My heart was beating at what had felt like a thousand beats per minute. I looked down at my blood covered hands, and a small gasp escaped my mouth before I quickly recovered it. I could taste the salt from my tears streaming down my face like the a dripping faucet that had no end. I thought I was dying. How had this perfect day turned into this?

**A few hours earlier**

I jumped out of bed with a smile ready to start a fun day with my sister, Courtney. Mom and Dad had given us permission the night before to ride our bikes all by ourselves today, and for the very first time! I could not have been more excited! I quickly got dressed knowing that the faster I got ready the faster I would get to ride.
I ran downstairs into the garage and waited for her to join me. I strapped on my bright pink helmet with little white stars and hopped onto my big blue bike. I rode in circles until Courtney finally came through the door walking into the garage. She plopped on her bike and started going towards the end of the driveway, Knowing she needed her helmet, so she started slowing down.

“Courtney stop,” I yelled, “put on your helmet.”
Her purple helmet was sitting on the garage floor. She rode over to the helmet and  put it on her head.
“Now strap it up,” I told her
“But I hate helmets. they're so ugly.”  She sighed and strapped it up anyways and rode towards the end of the driveway again.

A half hour passed and I was having a blast.  The only annoying thing was when Courtney would zoom past me,like she had just done.

“Ugh,” I groaned before racing  after her. “I always hated when she was in front of me, I liked to be in the front.  She saw me coming out of the corner of her eye and sped up causing me to speed up also. “Slow down Courtney,” I tried to say but I was already out of breath. 

She was looking back at me to make sure I wouldn't catch up.  I wasn't paying much attention to the road when It happened.

  the tires on the bike screamed as I tried to brake, but  it was too late.

I had crashed into a giant Minivan! I was laying on the ground my heart was beating at what felt like a thousand beats per minute. I looked down at my blood covered hands and a small gasp escaped my mouth before I quickly recovered it. I could taste the salt from my tears streaming down my face like the a dripping faucet that had no end. I thought I was dying. How had this perfect day turned into this?
    I could hear Courtney screaming for help as I layed  on the ground.

I couldn't move, I was frozen in place and had little idea as to what was going on.

I woke up in a freezing cold room that smelled like a hospital. My mom was standing over the bed I was laying in, my dad and sister were right beside her. Courtney had a swollen lip, a black eye, cuts on her hands, cuts on her shoulders, and cuts on her knees. My head was pounding and I could taste the blood in my mouth from my huge cut lip. I could only see a gleam of light out of the corner of my right eye, everything else appeared to be a hazy blur, it throbbed as I regained my consciousness. I could hear the faint voice of my mom saying,"Are you feeling ok?" "Do you remember what day it is?" "Do you remember what happened?" I was scared. I had no idea what day it was or what had even happened and I didn't know where I was, It was like something out of a movie. 

Later after I went home and had some rest my mom told me what had happened. I realized was actually really lucky because I had my helmet on, or it could have been worse then a black eye, swollen lip and cuts everywhere. From then on every time I rode my bike, I always wore a helmet because I could have gotten hurt much worse than I did if I didn't have my helmet on.