Who Knew?             Screech…smash!  That is the last thing I heard before I was being loaded into the ambulance.  The EMT’s all said that I was going to be okay, I was just being taken to the hospital to make sure nothing was broken.  At the time, I didn’t care what they were saying; I just wanted to see my parents.  The doctors wouldn’t tell me about my parents.  I guess they didn’t want me to panic or something.  That summer was the worse one I ever had.              My name is Ashleigh, and I have the biggest family, as most people call it, out of anyone I have met.  I am seventeen now, and I live in an orphanage.             The night my parents died in that tragic car crash was the day before my sixteenth birthday.  I was making my last rounds, in my mom’s Chevy Lumina, before the big test the next morning.  As far as I knew, I did everything I was supposed to be doing when I went through the green light.  The drunk driver, who was supposed to stop at his red light, didn’t register that the light was red for him and kept going.  He had slammed right into the passenger door of my mom’s car.              I don’t quite remember the details of the whole accident, but from the police reports, I read that he was going 75 on a road where the speed limit was only 25.  From the photos of the accident, I saw the totaled car; it didn’t even look like a car, but rather a smashed up piece of metal.             I don’t like to talk about it, but some days it helps when I’m extremely depressed.  I have been through so much bouncing from foster home to foster home.  I felt like there was a screaming match between my foster mom and me every single night.  I hate bickering because half of the time, that is how my parents lived their lives - yelling at one another.  After an argument with my foster mom, I would run away to a friend’s house.              “Can I stay here for the night?  It happened again,”  I would ask, and being the friends that they were, they would say yes.             When I finally got out of that house and into another, I felt neglected.  I never got anything I asked for.  I had to come right home after school, but I had to stay in my room all the time.  It was like I wasn’t even a person, more like a pet.              Since I was so close to my friends, they suspected something was wrong and told their parents.  My best friend, Danielle, was the one to help me out.  She cared for me like a sister and was always trying to protect me from the evil things that happened to me.             Fortunately, I was able to escape that disaster life.  I had one final chance to prove that I deserved a good life and a good set of foster parents.  Yes, I might have had troubles in the past, but I was better now.              When the next couple showed up to meet me, I was very shy and I got embarrassed when the person who ran the orphanage, Cindy, started talking about my past.  I figured once the couple heard about my past, they wouldn’t want me anymore.             The couple left the orphanage.  I thought it was over right then, that they weren’t coming back.  Cindy comforted me and told me there would be more opportunities.  I didn’t want another opportunity, I just wanted a family.              A few days later, the couple returned.  John and Jill decided to give me a chance.  I was nervous for the first time I went into their home.  I figured since it took them so long to decide, they didn’t really want me, and that they just felt bad for me.             A couple weeks went by and I started to feel their affection for me.  It was stronger than I had thought, so I started to open up to Jill.  She could understand how I was feeling.  Little did I know, she went through almost my exact situation when she was my age.   Now I knew someone finally understood.  I could trust her.              “You know you can talk to me about everything and anything, Ashleigh.  If will stay between me and you.  I promise,”  Jill told me. From then on, I did tell her everything; my feelings, my thoughts, my dreams, and my actions.             Once I finally got settled into my home, I began my senior year of high school.  I was new at Hamilton High School, so I had to make all new friends.  Now, this isn’t easy your senior year, seeing as most people have their cliques.  I didn’t know where I was supposed to fit in.              After about two weeks of eating lunch alone and being anti-social, this girl turned up out of the blue and introduced herself to me.  I was more than happy that someone was actually speaking to me.  He name was Amelia and she was also a senior.  She played basketball and from what I could she, she looked like she did.             Amelia invited me to come to a basketball open gym one week.  I stuck close to her because I didn’t know anyone else there.  Of course, because I was new, almost everybody at the open gym wanted to know who I was and if I was any good at basketball.  I didn’t have much of a choice at open gym but to be social with everyone.              