Holding On To The Future

Written by

students

HELEN BERNSTEIN HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2023

This book was written by the students of Helen Bernstein High School in Spring 2023.

The views expressed in this book are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of 826LA. We support student publishing and are thrilled you picked up this book.

Las opiniones expresadas en este libro son las de los autores y no reflejan necesariamente las de 826LA. Apoyamos la publicación de jóvenes autores y estamos felices que haya recogido este libro.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Editors: Mike Dunbar

Cover Artwork: Valencia Spates

Book Design: Puicón-Pérez for 826LA

Echo Park 1714 W. Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, Ca 90026

Mar Vista 12515 Venice Blvd. Los Angeles, Ca 90066

HOLDING ON TO THE FUTURE

AN ANTHOLOGY OF VISIONS, DREAMS, AND QUESTIONS

Written by the students of HELEN BERNSTEIN HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2023

AGAINST BLADE RUNNER (LOS ANGELES 2023)

1982:

Blade Runner stuns moving-going audiences with its opening shot - called the “Hades” shot - of a futuristic Los Angeles in the year 2019. It shows an endlessly sprawling landscape oversaturated with industrialization, punctuated by oil refinery burn offs.

1992:

Political economist Francis Yoshihiro Fukuyama declares “the end of history,” claiming that the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union has signaled the end of humanity’s ideological evolution. 2014:

Cultural theorist Mark Fisher popularizes the concept of “the slow cancellation of the future,” a condition in which life continues on, but progress has somehow stopped. He diagnoses our time as one in which no truly new or significant cultural or political movements are possible. There is no longer a future to hope for.

These ideas were very much on my mind when I came up with the theme of “the future” for this, our fourth Paramount Writers Workshop. In all honesty, I was curious to know what young people had to say to being told time and again by past generations that they had no future to look forward to. As the project - and this booktook shape, I began to realize that this was not just theoretical for these student authors. As a couple of them point out in their stories, they are facing down a future of ecological disaster. They have family members in war-torn Ukraine. And they saw their school in the news cycle when multiple students on their campus suffered Fentynalrelated overdoses just a week before our first session.

Those aren’t uplifting things to read about, and maybe not what you expected when you picked up this book. But to ignore those realities is to deny the circumstances in which these student authors were asked to imagine their futures. Knowing them, you might assume that the pages that follow contain visions of dystopia to rival that of Blade Runner.

In fact, I showed that “Hades” shot to the student authors, and I asked them to respond. One response: “It’s boring.”

There is one more great thinker’s words that inspired this project. Black science-fiction writer and Los Angeles native Octavia Butler, who once said/wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun. But there are new suns.”

The idea that “the end is nigh” isn’t anything new. And, as that one student author so eloquently pointed out, it’s boring. It’s so easy to imagine the end of the world. Much easier than imagining something else. Yet, that’s what these students did. They took on the challenge of imagining futures - their futures - as something else, as something more. Amidst, in spite of, against dominating narratives of finality.

They shared their visions. Forged by familial and cultural legacies, in communion with their environment, and in pursuit of their passions.

They shared their dreams. Of travels of self-discovery, adventure, or liberation. Of making it out, and getting made.

They shared their questions. Taking on the form of mysteries, putting themselves in the role of the detective, the seeker, and finder, of answers.

So maybe it’s time we stop listening to the prophets of doom. Rather, we should be listening to these student authors. They are the future, after all.

—Mike Dunbar, April

21, 2023

VISI

ONS

WHAT MY HANDS HOLD

SIAMUS S.

Siamus is a skeptical high school student who has no major interest in poetry at all and produced this piece in the span of 15 minutes which resulted in a slight success. Taking 15 minutes out of her sleep schedule to write this before the deadline, many of her peers found a place to connect as they too come from an immigrant-raised household.

They all ask what my future holds but myself is unknown to how it unfolds. I’m certain of being something great though not something I wished for when I was 8.

To go back and experience simplicity I’d tell her life isn’t as easy as it should be. Determination might’ve hit me at the youngest though reality hadn’t, until I was attempting to get a 100.

From parents working left and right I’d be the one to make it bright. Assuming they’ve underachieved the American Dream I tell them everyday that being here is enough for me.

We’ll surely have things we don’t want to see but why shall that demoralize the place we want to be? Sugarcoated media, economic crisis, terrorism, political instability how can one say they rely, when our voices are only let out like debris?

Children of immigrants must understand we are the future that is held in the palm of their hands. Though you may be unsure of your plan continue on until that dream is more than you ever had.

DEAR HUMANITY

SASHA K.

A hardworking, amazing, fantastic, majestic, HUMBLE artist Sasha uses her creativity and astonishing writing skills to bring attention to the issue of climate change and global warming that she is extremely passionate about.

This is a letter for our dear humanity from the future to the past. People in the future figured out a way to send messages to the past by being able to pinpoint where earth’s location was and finding signals through light hundreds of years ago and using radio waves that are being given out by satellites. It is similar to seeing the light of stars millions of light years away, except the past is closer.

Dear Humanity,

The Terra colony of Mars has figured out what used to be theoretical time travel and how to send this message. We want to warn the human race of the effects of Global Warming and the Climate Change disaster of your time.

For the last hundred years, what is left of the human race has settled on Mars. We were in need of escaping our home planet because we had made it unlivable for us and every other living

creature on the planet. Throughout our time on Mars, we have had difficulty adjusting and have had limited resources for survival. The different climate and environment on this planet has injured people and has even caused losses. There have also been a number of viruses contracted by our predecessors that we as a whole were not prepared for and still have difficulty trying to find cures for.

As I said before, this is an urgent message of warning for everyone in your year of 2023 to come together as a whole, put aside any differences you all might have, and act while there is still time. Along with this message there will be attached files of different speeches and public presentations to be given to the civilians to encourage people to listen to each other and help each other as a community. The speeches include indigenous people sharing their knowledge of the land that is rightfully theirs and the practices that were part of their cultures used to preserve the lands as we had known them before the industrialization of the world.

There will also be attached plans of how to proceed with solving this issue with the help of students and communities getting involved in disposing of the garbage made by humans, learning how to recycle, and planting new plants to help fight the alarming amount of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses already present in your atmosphere. Those plans will also include the recycling of plastic for building things that are used by humans that will not emit more carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases like plastic roads which will be more durable than the asphalt roads that are still present in most par ts of your world.

Please do not ignore this message and focus on this issue of life and death. People of your time are too absorbed in what others can or cannot do in their lives, what preferences they can or cannot have, taking away rights that should not be taken away, being focused on money and luxury. Look around you and notice the beauty of our dying planet. In our time, Earth keeps spinning on with no green or life on it, just a dark rock unlivable for anyone or anything. You still

have time to save all the forests, valleys, coral reefs, seas, and oceans that are getting polluted and destroyed as you are watching it happen. All of the animals that lived in the forests and seas and all over the planet did not survive the Climate Crisis that was brought upon them and our planet by us.

Every single day, the leaders of your time have the opportunity to help our home and ensure a good future for everyone living on our planet without having to move an entire race to another planet, and they choose to engage in pointless wars due to differences of opinion and hatred for one another with no valid explanation. Humans will take hundreds of millions of years to evolve mentally, but in this time of crises, everyone has to save each other just to survive.

DO NOT IGNORE THIS MESSAGE!!! LISTEN TO THE WARNING AND ACT NOW!!!

MESSAGE DATE 12-31-2123

End recording.

NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS

NATHALI N.

Nathali is a high school girl who loves art and its many features. She finds her feelings to be the most important. Here, she hopes for readers who may struggle to know they are not alone. She uses what she likes to help her in her troubles.

The Earth and I seem to connect, except I don’t seem to find my way in it.

The air is the best anti-stress, but that doesn’t seem to help sometimes.

Although it seems to whisper to me from time to time, I still picture it as an angel whom I’m grateful for.

I hope for the angel to whom I’m grateful for to keep whispering to me in the future.

The art in museums has a great hold on me, but part of me seems to have flashbacks to things I don’t seem to remember. The sculptures have a thing that makes me want to learn more about their culture.

Though art seems to understand me in ways, I seem to struggle to understand them.

I seem to understand people more, I hope that never changes because that is who I am and who I will be.

Music is an art that will always have a place in my heart. The lyrics and the beat move with me in my feelings and mind, though some people don’t seem to understand. The same way music works for me, I want those same feelings to work for my loved ones.

I hope to achieve that feeling in as many ways as possible. My love for them will soar on and on the same way a dove would.

Painting seems to have colors that others understand. Although I seem to prefer drawing, the art I seem to make seems average.

Art has life, and that’s what makes it thrive.

It’s like an art piece without life. What must I do to give something that seems to not need the color to have life?

I may not know and may not understand but why understand, why not try instead.

MY ARTISTIC FUTURE

DAYRA M.

Dayra is passionate about art, travel, and exploring the world. She is a cat lover and currently has three named Cruella, Sam, and Smokey. Her hobbies are reading and watching Marvel and animated movies.

I like to watch different kinds of shows, even from Nickelodeon, Animation Time, and Disney. I like storytelling, mainly fantasy. Fantasy makes me feel more creative, as I don’t like realistic storytelling. I like fantasies like Sonic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Lego Monkey Kid. I find those animation styles inspiring because they use bright colors.

I’m thinking of living with my friends, in LA still, because there’s quite a few animation studios. I see myself more free, able to go to college to get an art degree. I don’t like “real” storytelling, because I watched a movie called 2012 and it involved too real events and it was scary for me. That’s why I like animation, because it relaxes me. 2012 is about a giant, worldwide tsunami. Those who escape onto a boat go to Africa as it is the only land that wasn’t hit by the massive

tsunami. It is about family, losing loved ones, and losing a pet. It reminded me of my own cat. My first cat ran away, but my second cat died from illness, and now I have three cats.

I imagine myself working as an animator, and it will be hard, but will become easier as I get more experience. I will have snacks and food during the long work days. My favorite snacks to keep me going are noodles. I will also make sure I don’t get cramps in my hand while animating by stretching. Since Pixar is in Emeryville, I can always live with my family in Oakland.

If I am offered a job at Nickelodeon, I will be involved with a huge movie, and be part of a big team as the Lead Animator. I would like to lead on TMNT #7. The movie will take place in the more disgusting ares of the city, like the sewers. I would have our team go visit bad parts of New York City too. It will add more drama.

Me and my roommates will travel from time to time because by then I’ll be making money. Travel everywhere and even travel overseas. I would like to see animals up close, maybe different perspectives of life, architecture, explore scenery, and culture. Possibly for animals, explore Africa. I’d like to visit China, as I’m learning Mandarin. I’d like to visit the Great Wall of China.

