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Sunday, December 25, 2005
School attack on friend has teen wondering ‘what if …’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
She blames herself. Even though she probably could have done little to prevent it.
Still, Ashley Favors, a freshman at Meadowcreek High School, feels some responsibility for what happened to a friend Dec. 6.
That night, the Meadowcreek Mustangs hosted the Grayson Rams. Meadowcreek won, 86-46. Ashley was there, playing with the marching band. Trevor Sanford wasn’t in the band, but the sophomore sat nearby.
“He was sitting on the ground talking to me about this job and something he was planning on doing with his life,” Ashley told me via e-mail.
After the game, Trevor walked Ashley to the band room so she could change. She asked him to wait for her outside. He said OK but with a preface.
“He said that he had to hurry and get home so that his parents wouldn’t get worried,” she said.
Ashley eventually emerged. Trevor had split. She thought he had hopped on his new bike and sped home.
He hadn’t.
Campus police and school officials say Trevor was attacked by two fellow students sometime between 9:30 and 10:30 that night.
They say Darron D. Dalton, 16, struck Trevor in the face while Corrddaro B. Thomas, 18, restrained the victim. Trevor was knocked cold. The attackers high-tailed it. Apparently they forgot about one thing: Campus surveillance cameras. The incident was caught on tape.
The suspects have been charged with felony aggravated battery, and they may be prosecuted as adults. Why they chose Trevor is unclear.
Trevor’s left eye socket was shattered in two places. Doctors say it will heal. Trevor, though, will be in rehab for some time to strengthen his cognitive abilities.
Today should be a good day. He checked out of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite on Friday.
“Thank you, Jesus,” wrote his dad, Tim Sanford, in the Badie Blog. “Maybe we can have some kind of Christmas.”
Let’s hope so.
Sadly, though, this tale is ripe. There are the 45 days of rehab that await Trevor. His attackers must face a judge as well as a school tribunal.
And Ashley has a bad case of the what-ifs.
What if she hadn’t asked Trevor to wait for her?
What if it had not taken her so long to change?
“If only I didn’t have him wait so long on me, none of this would have happened,” she told me. ” I didn’t even get to tell him bye or anything. I can’t sleep. I just feel as if this is somewhat my fault.”
It’s easy for her to feel that way, to beat herself up. It’s noble of her to assume blame for the actions of two knuckleheads. When you care about someone, you tend to do that.
But is it necessary? Nah. And if Trevor is the young man I’ve been told he is, I bet he’d concur.
Ashley asked me to pass on a message.
“Tell him I said, ‘hello,’ and that I miss him very much.”
Consider it done.
