the driveway. “ I forgot my charger”. Dad threw me the house keys as I booked back to the house to grab it.

“ We good now?” mom asked. “Obvi” I replied. I could relax now, school was out, I wasn’t forgetting anything and we were on our way to the beach. My family drove this drive all the time in the summer, so I dozed off and tried to pass time. Half an hour later Buster woke me by whining and jumping up on my lap. My brother was absorbed in his game as always, so I yanked his headphones off and told him we were now going to play a game. “Let’s play the alphabet game!!” Mom said. We started playing the game and mom was already at q before I found a f. Mom and I always competed to see who could finish first, she always won… I hadn’t spent much time with my family lately and I was truly enjoying dad’s stupid jokes, mom’s singing, and Eddie’s annoying laugh. It’d been a long time since we were all together in one car, it felt good. “ Q, got it!” mom bragged. “ Oooh Dairy Queen, I could go for some of that,” dad replied. We pulled into the shopping center and me and Eddie raced to the door. Mom and dad got blizzards and Eddie and I got soft serve. Dad didn’t want to get caught in traffic so he made us eat in the car. I hopped in and of course shared some of my ice cream with my dog,Buster, then got in trouble for doing so.

Mom’s favorite song came on as we were emerging back onto the highway. Everyone in the car was singing and I couldn’t stop thinking about how good this summer was going to be. As we were driving we heard this sportscar speeding up through the cars behind us. “Oh my gosh! Why is he going so fast on a crowded highway?” Mom asked. The guy was now pushing and trying to get around the car in front of us in the opposite lane. “ He gave up on that idea, thank god”  I said as the guy slowed to the same speed as us. Not a moment later he sped up again and tried to squeeze between us and the car in the other lane. I grabbed my seat as we tried to slow to let the guy through. I sighed in relief as the car was almost in front of us. Next thing I knew I heard this awful click and slap of our cars and saw the the guy in front of us was flying above our van. I was upside down I could feel it. The sound of shattering glass filled my ear. My head hit something. Hard. Seconds passed, the sun reappeared as I opened my eyes. Where was I? My eyes looked at my outstretched arm. I was on the road. I couldn’t move, I needed to move. Why couldn’t I move? It took every bit of my strength to stand. My stomach, I was bleeding, my white shirt was now half red. My head was bleeding too. ‘Oh no, head trauma is really bad’ I thought. I started  walking aimlessly in a small circle. Where was help? I looked up,  I saw Buster. He was laying there motionless, next to him was Ed. I hobbled as fast as I could over to him. I grabbed his wrist. I touched his neck, nothing… Come on Ed, do something. Please!! I was screaming. Tears were streaming down my face like waves. I looked up to the sky and screamed as loud as I could. My head pounded as I lifted my head, and my vision blurred for a second. I cried and looked away from Eddie, as I did I saw mom and dad. They lay next to each other surrounded by a puddle. I didn’t go over. I couldn’t. I knew what the puddle was , I knew they were gone. I could feel myself start to panic. I laid down. My stomach and my head were a mess, I could tell. My eyes got heavy, my breathing slowed. I knew I could hold on, I knew I could stay. I didn’t want to, I  tried to calm down to make it easier. I tried to remember the good times I had.I closed my eyes and  the melting icecream cone beside me slowly became nothing.