I’d like to try ziplining in different places around the world when I travel. In Las Vegas, they have a zipline that starts indoors. Once, I went to a camp for keeping schools safe, and in January, I went to Camp Ibutu. A friend did a ropes course that was three stories high. Another friend went to the tallest challenge and when he had to return to the platform, he was really afraid since it moved side to side. It took about five minutes to convince him to jump. I stayed and did the lower challenge level and it was really scary, because the log was moving.

I like to eat anything, similar to how I like to draw anything. The one thing I’m really picky about is rice. I like white rice best, because it is really easy to chew. The school rice is hard to chew and has no flavor. Once, I bought a plate of cooked rice, but when I tried it, it

was really hard to chew and had absolutely no flavor. My grandma’s rice is the best. It could be jasmine rice. I do have a special talent: I can smell it from another room when my grandma cooks it. I hope one day my grandma will teach me how to make rice the way she makes it.

For college, I’ve already started a portfolio. Even if my art style changes, I’ll still keep adding to my portfolio. I like pencil, markers, crayons, acrylic paints, even highlighters. I like to sketch anatomical poses.

I AM (PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE)

ASHLEY V.

PAST

I moved to Mexico for a year when I was in third grade. I went to school there and learned more about my culture. I could see the differences between Mexican culture and American culture, but it was hard to fit in over there because I was seen as an American. But when I came back to the States, it was also hard to fit in because I was still stuck on Spanish. When we came back, we moved to a neighborhood near my school and I was amazed by all the Latin culture around me. I am Hispanic.

PRESENT

The first time I experience racism is when I go to visit my mom at her job. She is talking to her coworker in Spanish and a customer hears her and asks why she is speaking in Spanish when we are in America where they speak English. I overhear and get really mad. I tell the customer that there are people with disadvantages that don’t get to learn languages so easily. I tell her she shouldn’t disrespect my culture like that, and if she doesn’t like the chicken my mom made so well then she can go to another store. I am Hispanic.

FUTURE

I want to succeed not just as a detective, but a Hispanic, female detective. I want to major in criminal justice. I want to graduate college and live the dream for my mom after coming to America. I want to advocate for how hard it can be for immigrant parents to help their children succeed. I am Hispanic.

UNREALIZED CONNECTIONS

CHRIS G.

Christopher is a 16-year-old high school student at Helen Bernstein. Chris likes video editing and plays video games in his free time. Chris looks forward to breaking into the entertainment industry in a filmmaker capacity.

On the rainy night of Thursday December 2nd, 2021, at 11 PM, I started my PC and heard the fans whirring as I sat down in my chair. I rested my back on the cushions and looked at my monitor as it turned on. It was the only source of light in my dark and cold room. Alone in the room with no light but a monitor and my glowing keyboard - How did I get here?

My mom had passed away a few months before. This had left me with a feeling of emptiness, like nothing really mattered anymore or like there was no point in doing anything, to put any effort into anything. Why did I have to keep going without one of the most important people in my life to cheer me on?

While I was thinking of this my PC made a noise that signaled it had fully started up. I started using my mouse to navigate my screen and before I knew it I found myself on the internet. I remembered a streaming platform called Twitch and thought that I might as well try to find someone to watch since I hadn’t visited the platform in a long time. I started to look through the gaming category and decided I wanted to watch VALORANT since it was one of the biggest games at the time and one I’d played quite often. I found a small streamer named “CutsyLees” who was Immortal in the game. Immortal is the second highest rank in the game, so I decided I’d give him a watch to see how he was.

The stream popped up on my screen and gave a flash of light in my room. The first thing that I saw was a random anime girl picture in the top left of his screen which covered the map of his game. The second thing I noticed was that this guy’s voice was really deep, but comforting in a way. I thought to myself that something about this streamer is different. I noticed that there was one other viewer in the chat who was also his mod. His username was “Cover.” Cover and Cutsy were shooting some banter back and forth which made the stream just have a nice vibe to me. I decided to chat in his stream and I was a bit surprised at how welcomed I was. Cutsy welcomed me warmly and I felt like I could hear the happiness in his voice at the sight of a new person.

This instantly made me want to keep watching his stream and talk more. I had commented on his gameplay, seeing that he was quite good. I started to ask him some general questions at that point. One of them was, “How many hours do you have in VALORANT?” He said that he used to play CSGO, which is quite similar to VALORANT and had over 5,000 hours in CSGO but only a few hundred in VALORANT. When I heard this I thought to myself that this guy was really committed. I think that was the first time I had a feeling he could do great things.

One stream, he raided one of his friends, Jeff. Raiding is when

you send your viewers to another streamer’s channel. It is a way for streamers to help each other grow their audiences. Jeff is one of Cutsy’s friends who is a lot more of the energetic and wild type. He is also a streamer who is loud but comedic. I thought that Jeff was a pretty cool guy so I decided to keep watching him and Cutsy more. Eventually, I also became a mod in Jeff’s channel. By raiding his friend, I realized that Cutsy had a small community in the making. Community is a big part of Twitch.

I kept watching Cutsy’s streams until one week he didn’t stream. I wondered to myself if it was something that I had done. My mental state wasn’t the best. Maybe something I said on the stream caused this absence. However, I eventually got over this thought and convinced myself that he must just be busy.

When Cutsy did come back, I was shocked at what I saw. He had rebranded and had become something completely different. He had an avatar on the stream now that would light up every time he talked. This avatar attracted more attention and he gained more viewers. These viewers came to see him because he had become something called a “PNGTuber ‘’ which was like a Vtuber. A Vtuber is a YouTuber or streamer that has a virtual avatar that is animated. If the person moves or talks, so does the avatar. He was streaming an open-world block survival game called Minecraft.

I was happy to see him grow and see all of the new chatters. It gave me a proud feeling to see that the streamer I found was growing. The next stream, he showed up this time with an actual VTuber model. The face was as white as a ghost with bags under the eyes and a very distinct mole under the left eye. His hair was black like the hoodie he had on. His eyes were purplish pink, the top a more dark purple which faded into pink. Around his neck was a chain, a metal one that wrapped around. This stream had even more viewers than before and his chat was really alive and hyped to see the new model. Little did they know, this was the beginning of something great. Later on, Cutsy decided to stream horror games and create a

more comfy and cozy atmosphere for his viewers instead of just streaming a first person shooter (FPS) which is more focused on gameplay. While streaming horror games he’s more focused on his community. Though he mostly streamed horror games he also streamed different types of games like Final Fantasy XIV and Kingdom Hearts, which are both very nice games. Playing different video games is important because each video game is telling a different story. The more stories, the bigger the community gets. Along the way, Cutsy community grew and I did too as a person.

At this point, I also decided to try streaming. I had become friends with some people in Cutsy community and even became a moderator in his chat. Moderating gave me a sense of belonging, like I finally found my place somewhere. Eventually, someone else became a moderator too. Her name is Sour. Sour always greets people and is usually the most active mod in the chat. She quickly became one of the model mods in Cutsy’s chat. Outside of modding, she is also a streamer who usually has a comfy and cozy vibe. Due to me being a moderator in Cutsy’s chat, I was able to be a moderator for other people in his community.

Some of the people were Jeff, Brad, and Korn. Brad is one of Cutsy’s friends who is more reserved. He’s really friendly and funny. He’s an environmentalist and a college student who is majoring in forestry restoration. He is also a skilled video editor who later made a special video for Cutsy when he became a partner on Twitch. Korn was someone who I got to know through Cutsy’s community. He’s a chill and funny guy and we’d often play games together since we got along well. This goes the same for Jeff and Brad since they are also friendly. Korn had seen that I was a good mod in his and Cutsy’s chat so he decided to ask me to video edit for him as well since I told him I had experience doing it. This led to me and Korn becoming good friends and him helping me out by giving me other opportunities.

At this point, Cutsy applied to be a “Twitch Partner.” Twitch Partners are creators that have built up a sizable audience on Twitch

and who can stream a variety of content. It took him two tries but on October 27, 2022, Cutsy was accepted to the Twitch Partnership program, making him a Twitch Partner. Becoming a Twitch Partner enables you to earn more revenue through Twitch’s subscription and bits system, while a “Twitch Affiliate” earns less. A Twitch Partner can unlock more emote slots which adds more ways for viewers to react in chat and more VIP slots which is a pink diamond badge for viewers that can make them stand out more. Moreover, becoming a Twitch Partner is like becoming a bonafide silver screen actor.

Cutsy’s first stream after he became a Twitch Partner was on October 31st of 2022 at 6 PM. This stream was exhilarating for his whole community, including me. I was proud of how far he had come and how hard he had worked to become a Twitch Partner. At this point, I felt like I had really become a part of his community, so this huge milestone of his felt like all of ours to celebrate. The stream started off with him showing off a brand new Vtuber model. His newer model still had white skin but with a bit more color, his eyes were a crimson red that matched his new sunglasses. He still had bags under his eyes but redder and smaller. The mole under his left eye was still there, the chain on his neck was bigger, and his hair was still black but there was something more. On one of his ears, there was a cross earring hanging. The model seemed to run smoother and track better, highlighting his facial expressions more and looking more animated. The whole model just seemed more real. At the sight of his new model everyone in his chat - his mods, his viewers - were all amazed, in awe. Remember that a Vtuber model can cost up to $1,000 or more, so having a new model is huge in the Vtuber community.

The stream consisted of him showing off his model, chatting with his viewers, and thanking them to the best of his ability. One of the memorable moments of the stream was when his friend Brad sent Cutsy a congratulatory video he had made for him to play on stream for achieving such a huge milestone. The video was

a compilation of people in his community congratulating him and talking about how they were proud of him or happy for him. By the end of it, Cutsy was tearing up and couldn’t express how grateful he was. I later learned that he just couldn’t believe what he had was real. Years later, I found myself at TwitchCon to meet with Cutsy and his community. Cutsy and his friends had grown even more since he hit Twitch Partner. There were crowds of people everywhere. Some waiting in lines to come in and some waiting to pick up swag at stalls. Once you got to the main area there was a statue that read “TwitchCon.” There was a rest area with many people and cosplayers on their devices. The place looked surreal to me since I’d never been to a convention before. It was so colorful. I saw people using PCs and arcade machines that were scattered around. The more I walked around, the more I saw different merch from a whole bunch of streamers. I also saw different stalls for games that I’d seen before, including Lost Ark. There was a panel with a bunch of people sitting and discussing things while answering questions from the audience. TwitchCon attendees watched the panelists from the general seating area. At this point, I felt like this was a Chuck E. Cheese, but bigger. I later found out that upstairs had an area with a whole stage to see streamers.

Then, I decided to go to the meeting point. Once I met everyone there, we thought back on all that had happened. We talked about what we had in store for the future. Cutsy was the first one to say what he wanted. He hoped to continue enjoying what he loves, making memories, and sharing them with the people around him. I resonated with this and related to it personally because I had realized through Cutsy that community really plays a huge part in where you end up.

