This story isn't the happiest, most meaningful, or even one someone could consider 'viral'. However, when reflecting on an event in my life that holds great significance for who I am today, I think of this one. It's hard to reflect on my life without thinking about this moment. A common occurrence that many kids from my hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, experience at least once in their teen years. A moment that changes a person's life forever, and teaches them to be more cautious when going out with friends for what seems like a regular summer night.
It was the summer before my freshman year of high school, and I had planned to stay the night at my good friend Freddy's house, which sat on a corner of two popular streets in my city. About halfway through the night, we decided to walk to a nearby school that had a field to explore and a roof that was easy to climb. On the way to the school, Freddy and I decided to pick up my friend Zohar since his house was on a road near the school. We stayed until the sun went down, as we usually do, and after some time, we decided to head back over to Freddy's house to finish off the night.
The walk back should have lasted about 15 minutes, but Freddy was filming several TikTok videos as we walked. So, it took us longer to get back than usual. The last video Freddy wanted to film was of me recording him walking down the street dramatically, just for a funny bit. After I recorded the video, we stopped on the road to review it, having made many attempts to get the 'perfect' video. Freddy was satisfied, and we continued the walk. As we got closer to the house, Freddy wanted to film another one, but by this point, the 15-minute walk had turned into a 20-minute walk, and we'd already filmed multiple videos. So, Zohar and I protested, and he relented; we continued walking and arrived at his front door, which is located about 10 feet in from the start of the house.
The house blocks the left and right sides with a gate before the main door. We knock on the door, waiting inside this entrance patio, and all in about 5 seconds, I hear car tires screaming on the street, followed by a long string of gunshots. Before I even saw where this was coming from, we were all down on the ground. I look up to the street and see a car coming around the corner, chasing and shooting at another car that's already made it past Freddy's property line. I heard bullets whizzing, and I could hear my heart beating in my ears. This all happened incredibly quickly, in the blink of an eye, a night of adventuring and harmless TikTok making turned into a night of panic and fear. We were let inside the house right away. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and we were safe inside Freddy's home afterward. After sitting with my friends for some time, I kept replaying the shock I felt, hearing the noise of the bullet and the sound of our shoes slapping the pavement as we ran away. My heart was racing, and my mind was in a scramble, but my friends and I comforted each other, reassuring each other that everything was alright. This being my first experience being that exposed and vulnerable to gun violence, I instantly started thinking of how that could have gone differently, and it dawned on me, it could have. I realized that had I said yes to recording another video for Freddy, that could have held up the walk back by at least 10–20 seconds, putting us even closer to the driveway or even in the street, leaving us in greater danger as they recklessly came around the corner, had I made such an unimportant decision.
Overall, this isn't a story with a fulfilling message, but instead, it's a lesson that saved my life in similar future experiences. Because it's common for parties to get shot up, especially where I grew up in New Mexico. I've had closer calls than this one since then, even having had the shots less than 15 feet away from me. Regardless, this story was my first, a rude awakening to the type of place Albuquerque becomes when a kid grows up, and how to maneuver and stay safe at all times.
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