It took me a month; a month to teach that weird girl how to hit a home run, a month to learn her name (which by the way was Yui), and a month to become her friend.

Every day after work I would go to the baseball field and meet Yui there. She and I would only play for a while and spend the rest of the time talking about our lives; about our daily routines, our friends, about the past, the present and sometimes even the future. It was nice to talking to someone who didn't once try to sympathize me without actually knowing how I felt. In fact she was the only person who knew how I felt. She had lost her father as well at a very young age and recovered from his loss. She advised me that I should stop being a sissy and accept his death or else I would never be able to happy again. She was right.

A couple of weeks later we were playing at the field when I noticed that Yui was distracted. She wasn't even trying to hit the ball. After a while I got annoyed and asked her, "YUI! What's going on?"

Yui finally woke up from her thoughts, "What?"

"Something is on your mind. What is it tell me?" I asked. She hesitated at first but finally started.

"Well, I can't believe I will be going to high school in fall. I mean few months ago I was some crazy middle school kid, now few months from now I'll be a high school student."

I was vexed; I mean could she have been so naïve? "Chill out kid! High school isn't any different." I replied.

"Maybe so but it's still intimidating. I mean I wouldn't know anyone there."

"You'll know me."

"What?"

"You're obviously going to Kontoha High right?" She nodded her head, "I'll be your senior there. I could show you around. Teach you all the codes. In fact, I could help you with your studies if you want."

After a while, Yui replied "Thanks Hideki. That'll be awesome!"

…

I didn't see Yui much throughout the summer. In fact I spent much of my time studying and working extra shifts at the Kon Café. Summer felt like the perfect opportunity to take Yui's advice to spend time with my mother. I would often take my mother out for dinner or go to cinema to watch some movie with her. After my dad died last year, I kind of isolated myself from my mum. It wasn't her fault, she just wanted to help me get over my dad's death and I wasn't ready to let him go. So I just avoided her on the whole, it was easier for me that way.

"Hideki! It's 2 o' clock. Don't you have to go to work?" my mother shouted. I quickly grabbed my coat and ran down the stairs.

"Thanks mom. Love you. Bye." I shouted while leaving the house.

"Love you too. Don't forget to eat and don't tire yourself." My mother replied.

As I was walking down the street I began thinking about how I had to work in the summer while other kids played around, then I remembered something that Yui had said to me.

"People don't make choices which benefit other people; they always make choices which benefit them. However your life is today it's because you chose it to be this way. No person or event has any control on your decisions."

She felt that instead of cursing my fate I should reflect on why I was doing the things that I was doing. According to her I chose to live my life like this. On any given day I would have disagreed but now that I thought about it, the only reason I got serious about studies, took a part time job and isolated myself from people was to avoid getting sympathized as 'the boy who lost his dad'. People used to treat me like I was some kind of a victim. It made me feel more and more angry. I felt as if no one understood me. It made me miss my dad more and more. People didn't understand that didn't want their sympathy. Nobody seemed understand that; nobody except Yui.

She may have been a kid but damn she understood life better than me. For the first time in my life, I decided to accept my fate. That I Hideki Hinata, would stop cursing fate for the things that happened in my life because all in all I chose to let them happen. I realized that life was always supposed to be hard and people aren't always going to see things the way you do. Blaming others when things got tough wasn't going to make it any easier. It was time for me to grow up.

…..

Fall finally came and my final year in high school began.

I had been looking forward getting back to school ever since summer began. Because I knew this year I would have Yui in my school.

I had just walked a couple of steps away from my street when I heard someone shout my name. I turned around and saw a girl in my school's uniform. I felt a bit bewildered but I didn't want to seem impolite so I asked, "Yes?"

"Hope you didn't forget your promise Moron?" replied the girl with a smile.

It took me a second but I finally realized who I was talking to.

"YUI?" I shouted. She would usually tie pigtails. But today she let her hair open. Her hair done and open somehow managed to complement with her looks. She looked different. She looked pretty.

"Yes?" she said.

"You look different." I replied

"Good or bad?"

"Pretty." I replied. Yui tried to suppress her smile, but failed.

"ARE YOU PLANNING ON GOING TO SCHOOL OR NOT?" She screamed. It became obvious that she didn't want to show me how happy felt hearing me compliment her. What I failed to understand was why.

…

Only a few months had passed by and life was awesome. After sitting alone during breaks and avoiding my friends for so long, it was nice to have some company. What I didn't comprehend was how she could easily convince me to do things. She convinced me to stop isolating myself, to start hanging out with my friends, to open myself a bit, and to be friendlier. In months I knew almost every single person of my batch whom, if I had been on my own, I would never even know if they had existed.

I wanted to tell her how much I appreciated having her around. I wanted her to know how happy I have felt ever since the day I met her. I wanted to tell her that if I hadn't met her I would have been lost forever. I wanted to tell her so much but the words that I wanted to say wouldn't come out of my mouth. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't express myself to her.

…..

Days, Weeks, Months, and before we all knew it I was going to graduate next week.

I was both psyched and upset. Though I had been given admission in one of the best business colleges of Japan, I wouldn't be able to spend time with Yui anymore. I was afraid that if I became too busy in my studies I would lose her. So I decide to make a promise to myself to visit her every week and text her every day. It was a long shot but I was determined.

Yui demanded a treat from me, she was mad at me for not even telling her that I had gotten the admission. I told her that I wasn't planning on starting college without telling her. Anyways I decided to treat her at Kon café. After she nearly left me bankrupt we decided to head back home. There wasn't much traffic so I decided to walk across the road. Yui kept telling me that was a bad idea and we should wait for the light to turn red but I dismissed her fear. I began crossing the road. I had almost made it across the road when suddenly out of nowhere a black car came in my direction in full speed. I felt struck with fear and I froze. I just couldn't force myself to move. All I could do at that moment was stare at the car that was coming in my direction.

At that moment, I knew, I had lost everything.