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They were a bunch of mates with the world at their feet but it was snatched away in an instant when an 18th birthday celebration ended with a horrific accident.
Now one Western Australian teen awaits his fate in court, another – Nick Campo – is tragically dead, and a third – Tyler Rowe – has fought and won the hardest battle just to live.
Rowe wears a neck brace, scars line his face and an even bigger one hides beneath his beanie.
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"I can't remember much from that night," he told 9News in an exclusive interview.
"A big mental blank when they ask about that night. I can't remember hopping in the car."
Last month, the 18-year-old was out with four mates as one celebrated a milestone birthday.
The ute they were in collided with another vehicle along Farrington Road in North Lake, in Perth's south.
"I just woke up in hospital one morning and I was a bit like, 'What am I doing here?'" Rowe said.
He was in a coma for 11 days suffering a broken jaw, neck, and pelvis.
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"I didn't know what had happened," he said.
"My parents had to tell me that I was in a car crash.
"I was a bit like 'nah, that's impossible'."
Then came the heartbreaking news. Campo, his good mate who'd been celebrating his 18th birthday, had died beside him.
"I just really wish it wasn't Nick, because it's hurt me a lot. I know it's hurt his family a lot," Rowe said.
The friends of four years played footy together at South Fremantle, two talented teens chasing AFL dreams.
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"Just every time I'd see him, we'd have a little joke about something," Rowe said.
"It was just like laughing the whole time. He was one of a kind."
The country boy from Narrogin has lost 10 kilograms and may never play footy again.
"It could be a fatal risk if I cop a big hit to the head," he said.
But even the fact he's walking at all is a remarkable feat.
Doctors had given him a 50-50 chance of life in a permanent vegetative state.
"It could've been a lot worse. It could've been like my mate," Rowe said.
Campo's parents have launched their own road safety campaign, Call Out For Nick.
Rowe supports the cause and has a message for everyone, one he wishes he could've delivered to his mate.
"I would've definitely told him not to hop in that car, because I'd still have one of my mates here," he said.
"If you know the driver has been doing something he shouldn't've, just have the guts really to call it out, say something."
The teen driver has been charged over the crash and Rowe will be in and out of hospital for some time yet.
