Written by Claire Chen of Richard Montgomery High School
I never thought I would risk my life for someone else. I wasn’t that kind of person. Honestly, I never thought I would do many things in life. It was all because of her—the girl I met in senior year.
A few months earlier, I was sitting in class, flipping through what would be the last yearbook I would ever have. I breezed through the fresh, glossy white pages, tired of seeing the same faces everywhere. Everyone was either blonde or brunette, blue eyes or green. They all had this creepy, artificial smile; you’d think they were photoshopped. If you were wondering which category I fall into, I’m one of the many guys with blonde hair and green eyes.
As I skimmed through the endless pages, one photo in particular caught my eye. It was hidden in the bottom left-hand corner—I would’ve missed it entirely if it weren’t for the ivory black hair that contrasted everything else on the page. The person in this photo had a genuine, sweet smile that complemented their dark brown eyes. Under the picture read “Mina Matsuzaki”.
After that I could’ve sworn I heard someone say her name out loud. Mina Matsuzaki. Wait, no, I think someone said my name. I looked up, startled and confused, and saw my teacher staring at me.
“Hunter? Are you with us?”
“Yeah...totally,” I lied.
“Very well then, Mr. Hill. As I have said, you and Mina will be partners for the Photo of the Future project. Now that everyone has been assigned their partners, I’ll go over the directions.”
I yawned, leaning back in my chair as the instructions were read aloud. My eyes wandered over to the window, where cherry blossom trees stood bright against the clear white sky. A few petals carefully drifted away, dancing with the wind until they gracefully landed on the ground, never to fly again.
“Each group will be submitting one photo that shows what they believe is the ideal future, or what they hope to have accomplished once they’ve graduated. The most important thing is to have both partners agree on the content of the photo.”
After all the directions were announced, we were free to talk to our partners and get started on the project. Mina and I agreed to work together in a quiet corner of the classroom. In all honesty, I never knew she was in my grade, let alone my English class. I was curious to see what she was like.
When we sat down, she greeted me with a warm, gentle smile that could melt a million hearts. For once, I thought, class was actually interesting.
“So, what are you thinking of doing?” I asked.
She pulled out a notebook covered in pastel pink cherry blossom petals and flipped through some pages before replying, “I was thinking of taking a photo of something related to California or Hollywood. Maybe something like a highway?”
“Wait, why that? How does it relate to the prompt?”
She tucked her silky black hair behind her ear and fiddled with her phone’s popsocket, using it to twirl her enormous iPhone 11 around. “When I graduate, I want to move to California and become famous, so I want the photo to represent something from California. Like Route 101, you know? And I think an empty road could show how it’s open for adventure and new opportunities.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, partly because I didn’t exactly agree with her idea. We sat in silence for a moment, and I think she sensed the tension too. She sighed and added, “I want to be famous because I feel like I’m always invisible to everyone, and it’s just sad. I want to be loved and appreciated. Oh—and if I do become famous, I want to take my dad’s last name and change mine to Miller. Matsuzaki is so weird. It literally means ‘pine tree’ in Japanese.” After that she seemed to shrink back in her chair, avoiding eye contact with me as if she had said something awful.
I chuckled and replied, “I actually think your last name is really cool. I mean, if you took your dad’s last name you would blend in with every other kid at this school.”
“Yeah, but people make fun of me for having a weird name, and I hate it.” Now, she was scratching at her phone case like an angry cat. “I just think that fame would make me so much happier. Like, people would love me, and I would make a lot of money. They…they wouldn’t tease or ignore me. I’d have such a better life than now.”
I was surprised at how deep this conversation was becoming, and I wasn’t ready for that. So, I said, “Well, your idea’s pretty good, yeah, I like it. Anyways, my idea is to take a photo of an airplane flying through the sky, ‘cause I want to be a pilot. And I think it can send a message that the sky’s the limit when it comes to our dreams.”
Mina suddenly stopped fidgeting and looked at me, no longer with the bright glimmer in her eyes. “Why that? Also, your chances of getting a photo of a plane passing by are as low as your chances of becoming a pilot, no offense. I say we go with my idea.”
The sharpness in her voice startled me. It was so different than the delicate, tender tone from before.