These are what some of the mods and friends in Cutsy’s community said:

Brad: “After achieving my degree in forestry, originally, I had planned

to become a forest ranger, or something along the lines of a fish and game warden. With how resourceful my college has been with sending out job listings from environmental companies, that could change. Overall, I believe that my degree will aid me by arming me with knowledge in order to look at problems that occur within nature - whether they be naturally occurring or created anthropogenically (by humans) - and be able to solve them. It really depends on which route I take once I actually obtain my degree.”

Jeff: “I want to have the best streams possible. Twitch is definitely my passion, but it’s kinda hard to be consistent while I’m in school. But having a stable job and doing things I love is pretty much the gist. Hence math major = good pay. But if I can just consistently build on those things, I’d say that is what I plan to accomplish.”

Cover: “I don’t have any big accomplishments that I feel I need to make. I do have tiny accomplishments that I strive for each day. Maybe I’ll put more weight on this bar, or I’ll learn a new skill or whatever that I may find interesting. Maybe these little accomplishments will build into something bigger in the future, but for now, I’m pretty happy accomplishing these little things that make me happy.”

Attrapando: “I just want to have 15 people talking at the same time.”

That’s when a streamer who overheard our conversation came to talk to us. He talked about what type of streams he did and who he was. He was a streamer with over a million followers on Twitch who would usually play games. Coincidentally, he said that he was in need of an editor. He had been editing all of his videos and thought he should hire an editor now. I was shy to speak up but that’s when Cutsy said that I was a video editor and - long story short - me and

the guy hit it off. His name was Jake and he was a really nice guy with curly brown hair. Just like that, because of my online friend, I was able to work for an amazing content creator with over a million followers. I definitely wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today without meeting Cutsy or his community. We all supported each other while helping each other grow.

As for me, I want to keep video editing like I have been doing and if possible get to know more people in the streaming community, so that maybe I could do digital work for them.

DRE

AMS

GUATEMALA

JAYLIN J.

One summer, on a private beach outside of a beautiful house with large windows overlooking the sunrise, the water, and the sand, I drop off my bag before walking down to my friends. Ava, Isabella, and Emery are already lounging in the sand watching the waves crash. Oh, I’m Jaylin! I’m 16 years old and this is the vacation to Guatemala we’ve always wanted to take and luckily our parents made happen.

See, Emery and I are both half-Guatemalan, half-Black and always wanted to visit family here. On this private beach, there is no one else around. It is only us and our best friends Ava and Isabella. There are the sounds of ocean waves, the smell of clear salt water, and we’re all relaxing…It’s perfect! The most important thing is that we’re all together because we don’t get to see each other as much anymore.

We’ve all been friends since elementary school but it’s hard to keep up because we all go to different colleges. But these are my best friends. They know everything about me, they know the best and the worst about me, and they love me just the same. No matter what happens at this new school, I’ll always have them in my life.

We all grew up together and we have the same interests in school. We all have similar personalities - very hyper, very loud, and we love to act goofy. We can be ourselves and no one will judge us and we can just be chill with each other because we make each other feel safe.

Now, if we’re talking about music, that’s where we differ a little. I like everything, even country music! Ava loves oldies and R&B music, Isabella loves rap, indie music (we all like a little indie actually), and hispanic music. And Emery is all over the place, oh my god! She loves Tyler the Creator, MF Doom, but like me she likes everything else too. So our day on the beach sounds like a party, filled with seagulls and waves in the background.

After a day on the beach, our families gather together for a family dinner. All of our aunts and uncles, grandparents, and Ava and Isabella get together for a feast of tamales, pupusas, beans, sopa, pollo, carne, arroz, pescado, fruta - so much food! For dessert, we have fruit cake. It’s a very cool experience meeting each other’s Guatemalan families. We learn so much about our ancestors and culture, who we are and where we come from. After dinner, my friends and I go back to the house to swim some more.

We enjoy the swimming, and wear ourselves out before we go back inside to wash up. As we walk in the house, we can hear the waves rushing, such a calming sound. I wash up and get in my pajamas. I start playing on my Nintendo Switch and my friends come in and interrupt me. We end up talking all night.

We can’t fall asleep because we remember we have to go back home to LA. In the middle of the night, before the sun comes up, we eat some pan dulce con cafe. We are all so full that we all eventually fall asleep, even though we drank coffee.

I wake up and think to myself, “What an amazing dream for the future,” and I go back to sleep.

HOW I MADE IT

OWEN S.

Owen is currently a high school freshman. He spends his time watching movies and reading books.

As I wait outside the office, I go over my pitch again. I sit alone in a sterile room with light blue walls, and I wish I hadn’t even asked about pitching the idea. It almost feels like I would’ve been better off throwing out the entire script, and going back to college to do some boring cubicle job for a big corporation. As I continue to go over the pitch I had memorized the night before, I hear Mr. Fenkel voice over the intercom.

“Please, come in,” he says.

As I enter his office, I notice how much smaller it is than I expected. It’s barely bigger than my college dorm room. I was also expecting there to be some sort of fridge, or water cooler like there would be if this was a TV show, but there isn’t. Instead, the office is just a desk cluttered with various personal belongings, including pictures of Mr. Fenkel’s family, and a whiteboard across from the desk. Attached to the ceiling is a projector, most likely used to present something digitally. Normally, this is where I would go over my story in more detail and hope that whomever I’m pitching to

takes pity on me and finances my movie, which they don’t. However, this time that isn’t necessary, as Mr. Fenkel opens by telling me that he thinks that my idea is interesting, and would be willing to fund the production of a movie.

I hadn’t expected anybody would want to see my story, let alone the CEO of a major production company, so I have no response. I don’t say anything until I leave the building. This is a magical moment for me that not even the thought of extensive paperwork in my future could ruin. It is the day I have been waiting for almost six years, when I first wrote the rough draft of the screenplay for a college course.

Working on a major production isn’t quite as exciting as I had hoped it would be. I have much less say in most of the major decisions being made regarding the production, especially because the producers have brought in their own director, which leaves a lot of what I had hoped this film would look like in my head. I am mostly just there to help pitch different ideas to the director, who will take what I say and make his own decision. Not to say that the director is doing a poor job, he is great, it is just that it is a little depressing to see this thing that I have spent so much of my time and energy on taken by this stranger and made with their creative vision.

For the most part, everything is going well. However, there is a slight bump in the road for the production toward the end of filming. On the way to dinner one night, the star of the film gets into a pretty major car accident which sends him to the hospital for a few days. It is a scary time for us, not only because there is a chance that he is very seriously injured but because it sets us back quite a bit of time. Luckily, he doesn’t break anything and his car isn’t totaled, so looking back it is mostly just a very scary and simultaneously very mild inconvenience.

When the film is completed, A24 decides that they will premier the film at the 73rd Toronto International Film Festival, where most of the films they distribute end up premiering. It is received

warmly by critics, who praise the film’s high emotions though it still feels grounded. Many audiences feel as though it is just an Oscarbait movie, and criticize it for the same things that many critics say it does well. However, the one thing that everyone seems to agree on is that the script is well-written and the characters are believable. This consensus manages to be the major reason I continue to succeed in the film industry, as opposed to slowly fading into obscurity. It makes me.

LIVE. LOVE. CAPYBARAS!

DIANA E.

Diana is a senior at Helen Bernstein High School and will be going to Cal State LA. She loves the ocean and nature. Self care is important to her.

After graduating college with an early education degree, there is this feeling of wanting to get away and being free from the craziness of LA. I am starting on my adventure to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As I’m flying into Brazil, I see Christ the Redeemer out the plane window. It’s a sunny day. The statue is a faded tan color. I get this feeling of joy knowing that I’m going to Brazil and seeing the statue is not a dream but is becoming a reality.

My goal is to be free like a bird, specifically like a Macaw, out in the Amazon Rainforest. Knowing that I don’t have to worry about having eyes on the lookout in search of me. No one here knows me so I can get a fresh start on how I do things, be my true self. It can sometimes be overwhelming when you remember things you’ve done and being with others who were there too.

I had booked a hotel centered amongst the beach, the rainforest, and the city. This hotel is perfect as it has easy access to the ocean (just walk for 3 minutes) and the rainforest is just out back. I’m staying for three weeks and have planned out what I will be doing to get to know Brazil. The first week I’m here, I go to the beach and try to play foot volley. There are beginner classes in the mornings. There’s a team of six and you each have a role and to score the ball has to go over the net and touch the ground. I get to know new people and make new friends. At night, I explore the city and try authentic food like feijoada and barbecued meat. As I walk around, I see the city shine bright in the dark night. I can smell all of the foods being cooked.

As the second week comes, my main goals are to find capybaras, attend Carnival, go on a zipline tour, go on a quest to find the extinct Macaw, and along the way find the colorful little frogs. I also want to learn about the history of Brazil. Take tours. Ride a beach buggy. Ride a wild water slide. Watch a soccer match. During the long peaceful nights, I stare out of my hotel window at the rainforest, listening to the animals in the night - frogs croaking, the crickets, monkeys, and birds, all saying good night to each other. The sound of the river streams. Taking in all the beauty and trying to put together how crazy it is that I’m in Brazil. Knowing that I always said I was going to be here someday and that someday finally coming true. When I was little I would watch the movie Rio. I loved the colors, the birds, and how they all loved being in Brazil. I wanted to experience that love for Brazil. It made me think about how much more of the world I wanted to explore.

Around the third week, I am taking time to learn the language - Portuguese - to be able to communicate with the people in their own language. I want to make friends and trick them into helping me take a capybara home. Capybaras are just so cute, I need to have one. So I go on a hunt to find one. It can’t be a one man hunt so I trick my friends into thinking that they’re just looking for them to take a

picture. Then, when we find them, I get one and put it in one of my friend’s bags. To be able to get where the capybaras are is a hike. My friends have big hiking bags to carry their equipment, so they won’t be able to tell the bags are heavier.

I am enjoying the music and how it brings people together, along with the freedom to go to the beach, the forest, or just walk around. Even though the streets are bumpy, it feels like everyone can come together or have their freedom. I can be free in Brazil. The life I know is paused and I can just live in the moment. I am overcoming my fears in the forest - spiders, allergies, insects, etc. Enjoying sunrises and sunsets. Trying Brazilian coffee from Brazilian coffee beans. Trying all the Brazilian desserts. Seeing other little cities and towns.

The most important moment for me is going to Carnival. Watching Rio when I was little and seeing when they were at Carnival with all the colors, music, dancing, and floats, I always wanted to experience that feeling, and see the floats up in person. The colors of the floats and how they are all different, the night sky above us, but feeling like the day is just beginning.

My trip has come to an end but I’m happy to have taken it and made it a reality. Even if the dream is still far from coming true, hold dear to it.

MY DREAM ERNESTO

S.

