2002

One shot by: Minami Hashimoto
***

Where are you now?

What did you today?

Who were you with?

What did you talk about?

Are you happy?

When was...the last time you thought of me?

I wonder...

Are you in love?

Who are you in love with right now?

Underneath this vast blue sky, you're there, somewhere.

I still remember the day I first met you. It was summer, the summer of 2002.

Hello there, my name is Mia Sakuragi, in this part of the story I'm currently 15 years old. I live in Hokkaido, Japan with my parents and my older sister Mina, she's 18 here. Next month I'll be starting my second semester in high school.

Everyone says high school is the peak of ones youth, the part of your life where you want to experience everything, explore everything. You dream, you learn, you have fun, if you're lucky, you fall in love. My classmates say that high school romance is the sweetest, you love someone with all your heart without a care in the world, you'll hold hands, you'll laugh together, cry together, sometime you'll fight then you'll make up, and everything is okay again, and it's almost as if nothing else matters. It's also said that 8 out of 10 high school sweethearts eventually end up together and get married. I don't know if that's true though, I mean, in the end it still depends on what kind of person they are and how patient they are with each other, right?

I guess my parents are one of those 8 of 10 couples, they've been together since they were in high school, they went to the same college in Tokyo, got a job there, got married, and went back to Hokkaido when they had their first born.

Honestly, just listening to them talk about their journey as a couple, makes me feel so in love, it's almost like I'm listening to a romantic audiobook. I wish I can experience that too. I want the first person I fall in love with to be the last, that being said, it means that I have to choose carefully, yes, that's right, I have to make sure that I choose the right one, the right person.

"Don't rush, you have three whole years in high school to look for a guy." That was my sisters response to that little monologue I just had earlier. "And if you don't find him in high school, then try again in college."

"Your sisters right, Mia." My mom said as she carried out another basket of washed laundry for us to hang. "And before you even worry about that whole romance business, think about what kind of career you want to have in the future first. Love is not something that you look for, it comes at the right time, at the right place. So don't rush."

"I'm not rushing at all." I responded. "It's just, all of the girls in my class are talking about it so I thought I would give it some thought too. And besides I already know what I want to be in the future."

"Oh, really? What then?" My sister asked.

"I want to be a designer and live in Paris." I answered.

"Woah, you sure dream big, don't you?"

"Well, it's free anyway so why not?" I said.

"You should try being a model instead, make use of that pretty face of yours." My mom yelled from somewhere inside the house.

"Mom, I can't be a model! I'm too short for that!" I shouted back.

That's right, if there's anything I enjoy doing more than anything it's designing.