"Where there is much light, the shadow is deep"

Last night a well-loved senior from my graduating class died in a car accident. Today was the saddest day I have ever experienced--more heartbreaking even than the mood around me on September 11th.

Seeing everyone around me so upset was upsetting to me. I heard the story on the radio this morning, but they didn't say her name, only that she was a student in Poway. I knew I would hear something as soon as I arrived. I went to school thinking, "Who's it gonna be? Please don't let it be someone I love." It wasn't. But she was loved by many others. All the cheerleaders were gone from their classes today. The quad was the quietest it has ever been. In every class, people spoke in somber murmers, asking "Did you know her?" We literally did nothing in Spanish today but sit in our chairs--most of the class was silent for the entire hour. Hearing Heather starting to break down at the end of announcements really brought home the loss that everyone seemed to be feeling. In my Spanish teacher's classroom, there was a picture of her from our sophomore year's Homecoming Dance. I looked at it and saw that I didn't know her, but I recognized her then-boyfriend, who had graduated Class of 2008. It made me wonder--who will tell him that his ex-girlfriend is dead? How will he feel? What do the people who knew her do when they have lost touch with her, but still feel her loss? I'm sad for him, especially.

Whenever someone dies, people get a touch of perspective. They said on the news "The thing that she will be most remembered for is her smile" and I started thinking about what they would have said had it been someone else--Katie...Jennifer...Michelle...Patrick...Michael...me. That's what really made me cry. Everyone is vulnerable; no one is invincible. Life is so precious and people forget that. For the next few weeks, people will tell those important in their lives that they love them. Today, I called my mom to let her know that we got home okay, because it was raining and I had to drive. Tonight a candlelight vigil is being held in her honor at the high school. Her friends will still be mourning by the time we get back to school, but my guess is that people will soon be smiling in the quad again. It takes so little time to forget...and when we forget, people like her have died in vain. They're not sure if alcohol was involved in the accident, but it happened on a rainy night at one o'clock in the morning in a neighboring city--circumstances that she should not have found herself in. Death is a tragedy when it steals away the young. But perhaps some good can come of this. I hope that those who were close to her and those who hear her story will never fall victim to the situation that killed her. My heart goes out to her family and friends. Rest in peace, Veronica.