Ernesto likes to play with his brother, and to play outside. He likes to grow plants, and to walk around. He likes running and football. He thinks school takes way too long.

Hey Ernesto,

It’s me. I’m 30 years old. Here is where we will be in fifteen years: We live in a medium-sized house in Los Angeles. It’s like a lightish blue, with a white roof. Yeah, we have a wife, and three kids. Two boys, one girl. The boys look more like you and me, the girl looks more like our wife.

Working hard in school put us straight on the path to college. We did well, and the colleges chose us so we could finally study engineering.

We finished college, and we made it as a pretty decent engineer in robotics. It’s coding. We learned how to do that in seventh grade, when we got into it.

We bought our parents a house. A light-greenish house, with a wooden roof. It’s nearby.

We’re adventurous, we’re older, we have more time to explore. Egypt, Australia, and Canada - Traveling to explore, to find out

how it feels in different places. Canada’s cold. Egypt and Australia? They’re really hot. Bring some sunscreen for Egypt and Australia and bring a coat for Canada.

We are a gardener, like our dad. Growing trees, plants, and vegetables in our big yard. We cook (we’re good at it now).

Follow what Angel told us in 9th grade: Get strong enough to do skilled exercises, like benching. We’re happier now, we’re stronger now, we can do more things than we could when we were 15.

We’re still bad at speaking, but we get the hang of it the more we talk to people. Talk more to people and connect with more people. Connecting is important to us, it’s like a hand to lean on. If you’re struggling with something, someone you’re with can push you up. You can make it further than you could by yourself.

Go out and meet people. Learn more about people. Understand and see how they relate to you, or how you relate to them. Help them out and they’ll help you out.

From, Ernesto

JOURNEY TO GREEXICO

ELVIA S-G.

Elvia is a student who dreams of traveling to all the world’s wonders.

Day 30: Longing.

One word, two syllables.

Noun; a yearning desire.

Ok then: Have you ever felt the sense of longing? Whether that be love or the feeling of belonging I have, I long for the sense of time Past, Present, Future And not knowing what will or has happenedCan be a bit of a crime

“What has happened to Greexico?”

Question everyone wonders and wants answers to…

To, to, to, to…come on. “To” is not that hard to rhyme with. Blue…pooh? Menu…Menu doesn’t even fit this poem or rhyme that much.

You’re probably wondering why I’m stressing over a poem. Truth is that if I don’t finish this poem by the due date, which is in two days, I will probably get publicly humiliated. See, the thing is I’ve been the only person to successfully discover underground Greexico, the part of the country that was buried before all the technology got way advanced. I’ve also been the only person who came back sane enough to tell the story.

It all started when I was in my sixth year of school. I had left my friends to go visit the library before lunch ended. I scanned the bookshelves to see what I could read, only to find that every single book looked dull. Like, the color had been drained out of the covers. I looked around to see if anybody else looked freaked out, but to my surprise no one did. As I was looking around the library though, a book that was glowing caught my eye.

I went to pick it up and the cover was pretty interesting and very detailed, almost expensive looking. It had a beautiful picture with a dude holding a lightning bolt, and another man that was wearing some type of indigenous feathered outfit. I went and sat on a beanbag, opened the book, and found an amazing picture of… nothing. The book was completely blank. At that second, the bell rang and I had to leave the book back on the bookshelf so I wouldn’t be late to class.

Later on, I got home, did homework, and was about to go to bed, when I noticed something. The blank book was just laying there on my desk with one of its pages open to view. I went to go look at it and instantly had a flood of images cloud my brain. I saw a group of intimidating-looking people, both men and women. They were all

very happy looking, drinking wine, and being festive. When all of a sudden, the sky went dark and cloudy, the people got angry. They saw someone steal their peace token.

The peace token had been a way to celebrate the end of the war that was going on when Greexico was then Mexico. Long story short, Greece defeated Mexico and instead of becoming a ruler, Mexico and Greece agreed to be one county. As of now, Greexico is a very advanced country that has a great knowledge of technology. But anyways, while I was still watching the books’ flashbacks, I saw that the peace token thief happened to be my grandfather.

Day 1:

Saving up money while I study, to go restore the hopeless country

Working doubles with no trouble, to erase my grandfathers mistakes Saved enough to get on a plane, to the “motherland” I shall stay Arrived jetlagged just after 12, on my way to the “technology hell” One hour drive to the museum at night, and went to the secret tunnel

Day 2:

Woke up confused to the sound of a song, the tune of birds’ twitter Ate a bit of food, and went climbing down the hill, where I Stepped on a tile, that sent me towards the Nile - a river as wide as two busses

Swimming for my life, I felt like ice, and had to form a fire

Day 6:

After days of walking and talking by myself, I finally reached my destination It was less than my expectation, spiders crawled over the place, dust was everywhere And all I could do was trace my path to not get lost on the way back

Day 10:

After more days of searching the underground rooms, I finally came to a realization that maybe the peace token is in the soot. I dug and dug and kept digging until I heard a loud clunk

I picked it up, cleaned it up, and secured it to my backpack

The peace token is beautiful, you would say breathtaking

It has the beauty of a model walking down the runway

Gold as our own sun, big as an arbury hawk, with the design of an eagle’s head

The eagle has the eyes of a predator, with a big beak that has a chipped tip

The eyes are big and brown, and ever so shiny, holding a snake in its mouth

The snake is two feet long with patterned skin as smooth as a silk blanket

Its green skin has ancient Greek letters that are translated to Spanish on the bottom

“Paz para los próximos años”

“Peace for the upcoming years”

Day 20:

I haven’t been writing for the past few days since I’ve been exhausted. I’ve been walking on for endless days. Also, when I retrieved the token, I found a journal. It’s signed with my grandfathers’ initials.

In it he says how he and his friends decided to stay the night at the same museum I entered from. They were there for hours until they stumbled through the secret tunnel. There they were acting “like little five year olds,” in his own words. Eventually, he says that his friend dared him to get the gold chunk that they had stumbled upon, the chunk being the token. Long story short, he describes how he was cursed by the gods that had found out he was the thief, and there were more than twenty. He was cursed with the fact that his hands felt hot like a stove all the time, and

that one of his ancestors would have to solve his mistake for him. That ancestor is me.

Day 21:

I managed to find where the token had been before and placed it back in its place. Immediately the eagle’s eyes glowed a yellow color, and from its beak came out a small envelope. I opened it up and read what it said, which was written in English. It said, ”Thank you for your service and as a reward, we gods grant you with an infinite amount of bread.”

Great.

ANOTHER DAY IN LA: A STORY ABOUT COFFEE, A PENNY,

AND PURSUING DREAMS

GEIDY N.

Geidy is a first-generation college-bound high school student. If she is not at her desk studying, she is training for a marathon, playing bass guitar, or writing all types of stories. She likes to ponder a lot, which results in overthinking about reality, the future, and many other topics.

INT - L.A. DONUT SHOP - 9:45AM:

The bell echoes through the empty donut shop as the door closes behind a young man.

He wears a long coat covering him just below his knees. His hair is a

ruffled mess, it almost looks like he has a bird’s nest on his head. His pink, dry lips tremble. He presses them together to keep them warm. His heavy eyes wander around the shop, wondering when his order will be taken.

No one is there. He’s afraid.

He picks at his nails, growing uncomfortable. He exhales cold gray breaths. He aggressively rubs his scaly dry hands together in a motion that looks like he is taking gloves off - but he has no gloves on.

YOUNG MAN (AKA “He”)

Hellooooo…is anyone there?

He rolls his eyes.

YOUNG MAN (CONT’D)

Hellooooo…I’d like to order now!

He sighs and continues to pick his nails, when someone walks out of the back kitchen.

OLD LADY

Next time, use bell. No ring, no order boy.

His eyebrows furrow in confusion. The old lady points to a bell.

OLD LADY

There.

His face reddens and his dry finger presses the bell, making a ‘Ding!’ sound. The old lady stares at him.

OLD LADY

Not now, boy. I am already here.

Blood rushes through his cheeks in embarrassment.

OLD LADY

Are you ready to order?”

He nods.

YOUNG MAN

Yes. Black coffee.

She raises her eyebrows, and nods her head one time. She heads to the coffee machine and gets to work. Although she trembles, it’s not from the cold, she’s just old. Every button she presses is automatic, she knows when the coffee stops grinding, when to get the packets of cream, sugar, and the stirrer. She does everything like a rusty robot. She’s programmed. She heads to the young man as the coffee’s vapor warms up the shop.

His eyes widen at the sight of the coffee, his crusty lips smile. The lady walks towards him. He’s four feet away from warmth, three feet away from comfort, two feet away from happiness, one foot away from coffee, and then…

She stays one foot away from the counter and stares at him in disbelief.

His eyes grow wide with horror.

YOUNG MAN (V.O.)

What’s wrong?

She continues to stare. His confusion turns into anger.

YOUNG MAN (V.O.)

What’s wrong!

She huffs.

OLD LADY

Three seventy-five, boy.

His face relaxes.

YOUNG MAN (V.O.)

Oh! Is that the time?

OLD LADY

No. Three dollars, seventy-five cents!

She places the coffee down.

OLD LADY (CON’T)

There’s no seventy-five minutes!

He nods rapidly. He quickly reaches for his wallet in the pocket of his jacket. He doesn’t let the woman see it, but his eyes show his panic when he realizes his wallet is filled with nothing but lint and dirt.

YOUNG MAN (mumbles softly)

Oh…Oh no.

His hands rush to his jeans, and he sighs in relief. He presses three

crumpled dollar bills onto the counter. The old lady is not satisfied. He acknowledges her facial expressions and continues digging through his pocket. He slams two quarters, a dime, two nickels, and 1…2…3…4… pennies.

He sighs.

His hands reach for the coffee as she counts the money. He is just about to grab it when she pulls the coffee out of his hands. Her eyebrows ruffle together.

OLD LADY

Not enough! This is three seventy-four! Four!

YOUNG MAN (pleading)

It’s just one penny. I don’t have anything else. Please.

She shakes her head.

YOUNG MAN (CON’T) (pleading)

It’s cold outside. I have nothing else. Please! Come on, it’s just a penny!

OLD LADY

We work hard for this coffee. My people work for these coffee beans. You cannot just barge into store and rudely ask for service.

YOUNG MAN

But —

OLD LADY

But nothing. You have more than you need. (mumbles) Large coat, you rich boy.

His face floods with embarrassment, but he continues searching.

YOUNG MAN (V.O.)

I have to get the coffee. I won’t survive without it.

His hands rush to the sweatshirt under his jacket. No penny. Falling to the ground, he finally flips open his large briefcase as the old lady rolls her eyes. The case carries piles of clothes folded neatly, a couple of newspapers, and a thin dirty blanket.

Her eyes widen in realization: The young man before her is homeless despite his appearance.

As he digs through his case, his eyes begin to water. He can’t find a penny.

