On Friday, just after school, my friend Robby called me. Immediately, I knew something strange was going on, because Robby never calls me. Robby is one of those people that believes that everything can be communicated through a text message; either one lined abbreviated texts, such as “workout @ 10 2day,” or through a 6 page short story – texts about how he hates his little brother Christian. So when the phone showed his contact information on the screen, I was reluctant to answer. I came to a conclusion that it was probable a prank call, so I hung up and checked my snapchat. And then the phone rang again with Robby and his stupid smiling metal – mouth on my screen. At this point, I went from confused to curious and answered the phone.
        

When I put the phone up to my ear, I could barely hear Robby. All I could hear were the sound of speeding cars and the wail of police siren. Then Robby must have stepped inside somewhere, because those noises disappeared and I could hear him better. “Jaxon, Kalen and I were in a car accident. He is stuck in the car and is not responding to anything.”

Part 2: Kalen
12/10/2015
        

Kalen became my friend from an early age because our fathers coached our baseball, football and basketball teams during elementary school. We became close because he shares my competitive spirit and my desire to win. Kalen is someone that shares my sense of humor and taste in music as well. I see K – Mo every other day, even though we live on the opposite sides of town. I usually refer to his parents as “Uncle Chris” and “Aunt Kathy.” Because of this, the news was that much more shocking.
        

Apparently, Kalen broke his fibula, and he fractured both ankles, and bruised nearly every bone in his body. I will visit him tonight for the first time since the car accident, and I would be lying if I said that I’m not scared out of my mind to see him injured like this. I’m praying for a speedy recovery, and a medical staff that cares for him like his parents would.

Part 3: Visit 1
12/11/2016
        

I was in a state of total shock. Kalen was not moving and was hooked up to multiple tubes with  connecting wires and machines. The machines beeping, nurses murmuring, parents crying all were muted outside the room of the hospital. Robby was there too, and I tried to make eye contact with  him to let me in. It totally failed, so I sent him a text instead. That worked much better, and he let me in while everyone else cleared out so I could talk with Kalen.
        

We talked about nearly everything. We talked about how the wreck happened, and what happened during that day at school. We talked about friends, and what makes someone a good friend. We talked about girls, and what makes a girl attractive. We talked about college, and what we were going to do with our lives. We talked about baseball, and all the amazing memories we have had while playing together. And we talked about life, and how lucky we were to live it.

Part 4: Visit 2
12/14/2016
        

I walked into the PT building this afternoon expecting the worst for Kalen, but I was in for a pleasant surprise. Kalen wasn't hooked up to all the hospital machines, and was even supporting his own body weight while sitting down. When I got to the building, Kalen was already half way through his first physical therapy session, and it was the first time I had seen him not laying down since before the accident. The physical therapist was having him sit on a chair and turn around as much as he could, and turn back. While such an activity can be performed by you and me many times without physical stress, Kalen was dripping in sweat and breathing heavily each time he turned around. Every “set” was followed by a water break and a towel to wipe off his face.
        

The only time I had ever seen him work so hard and sweat so much was during the workouts in the baseball offseason. The stuff that we put each other through was very rigorous, and it was hard to wrap my mind around how what he was doing was equally as difficult. But, Kalen is extremely mentally tough, and I have complete faith that eventually he will be able to return to our workouts once more.

Part 5: Reflection
2/22/2016

Kalen’s accident came as a total surprise to me, and I was in a hot mess of emotion for a couple of months. For a while, I kept these thoughts to myself in my journal, not wanting the sympathy and condolence that came with telling people what I was going through. However, I went back and looked over these entries, and realized that the raw emotion expressed made these something special and something that deserved to be published. Over the past couple of months I have grew in many ways, but none more than my  qualities as a friend. Because underneath all the cons that I  originally thought existed in the crash, the wreck became a disguised blessing showcasing how friendship can persevere through tragedy.