Is It Worth It?
Christian Barker played the role of the drunk driver in this year’s mock car crash. This is the perspective from his character.
Officer, how did I end up here? What happened to my friends? Oh my, how could this have happened. It was only a few drinks, I did not think things would ever get this bad. What do I do now?
All of my friends wanted to party after our senior prom. We just wanted the rush of sneaking a few beers in before we went to our friend’s house. We all got wasted, but I thought I was good enough to drive. After the dance, we all headed out to the parking lot and I brought out a case of beer. After five or six I was really feeling good. We decided it was time to go for a little drive and blast some music. I never thought that would lead to my friend’s death.
I got behind the wheel, which I guess when I saw two of everything I should have gotten out, but we were just having a good time. The drive was not even that far. I thought I could make it without any obstacles. I ran over a few mailboxes and I may have killed a squirrel, but hey who hasn’t made a few mistakes behind the wheel? Once the speedometer read 75mph I thought we were indestructible. Connor told me to slow down but I didn’t listen. I never meant to hurt anyone.
When I woke up, the windshield was destroyed. That’s when I saw it. Connor’s body was on the hood. I tapped him a few times and he didn’t move. I wasn’t badly hurt so I got out of the car to look at the damage. The other car was totaled. Nobody was moving in either car. The silence was deafening. What else could I do except crack open another beer and wait? Another car soon noticed what I had done. They sped over and assessed the damage. The next thing I know, I’m in the back of a squad car.
Officer, I promise this was an accident. I never meant to kill anyone. There is no way to fix this? I know drinking and driving is a crime but it was no one’s fault. One question keeps going through my mind. Was it worth it?
This prom season...don’t drink and drive. Nothing is worth the cost of your future, your life, or anyone else's. Be smart and stay safe. The view of the inside of a prison or the inside of a coffin is not pretty.
Posted: Thursday, May 11, 2017