“You’ll be fine,” my father said as i stayed frozen on the ground. mom was upset i was interrupting my brother’s celebration. (2 of 7)

“Hey, remember that time we convinced Audrey that the neighbor’s dog had rabies?” he called out. His friends laughed. I had been eight years old; the fear had been real.

“Or the time we switched her shampoo with hair removal cream?” his friend Tyler added. That prank happened when I was 14. I’d been forced to wear hats to school for weeks. My parents had told me to stop being so dramatic.

I took a deep breath and started to gather my things. I had reached my limit. But as I turned to leave, Jason intercepted me. “Leaving so soon? The party is just getting started.” His words were slurred. He was drunk, which always made him more dangerous.

“I have a long drive back,” I said firmly, trying to step around him. He blocked my path. “Come on, sis. Loosen up.”

“No thanks, Jason. I really need to go.”

His face hardened. “Still the same uptight Audrey. Some things never change.”

I walked away, heading toward the sliding glass door. To reach the house, I needed to cross a section of the new pool deck. As I stepped onto the wooden boards, I immediately sensed something was wrong. The surface felt strangely slick. I glanced down and noticed a slight sheen on the wood. In that moment, I knew what was about to happen, but it was already too late.

My foot slid forward violently. I tried to catch myself, but my other foot shot out from under me, and I felt my body falling backward. Time seemed to slow down. I could see Jason and his friends watching, their expressions a mixture of anticipation and cruel amusement. Then came the impact, not with the wooden deck, but with the concrete lip of the pool. My lower back and head struck simultaneously. I heard someone scream and only later realized it was me. When things finally stabilized, I was lying flat on my back, staring up at the clear blue sky. The pain in my head was excruciating, but what terrified me more was what I could not feel: anything below my waist.

“Help,” I gasped. “Please help me. I can’t feel my legs.”

The first face that appeared was Jason’s. He was smiling. “Nice pratfall, sis. Very dramatic.”

I tried to move, but my body would not cooperate. “I’m serious,” I said, my voice edged with panic. “Something is wrong. I can’t move my legs.”