YOUNG MAN

(deep shaky breath)

Please, I need the coffee.

She starts to put the creamer away, shaking her head no.

He looks at the coffee. The sweet smell chokes him, he can’t get a hold of himself. No money, only tears run down his face and refresh his dry skin.

YOUNG MAN

I’ll pay you back! I’ll bring you the penny tomorrow! I left my other wallet at home.

She laughs hysterically.

OLD LADY

Boy! You have no home! I have shop to pay rent for. You are a liar. Useless!

Time slows down. She puts his money back on the counter and takes the coffee to the sink. She makes a left turn and dumps all the coffee down the drain, contradicting her own comments about the value of her work and the coffee.

His watery eyes turn red with fear and then, they burn with anger.

YOUNG

MAN

Nooo!

He cries as his hands reach his head and he digs his nails into his scalp. He pulls his hair forward.

YOUNG MAN (CON’T)

No no no no! Why would you do that?!

OLD LADY

Leave my shop.

YOUNG MAN (Yelling while crying)

I needed your coffee!

OLD LADY

Leave or I call security!

Anger makes him cry even more. He’s defeated. Embarrassed. He has no coffee.

He picks up his dirty clothes, shoves them into the briefcase, grabs his wrinkled money, and walks out the door where a great cold greets him.

CUT TO:

EXT - STREETS - AFTERNOON:

He embraces the cold as he sits on the streets outside of an old liquor store. He weeps. His tears moisturize his dry skin and hands. He rubs the palms of his hands along his face, trying to wipe the embarrassment and cold away.

It’s much worse now because the winds blow harder. The gray skies are darker now. He needs to find shelter, but he sits and cries.

YOUNG MAN

I should just stay here. (weeps) I would save myself from some hard times.

Loud and unbalanced footsteps walk his way, he doesn’t look up. It’s a woman, she is not as young as him, but she isn’t as old as the old lady.

She wears a large puffer jacket and holds at least eight coffee cups in her hands.

WOMAN (unbalanced)

Woah, woah!

She barely makes it infront of him but he doesn’t even look up. He still cries.

WOMAN (smiling)

Hey.

This time, he stops crying. He hears her, but he refuses to look up.

WOMAN (CON’T) (shivers)

Hey, man. I got you coffee. It’s too damn cold out here. My brother says it’s gonna snow again.

He slowly looks up. She’s losing balance. He just stares. She motions her head towards a cup.

WOMAN (CON’T)

Well, what are you waiting for? You gotta take one. I got one for you. I have other peoples’ too.

YOUNG MAN

Really?

WOMAN

Really.

He slowly reaches over it. His red puffy eyes squint in a smile. She smiles back.

YOUNG MAN

Thank you! Oh, thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!

He grabs a cup and holds it close to him. The woman begins to leave.

WOMAN

No worries man. Take care of yourself! And get out of the cold, it’s gonna snow!

She barely makes it to her car and then drives away.

He stares at the cup and holds it tightly. He breathes the heat that comes out of the cup, a small smile grows on his face. And then he quickly raises the coffee onto his mouth.

The next two seconds last a lifetime.

The coffee that reaches his tongue was meant to soothe him, instead it burns him.

He jumps! His tongue goes numb. His facial muscles seem to melt off his face despite the cold around him.

And worse. His hands let go of the coffee. The coffee falls down and its lid opens. Coffee spills all over the street.

YOUNG MAN (screams) NOOO! NONONONO!

The coffee wets the dirty streets until there is nothing in the cup.

He screams in pain and his burnt tongue is quickly soothed by the cool breeze. It’s hard to inhale the cold air, so he coughs violently. His muscles tense with anger, his hands shoot up to his hair to rip it off again.

He’s no better than he was before. Once again, like a child, he cries.

But nobody is around to see him or to kick him off the street.

He punches the wall. He screams in pain.

The spilled coffee drains down the creases in the pavement like rain running down the LA River on a stormy day. It continues to move, leaving him behind.

It flows about a foot away until it reaches a stop, pooling around…a single penny.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” I whisper. “3. 2. 1. CUT!”

The camera in front of me stops rolling. “And that’s a wrap! Let’s clean up and go home! It’s gonna snow soon.”

The whole crew gathers everything up. I take care of the props. As we enter the van, I sigh in relief, “We got all the footage. Now we edit. We did this!”

I haven’t decided the title for this short film. All I truly know is that I wrote it as a way to reflect on my 15-year journey.

Since the start of my junior year in high school, I would often wander around pretending to have a plan, when I did not know a thing about myself. I knew I wanted to go to college, but I didn’t know why. I told my parents I wanted to study computer science, but I also saw myself working in education, so I majored in both computer science and child development/education.

For my first year out of college, I worked for a cybersecurity company and had a lot of free time on my weekends. I found myself working in a local library and started a small after-school program called First-Gen. I worked with many immigrant parents and students there. I spent two years working to develop the program and that’s when I met Aileen.

Aileen and I formed a small group of student teachers and our program began to grow. We began to set up chapters (called “Families”) all over the city, until we reached out of state. Suddenly, we began to travel to set up several First-Gen Families all over lowincome cities around the nation.

By my 29th birthday, I got the idea to develop a First-Gen app to help set up “Digital Families” all over the nation. As my app developed, Aileen began to hire more and more people to help out. At first, First-Gen was about helping immigrant families overcome their educational and financial barriers, but it grew into a larger program as it began to tackle social injustices like the digital divide. After much traveling, I was ready to go home. I took charge of First-Gen Digital Families, while Aileen continued working out of state. I came back to Los Angeles for my 31st birthday and was greeted with a lot of snow. Times had really changed. That same year, my younger sister ran her first marathon in Los Angeles and I joined her. Contrary to my doubts at 17, I did continue running. I ran LA Marathons all throughout college, but I also ran other marathons in cities like New York City, Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston, and so many more.

There was so much to do, but for the first time in my life, I was happy and satisfied with myself. I bought a small apartment in Griffith Towers. It was a very nostalgic place for me, and not for the reasons I would have thought. When I was younger, Griffith Towers didn’t exist. Instead, a Griffith Park sign right by a small bear statue decorated the park. But now, the sign and statue have moved right below the Hollywood sign and Griffith towers reigns over the street.

I live on the 19th floor and I literally get to see the neighborhood I would run through when I was in high school. Its streets look nothing like it once did, but it’s the same road.

I found myself staring down at Los Angeles, and it inspired me to do photography once again. And one evening, as I was staring down at the people, I noticed an angry man carrying two cups of coffee in his hands. He was walking very fast, shouting at someone on the other end of his Bluetooth zipper - I could tell because his sweater had the new glow that the latest sweater models had. He continued walking even though the green light was about to end, and he rushed to get to the other side. That’s when he tripped and coffee spilled all over the road.

As he got very angry, an idea blossomed in my head. The next day, I began to jot down the idea. And so, I wrote the short film. The first draft was inspired by this man, but the final draft had incorporated many of the lessons and memories that I had lived through for the past 15 years.

I wanted to represent my past and the stories of the many people I had worked with in First-Gen. I designed the nameless main character to be cold and in need of warmth (coffee), the way many immigrant families struggle to find the American Dream. He carried a briefcase filled with many clothes because he was homeless. The briefcase represented what he should have carried: books and knowledge. Instead he had to carry his clothes, like holding the heavy burden of being an adult. I had designed this section thinking of the many teenagers I had worked with in First-Gen. Most kids had responsibilities to keep themselves and their family alive. They worked, babysat, and continued going to school.

When I wrote the coffee shop owner, I thought of making her a sweet old lady that would help the young man and reflect the kindness of humanity, but instead I turned her stereotype all around. I wanted her to be cruel, used as a warning and an inspiration. Her weak looks had nothing to do with her mean personality, but her environment did.

By the looks on her face and the way she makes the coffee, I wanted to hint that she’s been doing this her whole life. For so long, like a robot with a purpose, she would make coffee for her many customers. But now that her shop was empty, her purpose was too.

The coffee in the story represents happiness and it is unattainable to the young man because he does not have a penny. When I wrote the script, I thought of the penny as financial comfort. Sometimes we have crumpled dollar bills and loose change, but that is barely enough to survive. Although it can also symbolize how money can buy happiness - in this case, the lack of money resulted in crying and anger - I wanted it to represent how many people have to give up on their dreams because they don’t have enough financial support. I wanted the main character to break down because I wanted to show how we all have our toughest moments. We see the main character crying, but that’s because he had given up. As humans, we sometimes give up, but it’s important to keep our eyes open for solutions.

The young lady with many coffees does not represent a solution. She is an encouragement. She hands him coffee as a reminder that human kindness still exists. However, when he spills it, he becomes angry and sad again.

The last scene is a warning. The penny no longer represents financial safety, it represents hope and opportunity. Had the man opened his eyes to search for the penny, he would have easily seen it on the street and bought his coffee. Instead, he was stuck crying. Eventually as the credits roll, it will start to snow. The falling snow is a subtle reminder (on top of the cold) that LA has drastically changed because of climate change. Less than two decades ago, snow was nowhere near the busy streets of LA. And now, it’s a normal winter occurrence.

“Thank you for being with me today,” I turn to the crew, “Thank you guys for your immense support. This story has been brought to life because of you guys. I couldn’t have done it without you. Jose on camera, Enrique on sounding, Zamara on lighting, and Simon on makeup and costume!”

The van grows with cheers and claps. I smile warmly and we all pass our coffee orders. I slowly sip my coffee, “Thank you Aileen’s grandmother for letting us use your coffee shop and for bringing the mean coffee shop owner to life.” She nods and smiles.

“Thank you to Carter, for bringing this man,” I point to the script, “to life. You did a wonderful job. Now don’t worry, we got coffee for you!” We all chuckle.

“Thank you Valeria! For stepping in from second camera person to a quick actress. You saved us from another day in the cold!”

The ride home is full of memories and laughter. Within two hours, Carter, Valeria, and I have dropped off many of the crew to their homes. But the traffic gets worse by the minute, the snow starts getting colder, and our tummies start grumbling even louder. It’s a good thing we all live in the same building.

Carter and I help store our stuff as Valeria heads over to her apartment and orders a meal. By the time we reach the 19th floor, she says, “Pizza will be here any minute.”

My younger brother knocks on the door, and I think it’s the pizza, but no, he is just here to visit Valeria.

We all dine together and catch up. There is so much to say. It’s been—and always is—a busy, busy day.

QUES

TIONS

HIS NAME IS?

NATALIA

R. F.

Natalia is from Los Angeles, she’s lived there her whole life. She is a freshman at Helen Bernstein High School and loves to read and watch love stories. Romcom is her favorite genre. She loves Jenny Han the writer.

“Isabella turn off your alarm,” a girl down the hall shouts. “ISABELLA!!!”

