I almost died in the hallway

I was running as fast as I could, lockers rushing by as Daniel and I sprinted down the halls of our middle school. Next thing I know, I am laying outside the Spanish room on the cold tile floor. The bright florescent lights beating down on my limp body as frantic teachers crowded over me. All I remember being able to think through my pounding headache and ringing ears was, “Well that fucking hurt.”

 

Daniel was a friend that I had met that year. He was a little Asian boy who was fairly shy but always had a smile on his face. When it came to serious situations he would get awkward.

 

In eighth grade, I was a very accident prone kid. I was in and out of the hospital seemingly once a week for different injuries. My parents joked that I was a baby giraffe who’s arms and legs were too long. According to them, I had no concept of how to maneuver my lanky limbs. They teased me that the nurses at the hospital knew me by name. I was there for every kind of injury. I sprained my ankle, splinted a bone and ripped open my elbow and had to get stitches, just to name a few. I was there far too often.

 

I was just coming off of a recent wrist sprain, getting ready to go to Spanish class when the bell rang. Panic. I locked eyes with Daniel. His face was blush. We were late… again.

 

In middle school being late was a big deal and the bell had already gone so we grabbed our stuff and ran as fast as we could across the school. Classes had started so the halls were clear of students. We came whipping around the corner to the Spanish room at full speed and the door was in sight. We could hear our classmates from just down the hall. In the rush to the door, I ignored the metal door frame in the middle of the hall.

 

I feel my foot suddenly stop, blocked by the solid metal post just to my left. My foot slides, wrapping around the pole. My body keeps going until my leg is pulled to its limit, and begins to violently pull my body around. I am still moving fast and yet everything moves slow. My momentum pulls me away from the pole yet I am held there by my foot, still hooked on the pole. Finally, I untangle it but my body is already too far. I begin stumbling backward like a truck on black ice. I am doomed to crash. It is only a matter of time. I try to plant my left foot, only just being freed, but it is too late. I feel my body being whipped down towards the cold tiles on the ground. And then suddenly…black.

 

The following is a second-hand account of events: Daniel, being shy and awkward, walks into the Spanish room. Class had already started, the students were sitting down listening to the teacher, Mr. Butterfield. Daniel walks in and looks at the teacher and starts laughing awkwardly before saying, “I think Pierce hit his head.” and nothing else. Everyone laughed assuming he was joking, even Mr. Butterfield. Daniel, not knowing what to do also laughed and continued laughing as he said: “Yeah, he is unconscious on the floor.” Shocked Mr. Butterfield remarks, “Wait are you serious?”. He then rushed into the hall to find me completely sprawled out on the floor.

 

I woke up surrounded by teachers, all discussing what to do. My head was pounding and there was an intense high pitch ringing in my ears. They picked me up slowly and held me as I stumbled down the hallway to the office. My mom picked me up and off to the hospital we went. While I was sitting in the hospital bed all I remember thinking was, “Well here I am again… stupid baby giraffe legs”. Long story short I had a major concussion and had to wear a neck brace for two weeks.

 

After I had gotten the neck brace off I went back to my life. These days I have grown into my limbs and am not quite as accident prone as I was back then. I learned to slow down and not risk my safety, no matter how dire the circumstances. That day I didn’t realize that and ended up pretty badly hurt. I’m lucky Daniel was there because if he hadn’t been I would have simply been unconscious in the hallway for god knows how long. To this day I have not gotten another injury to this scale, and I don’t plan to soon.