Laura wakes early excited due to it’s the day of her senior prom. She hurries to the bathroom to shower then to go get her hair done. “Laura you’re going to miss your hair appointment!” Sarah Laura’s mom stresses. “I’m coming!” Laura yells to her mother. As Laura runs out the door she hears her parents fighting once again. Pulling up to her best friend Cara’s house she examines her perfect family all eating breakfast at the table. “Cara come on we are already late!” Laura says on the phone. The two girls speeding to the hair salon music blaring are not paying much attention. Crash!

The car goes flying, spinning out of control. The girls flipping and screaming, glass flying everywhere. Finally the car comes to a halt and silence fills the air. Police and medical aid arrive to the scene of the crash. Laura hears sirens and can feel the warm blood drip down her face. “Cara?” Laura calls out her best friends name desperately. Laura begins to panic, tears stream down her face and she begins to scream “help! Someone please help Cara!” Nothing else mattered to Laura at that point but Cara her best friend since 5th grade. She begins to feel dizzy and blackness takes over Laura’s mind.

Bright lights, people surrounding her are what Laura awakens too. She slowly opens her eyes due to the soreness that fills her entire body. The memories begin to flood back into Laura’s mind. Her mind goes frantic thinking crash, blood, and most of all Cara. “Where is Cara? Where is she?” Laura begins to scream. The doctors grab for something and Laura begins to jerk away. A needle is injected into Laura’s arm and she struggles to keep her eyes open but sleep overcomes her. “Laura sweetie, can you hear me?” Sarah whispers into Laura’s ear tears rolling down her cheek. Laura jerks up hurting every muscle in her body. “Mom? What happened? What’s going on?” Laura babbles on franticly. “Sweetie Calm down you need to rest.” Sarah pleads to her daughter. “Did Cara make it?” Laura says almost whispering the question she did not want to know the answer too. Sarah sits back in her chair and begins to sob knowing the answer to that question will hurt her daughter. “Cara didn’t have her seat belt on and hit her head too hard, Sweetheart it’s not your fault.” Sarah said so fast the words almost got jumbled up. Laura began to cry but said nothing. She had no words to describe the feelings that were rushing through her. All she could feel was guilt and hatred towards herself.

Two weeks in the hospital Laura has spent recovering from her physical injuries. “Laura I’m clearing you to go home to be on bed rest.” The doctor said smiling. As in that would help Laura feel any happier? Laura hasn’t spoken to anyone in weeks since she heard the news that Cara did not survive. Thoughts of suicide rushed through Laura’s brain constantly. She did not think she deserved to live after she killed the person she considered her sister. Laura’s mom began to pack up all the things in the hospital room that were brought and sent to Laura during her time in the hospital. “Come one honey were going home!” Sarah said in excitement. Laura got up slowly her bones still aching from the crash. Laura’s dad was waiting in the car outside the hospital smiling as if nothing was wrong. Laura saw the car and could not take another step. Panic filled her entire body and she began to shake.

Laura began to have a flash back. All she could see was pieces of her car flying everywhere. The scent of warm blood filled her nose and she began to weep. The last memory before she fell to her knees was Cara’s face smiling and telling Laura they would be friends forever. “Laura! Get up, honey please stand up.” Sarah pleads. Laura’s father gets out of the car and slowly picks his daughter up and forces her into the car. Laura sat in silence staring out the window with tears streaming down her face. The family arrives home and Laura steps out of the car never being more relieved to get out of a vehicle. She takes a step into the home she has lived in her entire life. Only this time she does not see the same things. Instead of seeing the bright paint on the walls she sees all the cracks in her ancient home. As Laura walks up the stairs she admires pictures on the wall that once made her smile but now remind her of all the problems that exist in her corrupt family. She opens her bedroom doors and lies on her bed and realizes that her life will never be the same.

A week has passed since Laura has returned from the hospital and the day Laura was dreading was coming up. Laura would be returning to school in two days. All she could think of the stares she would receive when she returned and worst of all that Cara would not be there by her side. As she entered the halls of her high school which used to be her favorite place in the world she hung her head low. Not making eye contact with a single person even with the ones she grew so close to through out her 3 years in high school, she walked to her locker. “Hey Laura.” Ryan Laura’s s prom date said to her. Laura looked up at him and didn’t no what to say. “How are you doing?” Ryan asked trying to get Laura to say anything. Laura just stared, she didn’t no how to talk to the person she liked so much when she thought she was a monster. Ryan looked at her and realized that Laura was not the same girl he fell for before prom. Knowing this Ryan walked away but before he left said to Laura “ I will never give up on you.” Laura watched Ryan walk away from her and for once since the crash felt something other than guilt. As Laura sat in class she could feel the eyes on her. Throughout the day people asked Laura how she was, and told her if she needed anything they were there for her. All those comments meant nothing to Laura; all she wanted was her best friend back. Every time she would turn a corner she would look for Cara but then remembered she killed the most important person in her life.

After 2 weeks of Laura returning to school her mood has not changed. She still was not talking to anyone including her parents and cried herself to sleep every night. The pain was becoming too much for Laura to bear. She walked through life feeling like a killer and had no one to turn to now that her best friend was gone. Ryan tried day after day to talk to Laura but he finally gave up knowing that Laura was gone. Everything was going the same as every other day until one day Laura spoke. “Ryan?” Laura questioned wondering if he would even speak to her. “Yes!” Ryan replied thrilled that she finally acknowledged him. “ I just wanted to apologize that I missed prom.” Laura said not making eye contact with him. “Laura its fine you don’t need to apologize, are you okay?” Ryan asked. Laura took a second to answer that question then replied, “yes I finally know what I have to do to come to terms with Cara’s death.” Laura went home that day and dug up old photo albums. She flipped through the pages of endless memories of her and Cara and cried uncontrollably for hours. Flipping through the last book she grabbed a pen and paper and began to write frantically. The letter read “Dear mom and dad, I know I have disappointed you with the actions I have committed in the last month. Whether it is the crash or not taking time to fix our family problems, I just want to say im sorry. I’m sorry I’m not the daughter you have always wanted and that I killed my best friend (a person you considered your daughter). But now I know what I must do to make up for all the mistakes I have made. I love you.” As Laura finished her letter she began to prepare. When everything was set in place she put the letter down and a final tear fell to the grown and the chair fell from under her feet.