Williams 1

Kc Williams
Miss. Parrish
English1010
May 22, 2014
One Minute
We were sitting here; here in this classroom full of tears. Yet, somehow saw a light
within the !ar"ness. #ll nee!e! was a little $ush.
%ear the en! of &
th
gra!e we were $resente! with a guest s$ea"er in math class, an! at
first woul!'(e ne(er thought that she woul!'(e change! my life. )he tal"e! a*out all the many
an! !ifferent har!shi$s that she ha! in her life, at such a young age. E(eryone coul!n't hel$ *ut
yet to cry. +hen something ha$$ene!, got a smile on my face as she tol! us that she $ushe!
through it all an! ma!e something of herself. +hat she ha! ma!e an im$rint on the worl!, that
she !i!n't ,ust let her name *e something that woul! stay in the $ast. )he ha! ma!e it something
that woul! last, not only for her *ut her family to come as well. +his is when foun! out that
wasn't alone, that can $ush through it, that can *e something in this worl !. #ll ha! to !o was
o$en my min!, eyes an! *o!y to it.
+o really tell someone how learne! to fight an! $ush through, must go *ac" to the
reason that ma!e me wea", col!, frightene!, an! alone. t was ,ust one !ay, a !ay can ne(er
forget, March 20
th
, 2001. # wee" *efore my *irth!ay, ha! sle$t o(er at my *est frien! +ommy's
house. We ha! $lanne! to go cam$ing for my *irth!ay; we coul!n't !o it o(er the wee"en!, so
mom let me miss school to go. wo"e u$ on that +ues!ay morning, an! felt great. +ommy's
mom ha! ma!e a huge *rea"fast *y the time we got u$, an! his !a! ha! alrea!y ha! almost
e(erything rea!y to go in the truc". -irst we ha! to eat *rea"fast, e(en though ,ust wante! to
lea(e right then an! there. ,ust coul!n't wait to finally go cam$ing; it woul!'(e *een my first
Williams 2
time going. +his was *ecause ne(er ha! a !a! while was growing u$. E(en though !i!n't
want to eat *rea"fast; !i!, an! it was ama.ing. We ha! *acon, eggs, hash/*rowns, an! my
fa(orite $anca"es an! sausages. 0is mom was an ama.ing coo"1
-inally it was time to go; was *arely hol!ing *ac" my e2citement. #s his !a! o$ene!
the front !oor, was the last to lea(e the house an! as was, close! the !oor. 3ou! music was
all coul! hear, with a slight soun! of what seeme! to *e a car, *efore hear! something that
soun!e! li"e thun!er. 4efore, all saw was a white light, an! when saw that light coul!n't
hear anything anymore. t was if wasn't e(en there. t went away, hear! a scream. loo"e! to
my left an! nothing was there; well nothing was there until loo"e! !own. +ommy's !a! an! his
!a!'s *est frien!, it loo"e! li"e they ha! "etchu$ on their shirts, that ,ust got on them !ue that we
,ust ha! *rea"fast, that is what assume!. +hen loo"e! closer an! "new what it really was as
it got floo!e! to the floor an! went across my feet. +hat was when hear! him, +ommy, my *est
frien!. loo"e! !own to my right an! saw him, *loo! e(erywhere, trie! to hel$ him, *ut
coul!n't mo(e. was fro.en. %othing coul! !o, *ut to stan! there an! watch my *est frien!
suffer an! as he !ie! right *efore my eyes. was useless. watche! as he reache! out to me an!
nee!e! my hel$, all coul! !o was to stare into his eyes as he stare! into mine. 0is arm !ro$$e!,
his eyes still o$en, *ut his hea! hit the floor.
+he !oor o$ene! an! his mom came out. )he saw what ha$$ene! an! she went to her
lo(e! ones, *ut they were all gone *y the time she got there. 5ne minute was all it too" for my
*est frien!, his !a!, an! his !a!'s *est frien! to *e $rie! from this worl!. +o *e ta"en away from
their families an! closest frien!s. 0is mom shoo" me trying to see if was alright, to try an!
"now what ha$$ene!. was still fro.en. +he co$s came an! trie! to tal" to me, was still fro.en.
-ro.en; with my eyes glue! on +ommy. +hey too" me to see a !octor, to see what was wrong.
6My mental min! state was altere!,7 is all that the !octor sai!. went to a mental hos$ital for
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a*out fi(e months, *efore got release!. +here learne! that was a miracle or at least that's
what they sai! a*out me. +hey tol! me that was luc"y that !i!n't !ie, *ecause the *ullets went
e(erywhere on the house, *ut not one hit me. !i!n't thin" was luc"y though, ,ust wishe!
+ommy was here, an! if he coul!n't wante! to *e with him.
was wea", was lost, an! was alone. ne(er thought that coul! thin" that e(erything
woul! *e alright; until that one !ay at the en! of &
th
gra!e. 5ne !ay, one sim$le !ay can change a
life. )ee *efore that !ay coul! *arely get u$ in the mornings "nowing +ommy wasn't here,
wasn't going to *e there at school; anywhere. was force! to go to school e(ery !ay after that
an! har!ly $ai! attention. was always in some other $lace. +hat guest s$ea"er, she ma!e me
see this in a !ifferent (iew. now "now that +ommy woul!n't want me to li(e only to suffer, *ut
to li(e to !o the things use to !o an! how use to *e li"e. )o starte! *eing myself an! li(ing
for me an! e(eryone that lost on that !ay. %ow, always try to *e the *est can *e an! to hel$
others that are in nee!. +o hel$ others see that they are more then what they thin" they are. +o *e
the $erson that they can ta"e from an! ne(er nee! to worry a*out gi(ing *ac", *ecause that is
who wante! to *e. +his is who nee!e! to *e.
+hrough e(erything that ha$$ene!, it is har! to *e ha$$y. Yet, this !oesn't mean shoul!
sto$ an! gi(e u$, *ecause "nowing that others ha(e gone through the same things or e(en worse;
can li(e. %ot only for me, *ut e(eryone that is li"e me. +o ma"e something of myself, to ma"e
an im$rint on $eo$le an! hel$ them see themsel(es how they really shoul!. %o matter how har!
things get ne(er gi(e u$, *ecause somewhere, someone has it worse. +hey $ush through, an!
when someone else fin!s out how they !i!, well so can they.
+hrough this all, "now that sometimes things get ta"en from $eo$le. +hey may ne(er
truly un!erstan! why, *ut they ha(e to "ee$ mo(ing towar!s the future. Push through the $ast *ut
yet hol! on to it, *ecause it is a $art of them. f they use it they can *ecome stronger. n the future
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no matter what tries to ma"e me wea", will $ush through it an! ma"e it a reason why am
strong, a reason to "ee$ li(ing.