I finally wake up and turn off my alarm that’s been going off for a couple minutes. The clock reads 8:45 AM. I get up and quickly head to the restroom to shower.

“Imma be late!” I say.

“Should have woken up when your alarm went off instead of letting it play,” my roommate Eliza says in a grumpy tone as I enter the bathroom that is next to her room. She doesn’t like to wake up early. She sleeps all afternoon until she has to get ready for her night job.

Ten minutes later, I get out of the shower and brush my teeth then head back to my room. Eliza has gotten up and made coffee.

“Hurry up and get dressed. I’ll take you,” she says.

“No need, the place isn’t that far. I can walk it, thank you though.”

“You sure?”

“Mhm, great exercise to start the day!” I go into my room and quickly change and head out.

Thursday April 14, 2033

The interview for being a professional photographer for Vanderson is just down a couple of streets. I can make it. I quickly walk down the streets then realize the time; it is 9:05 AM. I start to run. Just a few more blocks.

As I’m running I bump into a tall man, spilling his coffee all over each other. “Im so sor—”

“Don’t you watch where you are going?” He says, upset.

“Im sor—”

“Whatever,” he says, walking away.

“Rude!” I say in a low voice, although he hears me and looks back. I look down at my phone and check the clock and start running again. I am running 9 minutes late. As I am running I can’t shake the feeling that I know that man, like I’ve seen him before. I know him, but have no memories of him. When I get to the office, I sign in and the lady at the front desk tells me to wait to be called. I take a seat in the waiting room filled with other people. They look at me all weird. I have a graphic t-shirt on, black cargo pants, and my Doc Martin boots. I am underdressed and everyone else looks all fancy dressed up with their folders in hand. They were prepared. I have a folder and my computer but it is nothing like theirs. After a few minutes, a man calls me to a room down the hall. I enter it and notice the tall man I bumped into. I close my eyes and feel a big gush of air as if I was in the front row seat on a roller coaster slowly going backwards.

“Oh shi—”

Saturday May 21, 2033

Three Weeks Later

I wake up to my alarm at 9:30 AM. My head is hurting. It feels like someone hit me in the head very hard. I don’t remember anything from the night before.

“What happened?”

“Hello, my ray of sunshine!”

“Eliza, why are you screaming?” I ask.

“I’m not. You’re just hung over. Everything is loud for you right now.”

“Hung over? I was drinking last night?” I ask.

“Yes, you were, your boss dropped you off last night.”

“My boss?”

“Yeah, the tall, dark-haired guy, the one you said was so rude to you the first day you met him. How much did you really drink yesterday Bella?”

“I don’t remember.” I say, heading back to my room to sleep.

Eliza leaves to go do some errands and I am just in my room. An hour passes and I am still in bed when my phone rings. “BOSS” is the caller ID. I answer hesitantly.

“Hello?”

“Hi,” he says quietly. He coughs and continues, “How are you? You were really out of it.”

“Oh man, I don’t remember anything from last night. How bad was I?”

“Bad.”

“Oh my god, this is…” I slowly cut off. I have a small flashback of him helping me hold my hair back as I throw up. ”Look, I don’t really drink. Sorry you had to see me like that.”

“No, it’s ok, really. I’m just calling to see if you were alright.”

“Yes, I’m fine. Really, I am.”

“Do you really not remember yesterday?” he asks with a hopeful tone.

“No, what happened yesterday?”

“Nevermind. See you tomorrow.” He hangs up right after. What just happened?

Eliza walks in shortly after. “Hey Lisa, were you home when I got back last night?”

“Yes I was. Why Bella?” she asks.

“Did I tell you anything when I got home?’’

“No, you were talking gibberish and went to bed.”

“Oh. Did I say the name of who dropped me off? I don’t remember his name.”

“It was your boss, I think you said his name was—” Something fell off the counter and caught our attention. A glass had fallen.

“How did that happen?” Eliza asks, going to get a broom to clean up the glass.

“His name, Lisa, what was his name!?” I demand.

“Do you not remember your boss’s name? You’ve been working with him these past few weeks.”

“Lisa, please, what’s his name?” I say with an unsure look on my face. Looking at my phone the date read May 20, 2033.

“Wait, it’s May?”

“His name is—” Liza says at the same time. Then there is that feeling. I am on a rollercoaster again.

Monday October 31, 2033

Months Later

“ISABELLA GET UP YOU’LL BE LATE FOR-” Eliza shouts.

I get up in a hurry and run outside. “ELIZA! What day is it today?”

“What, Isa?” she asks, confused. But I am the one confused about what was happening.

“What day is it today?” I ask again.

“It’s Halloween, duh” she says.

“Halloween? What do you mean? it was just May!”

“Isabella, that was like 6 months ago.” she had a worried look on her face. “Are you okay?”

“No, it was just May 21st. Now, it’s Halloween. What is going on?”

“Isabella, are you nervous? It’s okay to be nervous.”

“Nervous? Why would I be nervous?”

“It’s your six month anniversary with your little boss boyfriend.

Y’all are now serious. There’s no need to be nervous.”

“Six months? Six months with who?”

“Isa, your boss! The boss you’ve been seeing for the past six months? Y’all got together after that one night you…The same guy who is head over heels for you? Anything ringing any bells?” She says in a sarcastic tone. “Now go get in your costume! He’ll be here soon to pick you up,” she demands.

“What costume?”

“OMG DO YOU NEED TO BE TOLD EVERYTHING ALL OVER AGAIN? Your matching zombie costume is on the chair in your room. I’ll do your makeup.”

“Oh, ok.’’ I go and change into the costume and head to Eliza’s room. She does my makeup, putting some fake blood and bags under my eyes. As she is getting ready, I hear three knocks on the door.

“Go open it,” Eliza tells me.

I go to open the door. It’s him. My boss. Whose name is…what is his name?

“Hi Bella,” he says, handing me flowers that were behind his back.

“Hey youuu,” stretching out my hands to take the flowers. “Come in please. I need to get a couple things, then we can go.”

He comes in and sits in the living room on the old red couch Eliza and I found at a thrift store. I go back to my room to find Eliza there.

“Here.’’ Eliza hands me a purse filled with necessities.

“Eliza, I don’t remember his name.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t remember his name.”

“His name is—” Her phone rings. She answers it and a minute later she hangs up.

“I got to go. Adam is outside.”

“Who is Adam?’’ I ask her. She never mentioned anything about a date while doing my makeup.

“He’s just a guy I met not that long ago. I told you this already. Now go back out with him and go on your date. I’ll see you later and

you better tell me everything.”

“Wait! His name?” I chase her out.

“Are you ready?” he asks, getting up from the couch.

“Huh? Oh yes, I am. Let’s go.” I watch Eliza leave past the front door. He walks past me and holds the door open for me. “Thank you, kind sir,” I say in a joking way. I feel a feeling I have never felt before, I don’t remember this man at all, but I know I am safe. I know I can trust him.

“You’re very welcome, lovely woman.”

Stepping out the door, that other feeling comes back. That sensation once again. I’m on the roller coaster.

Saturday October 31, 2038 Years Later

An alarm goes off but it doesn’t last long. Slowly waking up, I feel someone hugging me from behind. I get up in a hurry, pushing the unknown person off. Who was hugging me?

“Get off of me, I know karate!” Which is a lie, but obviously this burglar doesn’t know that. I get up to get a better picture. When my eyes finally focus, I notice the room.

“Where am I? Oh my god, I’ve been kidnapped!” I yell, about to start crying.

“Honey, are you okay?” a man says.

Honey? I look at the man. It was my boss. What am I doing at his house?

“Oh, hi…What am I doing here?” I ask looking around the room. I noticed a framed picture. It’s me and him.

“What are you talking about? You live here. You have been for the past two and a half years.”

“I live here? Where’s Eliza?” I ask, still looking around the room.

“She’s back at your old apartment,” he explains in a reassuring voice. “Come on, I’m making you breakfast. French toast in fact.

Maybe your memory will come back once you eat.” He says, taking the blanket from on top of me and helping me get up.

Going down the long clean halls, I see more framed pictures: Us hugging, us at an anniversary, and the last one before going down the stairs - a picture of him on his knees with a ring in his hand. I’m engaged. I look down to my left hand and there it is, a ring with a big shiny diamond. I can’t believe it! I go back to the room - our roomand I search for my phone. When I find it, I call Eliza.

“Hey Isa, you okay? Why are you calling so early?” Elilza says after she picks up on the third ring.

“Hey, good morning! Did you know I’m engaged and moved out? Like, when did all this happen?” I say, going back down the hall. The smell of french toast reaches all the way upstairs. It smells good. I am craving breakfast now.

“Did you forget again? I thought you had stopped doing this. it’s been years. You’re getting married in a month to your fiance-” she is saying, until I reach the kitchen and make eye contact with him.

“Who are you on call with this early in the morning? Also breakfast is ready,” he says, putting both plates with bacon, eggs, and french toast on the table.

“Eliza. I was just calling to say hello,” I tell him.

“Oh, okay. Tell her I said hello too.”

“He says hello,” I tell Eliza.

“Oh, ok. Tell him I say hello back. Look, I got to go. Adam is taking me on a hike. I’ll see you later.” Eliza hangs up.

I head to the table to sit down. “It smells amazing and looks really good.”

He gets up - forgot the syrup - and walks behind my chair to get it. When he comes back, he leans in for a kiss like it was normal. I suppose it is normal. It feels normal, but I don’t remember anything, not even his name. As he gets closer to my face, I get that feeling once again, but this time it feels harder and more intense. I feel everything.

Saturday November 20, 2038

About a Month Later

“ISABELLA, stop day dreaming! There’s no time for that. You’re about to get married now. Come on, it’s time to walk down the aisle.” Eliza is yelling at me when I snap back to reality. Then, in that moment, I remember everything: What day it is, where I live, who I love. Best of all, I remember him, the love of my life. His name is—

“Are you 110% sure about this?” Eliza asks.

“Of course I am!” I let out, getting up from the vanity I am sitting at to touch up my makeup.

“Good, you look beautiful. Now let’s go. ”Leaving the room, we walk down the halls of the church. Everything comes back to me. I realize from that very first moment I bumped into that rude man I knew it wasn’t going to be my last time. Now, here I am about to marry him. I know him, I love him…but what’s his name?

There he is, walking past the door of the wedding venue in his black tux looking at me with those very familiar brown eyes. Everyone gets up as I walk down the aisle, but I don’t look at them, not even once. My eyes are only on him. When I get up to the front, he whispers, “You look very beautiful.” I smile harder than I have ever smiled, then look at the pastor. I am ready to get married.

“Please be seated. Friends, family, and loved ones, we come together today, in the sight of the divine and of you as witnesses to join Isabella and D—,” the cries of a baby in the audience cut the pastor off for a moment, “-in marriage. We gather around them now in this wonderful place, and we look on with love and hope as these two begin their new life together as one.”