“Well, why not? And your idea isn’t even that realistic either. Like, come on, just because people are famous doesn’t mean they’re happy. What makes you think having fame and money will guarantee you a better life? Plus, I bet my pilot career will earn more money than any singing or acting gig that you find,” I snapped.
Her eyes glimmered again, but this time with tears. She looked away, focusing her gaze on the cherry blossom petals flying frantically outside. The trees were shedding more and more petals now, but they were no longer dancing gracefully to the ground. They fell heavy and fast, as if the trees were crying rivers of pink tears.
“I’m—I’m sorry. I shouldn't have said that,” I apologized.
“It’s fine...I understand. You think I’m weird too. You know, I thought you were a nice guy, Hunter. You’re a cool, popular person and everyone likes you. I did too…” Her voice trailed off.
My heart broke as she told me this. In my ten minutes of knowing her, I never thought she was weird. No, she was the complete opposite of weird. She was a lovely girl with the kindest heart and the sweetest smile in the world.
“Wait, Mina, I didn’t mean—”
“We should figure out when and where we’re going to take the photo.” she interrupted.
I shut my mouth and nodded in agreement. “Well, I’m free on Saturday, and I can drive us to wherever you want,” I muttered.
“Yeah, okay. There’s a highway near the school, next to the tennis courts. We can do it there. I’ll give you my address, and you can pick me up at three,” she said apathetically.
I nodded again, hoping to avoid an argument at all costs. We didn’t see or talk to each other until that Saturday afternoon.
That day, I picked her up and drove her to the school. She didn’t say a single word until we reached the empty parking lot and walked over to the tennis courts.
“So, we haven’t decided on what we’re going to do yet,” I started.
She sighed and replied, “Yeah...maybe we can each take our own photos and see who took the best one. Then we can turn that one in.”
Although we were clearly told that both partners had to agree on the photo, I just went along with her plan. Today, she seemed a little distant, and I didn’t want to bother her. Part of me felt guilty for what happened the other day.
As Mina ran to the middle of the highway to take photos, I stood nearby, waiting for a plane to arrive. None came. I guess she was right.
A few moments later, I was picking at the grass when I heard something approaching. I looked up and saw a car coming our way, heading straight towards Mina, who was oblivious to her surroundings. She was sitting in the middle of the road, scrolling through endless photos, unaware of the deadly monster creeping up behind her.
The broken bits of grass slipped out of my sweaty palms, falling to the ground like a million cherry blossom petals. Blood pounded in my ears so loudly that I almost couldn’t hear the car anymore. I frantically pushed myself up and ran over to Mina, hoping that it wasn’t too late.
That whole moment was a blur. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what I did or why I did it. I didn’t even know if it was just in my head or if it actually happened. I remember pushing her out of the road, wrestling her out of the way. I felt something hit me, but I couldn’t tell if it hurt or not. I closed my eyes the entire time, afraid of seeing the very moment my life would end.
I was seeing black. Nothing but darkness. Was this the end?
I fluttered my eyes open, grateful to see that I was still here. I found myself hugging Mina very tightly, scared of letting go. I never wanted to let go. I never wanted to be like those cherry blossoms that let go so easily, accepting death so quickly.
I heard a sniffle, and then a cry. I looked at her, into her shiny, sparkling eyes, now full of tears.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice muffled between sobs. A smile appeared, and I was so happy to see it.
“I...I’m just glad you’re okay,” I began. “I also wanted to say...I like you too. I like you a lot, Mina.”
Her twinkling eyes glimmered brighter than ever now. She giggled as she hugged me back, and I think neither of us wanted this moment to ever end.
“You just made me the happiest girl in the world,” she whispered with a gentle smile. “I don't think any amount of fame could do that.”
In the end, the photo we submitted was the class favorite. During the graduation ceremony, everyone was either sniffling or crying their hearts out after hearing our story.
On the screen was a photo of me, Hunter Hill, and her, Mina Matsuzaki, sharing a kiss in the middle of an empty road. We stood together under a sweet orange and yellow sky, surrounded by a pink flurry of cherry blossoms. That photo captured only a single moment, but those petals will continue to fly and fall from grace, just like us—kids who have a long future ahead, before falling from the tree one last time.
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