We played several basketball related games.  They figured out that I was very experienced when I swished four three-point baskets in a scrimmage.  I began to put names with faces as our time narrowed down.             “I had a great time, Amelia.  Thank you for making me come and get involved,” I said.               She replied, “You know basketball starts in a few short weeks.  I think you should try out.”              I told her, “I will think about it.  Can you get me the info to sign up?”              The next day, she brought me all of the paperwork that needed to be filled out.  I took the papers home to Jill and she helped me fill them out as I told her about my time at open gym the day before.             “That’s great, honey!  I’m so glad you are getting involved in things at school!”  Jill exclaimed.  Jill also told me about this really cute guy who lived next door.  He wasn’t the typical cute guy any other mom would think.  He was gorgeous.              On my way out of the house the next morning, I saw him getting into his car.  I walked up to him and asked if I could have a ride to school.  He blew me off like I was nothing.  I had to walk to school that morning.             I arrived at school and saw him again.  This time I didn’t take more than a second to look at him.  He looked back at me and at the moment I looked away, I could see him coming at me out of the corner of my eye.              “I’m sorry about this morning,” he admitted.  “I was extremely crabby.  I had a really rough night.  I’m Connor.”             “I’m Ashleigh,” I replied, looking down at the ground.  I was embarrassed.  What would make me think I could just walk up to him and pretend like I was somebody?  I wasn’t sure.  We continued on with our conversation and as we were getting ready to part, he asked me if I wanted a ride home.  I took his offer and I was going to meet him in the parking lot after school.              School was over and I almost ran to his car.  I didn’t want him to forget he was bringing me home, especially because we just met.  He didn’t forget.  He came out of the school with the biggest smile on his face.  I couldn’t help but to smile back.             I called up Amelia when I got home and told her all about what happened between me and Connor.  She told me I was getting in too deep and not to get in any farther over my head.  I didn’t care.  He was making me happy, and with what I had been through, I think I deserved to be happy.              Day after day, Connor continued to pick me up for school and drop me off afterwards.  I felt like I was starting to like him, so I took a chance and told him so.  I guess he liked me too because he immediately kissed me.  It was amazing; I felt a warm sensation I hadn’t felt in a very long time.             I trusted Connor so much; I trusted him with my life.  On one random day, he never came out to his car after school.  He wasn’t answering his phone.  His parents never picked up either.  I began to worry and went inside to look for him.  I figured maybe he was with his buddies and just got caught up in talking.              I walked into school and checked the main office to see if I could page him.  I didn’t have to page him; I saw him in the principal’s office.  Not only did I see him sitting there, he was bawling.  It was the first time I had ever seen a grown man cry before.  I ran into the office and he jumped up and wrapped me in his arms.             “They are dead,” he muttered.               “Who is dead?”  I wondered, “What is going on?”              “My parents. They are gone.  I don’t know what to do,” he cried.               “Oh my god! What happened?!” I shouted.             The principal stepped in to keep the situation from getting any worse.  He explained to me that there had been an accident with a drunk driver.  The flash backs began and I couldn’t hold back the tears.  It was déjà vu.  I knew exactly what he was going through and what was yet to come.  I didn’t want the person I cared the most about to suffer what I went through.              I went back in by Connor and hugged him.  I never let him go, and neither did he.  He had no idea I went through the same thing.  As we hugged, I told him my story and how I knew what he felt.  He understood then that I was someone he could fully trust.             We have been best friends ever since, ten years later.  Not only is he my best friend, he is my husband.  A day never goes by that we don’t think about our pasts, but that is what we have each other for.  I couldn’t find anyone to make me happier than he does.  I could never even attempt to look. Reflection             I’m not quite sure on how or why I picked this topic.  I liked the idea of someone in a bad incident and then bouncing back from it.  I know that whenever someone dies, it is a hard time, and to come back and be happy after a death, especially of a parent, is an extremely hard thing to do.  That shows the strength in a person and the ability to not give in.