“D—” is all I hear. ”Do you take Isabella to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you honor and cherish her? Will you love, trust, and commit to her, through joy and pain, sickness and health, and whatever life may throw at you both, until death do you part?” The pastor asks him.

He looks at me with big eyes, “I do.”

“Isabella, do you take this fine young gentleman to be your lawfully wedded husband? Will you honor and cherish him? Will you love, trust, and commit to him, through joy and pain, sickness and health, and whatever life may throw at you both, until death do you part?”

“I do!” I say, with a big smile on my face.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

He leans in and gives me a big kiss, the kind you only see in movies, which is what this all feels like. Like a movie.

Suddenly, everything revolving around him comes back: Every kiss, every date, and all those small moments we have shared together. I have just married…my Dylan.

SEASON OF BETRAYAL

STEVEN R.

Steven is fourteen and attending Helen Bernstein High School.

The familiar stinging feeling plagued his knuckles. Pieces of clothing littered the floor, windows were smashed in, and the interior was falling apart. He took a deep breath, but instead of relief, a pain stung his chest. He looked at his crimson-coated knuckles. His gray eyes had no sign of life but instead a look of sadness and death.

He rose from his seat and walked toward the kitchen. Opening a cabinet, he pulled out a first-aid kit. He popped it open but let out a scoff. “Of course. No bandages or antibiotics.” He slammed it closed in frustration before walking to his room. Opening the closet, he pulled out a black jacket and a black and red mask. Pulling the sleeves over his arms, he adjusted his jacket. His eyes narrowed as he looked in the mirror, finally noticing his appearance. His black hair was disheveled, and parts of his clothes were blood-stained. He slightly turned and saw his logo was still intact. The logo was a hand holding up a grinning skull.

Putting his mask on, he walked over to the window that led to a fire escape. Climbing up the fire escape, he reached the roof. The harsh, cold wind blew through his hair as he ran across the rooftops. The sky had a gray hue, and he started to walk to the edge, which soon turned into a jog and then into a sprint. As his foot made contact with the edge of the building, he launched himself off and landed on the next building. Keeping his momentum, he continued to leap to other buildings until he reached the store. The sound of cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles filled his ears.

A brunette girl in the store was looking at the items filling the shelves. Her hazel eyes scanned through the items. The ding of the door caught her attention and her eyes shifted from the items to the door as two men entered the store. They had a smirk on their faces as they saw her. Her eyes narrowed and she attempted to leave. The two men saw and started to speedwalk toward the brunette. Her eyes widened slightly as she walked faster. This didn’t sit right with the two men and they started to run at her. She maneuvered through the store, desperately trying to escape the men. They soon cornered her in the medicine aisle. The men breathed heavily and started to inch closer as one pulled out a knife and pointed it at the girl.

“Nowhere to go now missy. Now wallet and valuables,” The man said, getting even closer.

“Oi! What you think you’re doing,” a voice yelled from the other end of the aisle, gaining the attention of the three.

“Stay out of this boy!”

“Ya see, I would, but you are blocking the bandages and antibiotics I need,” he said, lifting his hand and showing his knuckles. “Now leave before you get yourselves hurt,” the young male said, watching the two older males’ movements.

The one with the knife was throwing it between both hands. Right as the blade was thrown to his other hand, the younger one of the three rushed him, his fist connecting with his nose, sending him back into the wall next to the girl. The second of the two turned

around to look at his friend and then turned to look at the one responsible, but was met with a kick to the gut and an uppercut to his face, sending him up and then down.

“Damn that hurts…” he said, shaking his hand before grabbing what he came for and heading to the counter as the brunette followed.

“Um, do I know you?” she asked as the male paid for his items.

“No, I don’t think so.” Grabbing the bag, he walked to the door as the girl continued to follow him.

“You’re Vincent Arnal! Or should I call you ‘Flame’?” Vincent stopped as he looked over at the girl.

“How do you know my name?” Vincent asked curiously and cautiously.

“I’m like your biggest fan! I know everything about you and what you do. Your name ‘Flame’ comes from when you burned down one of Moonex’s biggest locations.” Vincent’s eyes stared at the girl as he reached into his jacket pocket. He felt the smoothness of a wooden handle as his hand gripped it.

“How did you find that out?” His eyes watched her movements.

“Oh! My brother works with you! His name is Nathan Knight. I’m Eve, his little sister,” she said with a smile on her face. Vincent released the handle and looked at the woman. His eyes narrowed.

“Hallow talked?” Eve’s smile dropped as she looked at Vincent and worried for her brother.

“Follow me,” Vincent said as he started to walk away. Eve blinked as she ran to catch up with him.

“Hollow!” Vincent’s voice boomed as he entered a warehouse. Multiple heads turned to look at Vincent. He walked over to Nathan who was visibly sweating as his eyes met the angry gray eyes of Vincent.

When he reached Nathan, he reared his fist back as he threw a punch at the older male. Many “Ooh”s were heard as two people approached the pair. One pushed Vincent back and the other picked up Nathan.

“What the hell Flame!” Nathan cried out as he was assisted to his feet.

“Want to explain why you are telling your sister what we are doing?” Vincent asked as many of the people in the room looked at Nathan in disbelief. “Well?”

“I didn’t think it was a big deal! Plus, I was only trying to scare her into not joining us!” Nathan said in his defense. Two more people exited the crowd and threw Nathan outside. Vincent turned to Eve and motioned her to follow him as he walked to a set of stairs.

Eve looked around her seeing equipment, money, medical supplies, and vehicles. “Um, what did they do to my brother?” Eve asked as she and Vincent reached a door.

“He was thrown out,” Vincent said as he opened the door and motioned her to walk in. “Sir, Hollow has been thrown out. This is his sister.” A man who seemed to be in his sixties looked up at Vincent.

“Is that so? Well then, what is your name, girl?” He asked as he stood up.

“Eve, sir,” she squeaked out. As the old man stood in front of her, his green eyes seemed dead as he handed her a jacket with the same logo as Vincent’s.

“You, Eve Knight, shall take his place. Your brother owes us a debt that you shall fulfill. If not, he shall pay for it…with his life. Do you understand?”

Chills ran down Eve’s spine as she closed her eyes and regained her composure. “Yes, I understand and I shall fulfill his debt.”

“Welcome to the Demon Riders…Serenity,” the old man said as he walked back to his desk. He shooed the pair away. Vincent bowed and left with Eve.

Time passed since Eve joined the Demon Riders. Ten years to be exact, though it felt longer. Eve climbed the ranks rather quickly, befriended many of the members, and completed multiple jobs rivaling even the likes of Vincent. Vincent was at her side since the day she joined and as much as he hated to admit it, he grew feelings for the brunette.

He was walking to the room she had in the warehouse. Before reaching the door, a BOOM came from the other side, sending him flying backward. Vincent’s back collided with the ground as a groan escaped his throat. Multiple people dressed in Moonex uniforms emerged from the room. Eve led them all. Vincent stood and ran to the main area, yelling out, “Serenity betrayed us! She’s working with Moonex!” A kick connected with his back and sent him sprawling against a table. Coughing, he saw Eve standing over him before she ran to another member.

As Vincent dodged the onslaught of attacks, he saw Eve beating multiple Devil Riders. Once he was within reach, he tackled her away from a Rider. “Why? Why are you doing this Eve!?” Vincent yelled, hurt in his voice.

Eve simply stared at him before pushing him off of her and running off.

CIRCUMSTANCES

CHEY P.

Chey is an outgoing, always willing to try new things kind of person who enjoys the feelings of satisfaction and happiness.

My name is Angelina. Lina is what everyone calls me. I have a best friend, whose name is Liam. We have known each other since birth and my dad and his father raised us like twins. We used to spend every summer together at a Big Bear with our families. We are now both 16 and a half, born a day apart. I am older. We always share birthday parties.

We are juniors in high school. Liam is captain of the basketball team. He’s pretty popular. I am well known as well but I like to stay with my three friends Delilah, Sabrina, and Madison. We’re all juniors too except Madison, she’s a sophomore. Sabrina is a cheerleader for the basketball team. So is Liam’s girlfriend Giselle.

Giselle and Liam started dating a few months ago in October. She seems nice. I’ve only talked to her once, when Liam introduced us at one of his basketball games. Sabrina has told me about all of the cheerleaders so I knew of her. Liam has been spending more time with Giselle, so we don’t hang out as much as we used to, which is understandable. Whenever my friends and I go to a party, they are there also. We always say hi of course and he offers me a ride home if I don’t have one.

I’m not sure if his girlfriend likes me or not, or if she’s just shy. She will wave whenever Liam comes up to me. They never seem super in love but they’ve only been together for a few months so I guess it makes sense. I wouldn’t know what goes on in their relationship. Liam doesn’t tell me much. But I never ask anyway. We have a game night coming up with our families in two days. They are my favorite because I’m pretty good at a lot of board games and I get to spend time with Liam to keep our relationship close.

Tonight is the biggest party of the year for the juniors and seniors, so Madison won’t be going. Deliah, Sabrina and I all meet up at Sab’s house to get ready at 7:30 AM. I’m putting on a red dress. Sab has on a dark green dress and Liah is wearing a sequined skirt and black crewneck. “We look so cute,” says Liah.

It’s 8:45 PM and we’re leaving Sab’s house and getting in her mom’s minivan. Sab is driving us. We get to the party at 9:02 PM and head inside. Music is blasting and we are so excited. We start to split up and walk around. I see Liam and say hello. Of course he’s with his friends standing around the ping pong table. I don’t know if Giselle is here but I assume she is because everyone’s here.

I go on and enjoy the party. Forty five minutes pass by as if it were five minutes. I REALLY have to go to the bathroom. I stop dancing with this boy and ask if he knows where the restroom is. He points upstairs because the music is too loud for me to hear him. I run upstairs and start searching. I open one door, which leads me to a closet. I open the next door to find Giselle. Not only Giselle, but Giselle and some senior guy named Ryan. I immediately walk out and close the door. They were so into each other’s lips that they didn’t even notice me walk in on them. How disgusting.

I eventually find the bathroom. Once I am finished, the first thing I think is to find Liam. On my way downstairs, I run into Giselle and she’s asking if I have a phone so she can reach her mom. I say yes and she grabs my hand and walks me to a room with her so she can call with privacy. I ask if she wants me to step outside but she says

she doesn’t mind if I stay. She is talking to her mom about how much she loves her, and she tells her mom that she’s hanging at the party with me, which is kind of a random moment, but who am I to judge? She gets off the phone and falls back onto the bed. She starts to ramble with her words, just talking nonsense about why trees are green. She stops talking abruptly. She sounded out a breath when she was talking so I figure I’ll go get her some water. Any excuse to get out of here. I tell her I’ll be right back but she doesn’t respond. I go downstairs, grab the water and I see Liam. I walk over to him and ask if I can talk to him about something. He says yes and we go out by the pool because the music isn’t as loud out there. I tell him what I saw Giselle doing with Ryan and he blows up. I have never seen him like this. He tells me I better be telling him the truth because he’s going to kill them. I swear to him that I am being honest and he storms off.

