The first time it happened I was 12 and totally nervous. I was in the middle of the street playing kickball with other kids on my block. I had learned about it in my first aid class and my sister had it happen to her before, but I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I use a rag or cotton balls or stick something up there to absorb the blood? I felt like crying, but I didn’t want the other kids to make fun of me.

Of course I was wearing white and had messed up my clothes for the whole neighborhood to see. I touched it and it was darker color then I thought it would be and clumpy, unlike any other bleeding I ever saw before. My hands starting shaking and I felt dizzy. I felt like I might throw up. It just kept coming and coming and I started to panic. Maybe I was hemorrhaging, maybe something was broken, maybe there was a serious problem. I ran home to my mother, tears streaming down my face. She laughed and said I was fine. Told me to stop overacting.

Naturally the whole neighborhood would be talking about it. All the others kids saw it happen. My mom calmed me down and showed me what to do. She made my favorite dinner that night. Later on in bed I wondered if I’d look different now that it had happened. And I did for a few days. I had a bit of a bruise right on the tip of my nose where I got hit in the face with that ball. But only my right nostril bled. The left one was fine.

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