Lost a member of the group, 2007, by Angie

From MemoryArchive

Who: Angie
What: Death of a best friend
When: September 13, 2007
Where: A car accident in the middle of Florida, I10

A little over a month ago, on Thursday September 13, to be precise, I was approached with a startling, life-changing phone call. My friend Vanezza's mom had called me at about 8:30 that night with news that Vanezza had been in a car accident, and she was in critical condition, and the passenger, whom she wasn't aware of, was seriously injured and unidentified. Without any further questioning, I ran into my parents bedroom, paranoid, and told them what I could barely get out. They followed me into my room, and took the phone out of my hand to speak with Brenda, Vanezza's mom. I then immediately called Will, my boyfriend and the boys were all over his house. Joey answered the phone and heard my tone of voice after joking around and knew then that something was seriously wrong. All the information I knew at the time was what I explained above, so I updated them. He put Will on the phone, when all the sudden, I Iooked over at my mom, and she started hysterically crying due to the news she had then heard on the other end of the phone. Cesar did not make it. I fell to my knees thinking this was not real. I could not break the news to Will, Cesar's best friend for 8 years. It was the most surreal, disturbing news I have ever had to come across in my life. Our best friend, gone, and a new chapter in our lives we had no choice but to face. Thinking about explaining it all now seems a blur. Everything is different, and there is a definite hole, and always will be. Our group is like no other, and so close it's ridiculous. This is the first time we have ever had to deal with something like this. None of us had ever lost anyone before, and now, a best friend at age 20. Two days before Will's birthday and a week after his own. It is unfair to have to deal with something so horrible, this young. So many were crushed. I happened to be the first person to find out, out of all of us. Imagine being in my shoes at that point. That whole week was unimaginable. I could never picture reliving something like it ever again. We laugh now, we are all together now, but it's not the same. It still hurts. Cesar was hilarious, a lady lover, and sometimes an butthead. That is what I loved about him, and made him so independent and stand out. He fit right in with us, for so many years. All the pictures, all the music, and all the parties. It hit us so hard, but his family is what hurt me to see the most. I had never been to a funeral before, let alone seeing my best friend dead in a casket. A beautiful boy, helpless and gone. Just thinking about it gives me the chills and brings a flashback of that whole miserable weekend. Vanezza was his girl. We loved that girl too. She is distant and confusing now a days. She feels responsible for this accident. Her car veered off the road on I10 into the tree brush at about 6:15 that night, and she was ejected out of the car 30ft and immediately knocked unconcious until the day after. Cesar died on impact from internal shock damage and bleeding. He had ironically broke his leg and was basically paralyzed waste down a week prior. Had he been completely in commission and not so weak, it could have turned out differently. There is so many things I can say to myself "what if" about, but that just wouldn't add up to anything that happened chronologically before. Everything happens for a reason, no one said it was going to be fair. It is the most terriying thing to think about happening to someone you love, and whom people you love, love. It has affected me greatly, and gave a good wake up call to many. Life is too short to take things for granted, and not appreciate what you have in front of you. I will neve forget that, or him. That is probably the only good thing that has come out of it, besides an amazing memory, of our best friend....our brother...rest in peace and I love you Cesar Alejandro Figueroa.