I run back upstairs, water still cold in my hand, and walk into the room where Giselle is. She must’ve fallen off the bed because she’s on the floor. I shake her to wake her up, but she isn’t waking up. I turn her body over to get her laying on her back and I see foam coming out of her mouth. Oh. My. Gosh.

I instantly freak out because she’s not breathing and I don’t feel a pulse, but hopefully that’s because I’m just not good at looking for one. I BOLT downstairs where everyone is surrounding Liam and Ryan because they are about to start swinging on each other. I yell out for help and no one hears me. I run to the stupid DJ and cut off the music and scream at the top of my lungs, “THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WITH GISELLE!”

Liam replies, “Of course there is. She’s an unloyal girlfriend.” People laugh.

I scream again, “SOMEONE PLEASE HELP! I THINK SHE’S DEAD!” People go silent.

That’s the story I tell the police. It’s been four hours since all of that happened. They question me about what happened since I

was the last one with Giselle when she was alive. I am considered a suspect. Liah and Sab check on me but I tell them to go home and I’ll call later if I can.

I am sent to trial and convicted as a murderer in Giselle’s case. Ryan has framed me. His original plan was to frame Liam but I was last with her and an easier target. I know this because Ryan told me after the party, right before he fled the scene, “Good luck, it wasn’t supposed to be you.” It’s now September 7th, 2023. I have been in prison for six months. I miss my life.

And that is the last time I saw my best friend. My sister. We never got our game night. This is why I have to do what I have to do. Ryan will pay.

TO MY DEAR…

ALYSSA H.

A wonderfully tired high school student, Alyssa surprisingly had enough energy to write a wholesome story like this.

To My Dear Best Friend —

How are you? How have you been? I’m doing okay. It’s been a while hasn’t it? I miss the old days when we would always hang out with one another and pull small pranks against each other. Or when we would always plan where to go on certain days but end up forgetting to go with our plan because we were so busy with other things.

Remember when we talked about going ice skating over the weekend but I was always too busy? I know you went without me, but I wish I could’ve joined. You could’ve taught me how to ice skate. We would have laughed and teased each other whenever the other made a mistake. You were always the one who liked to tease and pull pranks on people.

You were always a prankster. Remember that one prank you pulled on our teacher during sixth grade? That was a rather mean prank. You put super glue on the teacher’s chair. He got really mad and the whole class was laughing so much. But in the end, I was the one who ended up taking the blame for your prank and as result it got me 3-4 months of detention. It was a real pain, but during my time in detention you always stopped by and waited for me, even if it meant you’d be late for your own classes.

Also, during eighth grade, I remember you threw a stink bomb into my classroom once and ran. I ended up ignoring you for weeks. You made me and the whole class suffer throughout the whole class. We couldn’t even finish our class due to your prank. We had to move to another class to just finish up our lesson.

I remember you loved animals, and red pandas the most. You never had one, but I suppose the snake was close enough. You begged me to get a snake pet as well, even though I refused several times. I ended up getting a snake pet as well and both our snakes were buddies like us!

I was scrolling through Tik Tok a few days ago and saw a video of this girl eating food and it reminded me of you. She was stuffing her face and you used to do that too! Whenever you would get your hands on food, you always ate as if it was your last meal or something. You also always used to steal food from me whenever I was not looking, even though I always got a bit mad whenever you did that. But hey, it was always funny to see you stuff your face with food.

Do you remember in middle school, in eighth grade, when you accidentally walked into the wrong class? Several times in the first week. I don’t know why you would always get so lost. We’d been going to that same school together since sixth grade. Even if you had directions it wouldn’t help. You would get lost using Google Maps. I’m sure in another life you’ll know your directions better.

After we graduate, let’s find a house or an apartment to live in. Maybe in the future you can own a red panda. I can help you pick out a good one. We can name it Noodle. Let’s get a job together so both of us can equally split the bill. Then, when the time’s right and you finally find the person you’re looking for, you’ll have your own place and I’ll have my own. But of course I’ll come visit from time to time to see if you ever have children. I will teach them how to not be like their father and be actually nice towards others, though small pranks are always fun to do towards others. I just hope they don’t turn into little gremlins like how you were back then.

Who knows? Maybe we can even possibly create new things that will benefit others in the future as well. You know how some of the movies you watched contained flying cars in it? But please, we do not need to start an apocalypse that will end the whole world. The future will be loads of fun, having advanced technology, exploring new places, and discovering new things that others haven’t discovered just yet. It’s going to be such a blast!

Aside from that, I do hope you’re having a wonderful time. I hope it’s not too cold where you are right now. You get cold easily and you don’t have anything else other than a thin sweater. Don’t worry too much about replying back. Nobody else will need to read this anyway. This letter will be buried alongside your body where no else can find it. Too bad I always loved you more than a friend, but I guess it will be nice to be buried right next to your girlfriend who…I warned her several times to stay away from you but she just…wouldn’t listen to my words…You cried for days, nights, weeks, months…You grieved over her death for a whole year until you finally got over her…Even though I had some regrets of my own.

If you do read this beyond the grave, I would like you to know it’s very sad, even for me, but this is the least I can do for you…“my precious friend.”

From your dearest friend, [Name is obscured by dirt]

FUTURE ME SUCCEEDED

ALEJANDRA C.

Alejandra loves to read murder mysteries and listen to all types of music besides country. She loves to take care of her dog named Tiger.

Dear Alejandra,

We succeeded in our first year at Yale. We actually got into Yale after researching so much about it since we were in the sixth grade. While being at Yale, we’ve made quite a few friends whom we enjoy being with. Some of the things we enjoy doing with our friends are going out at night and driving while listening to music (anything but country). We also go to parks and have picnics. Our parents call us in the afternoon almost everyday to check up on us. We talk about how we’re doing and how they are doing. We also talk about missing each other. Now it’s time to take that trip to France like we’ve always wanted. Our dream is to have those delicious macaroons and see the Eiffel Tower in person. While in France, we will go to museums. We heard that they are amazing. Also, make sure not to miss the events at the gallery.

First thing we do when we arrive is go to a restaurant and eat macaroons. Then, we go to our hotel and take a big nap, so when it’s night time we can go out and see the Eiffel Tower like we’ve always wanted to.

The next day, we go to have breakfast at a coffee shop to write down ideas for our book. We have no clue what to write but hope France helps us out. Yes, we are writing ideas for our book like we’ve always wanted to. While there, we meet this woman who we learn is from Brazil. Her name is Luana. She has brown wavy hair, brown eyes, is wearing brown pants with a beige shirt, and a light brown hat. She seems very serious about what she is doing but she’s also very friendly. We go up to her and it turns out she’s a private investigator. She tells us about her case and while she talks about it we mention how we would also like to become a private investigator. She offers to take us with her so we can learn more about being a private investigator.

Our first step is to go to the suspect’s apartment. We walk up to the suspect’s door, and it turns out our suspect is a guy named Malo. When he opens the door, he is around 5’7 with dirty blonde hair. He is wearing blue jean shorts with a black shirt and black socks. He is very rude and dirty like his apartment. There are papers on the floor, and the kitchen floor is dirty with pizza boxes and empty soda cans.

Malo doesn’t want to give Luana answers but Luana is very convincing because she uses information that Malo thinks no one knows. While Luana is questioning him even more, we notice a pass and keys to Tandem Skydive. We have to let Luana know so we nudge her and show her. When Luana mentions the fight he had with the victim, he denies it by saying he doesn’t work at Tandem Skydive, but it’s already been confirmed when we both saw the pass. When we leave, I mention to Luana how Malo’s name matches his personality. When we get to Tandem Skydive, Luana questions some of the workers. In order to talk to more suspects, we have to skydive. When we find that out, our stomach drops. At first we are thinking of just

waiting for Luana to interrogate the suspects but eventually we get the courage to go with her. We go to the bathroom to change into a jumpsuit. Luana has done skydiving before, so she doesn’t need someone behind her. But in order to get information, she pretends she is no pro at skydiving.

Once we are ready, we met the two guys. We notice that Luana is eyeing the one wearing the bright orange jumpsuit. Since we know Luana needs to talk to the instructor, we suggest switching because the other guy has more experience and it makes us feel more comfortable. Luana agrees because we are her partner on this case. She trusts our judgment.

Now we are on the plane. We feel nervous and anxious since we never thought we would jump out of a plane. We regret getting on the plane. What were we thinking? We start talking to our instructor so Luana can question the suspect without interruptions. After a while, we notice Luana has stopped talking to the suspect. She then gives us a look and we know what she means. It is time to jump out of the plane.

Luana jumps out before letting the suspect finish counting down. When we see her jump, our instructor says, “It’s time.” He tells us that if we pass out, we’ll be okay since he’s going to be there.

We go to the edge of the plane with our instructor and he says, “3…2…1…0.” We jump out of the plane.

We feel the wind aggressively against our face. It feels refreshing. We’re just there smiling, looking at all the grass, and seeing the city. We snap out of it and get back to reality, remembering why we’re here and what our goal is. We turn our head to the right and we see Luana is way further down and has deployed her parachute. All of a sudden, we feel a shock in our chest and shoulders. Our instructor has deployed the parachute. We think for a moment that we died. We feel that we’re going slow now and about to touch the ground. When we are almost down, we see Luana waiting for us. After three minutes, we are on the ground. We’ve never felt more happy to be on the ground.

We see Luana coming up to us and she’s smiling. We’re confused at first until she says, “I know who to arrest. If it weren’t for you, I probably would’ve never cracked this case.” We are smiling when she tells us this, but our smile grows even wider when she asks if we want to go with her and arrest the suspect.

Since our week in France is coming to an end, Luana decides to have a goodbye dinner at Le Gabriel restaurant. We have the farm chicken with green pea tartlet and Luana has salmon with celery curry. Luana offers me salmon but we immediately say no because we are allergic. Once we finish eating our food, we have sponge cake for dessert. After dinner, we thank Luana again for giving us an experience of a lifetime and helping us get ideas for our new story.

We leave the restaurant and Luana offers to drop me off at the airport. We get there and start saying our goodbyes. We both cry a little. Luana mentions to come back anytime. We board our plane and find our seat. We sit down, looking out the window, and start to reflect on our experience. The flight attendant comes by and says to buckle up. We are about to take off. We close our eyes and drift off to a good sleep.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

826LA and Paramount Pictures would like to thank to following for their support in making this project possible:

Alejandro Ramirez

Principal, Cinematic Arts and Creative Technologies Magnet

Amanda Gonzales

Beno Akram

Billy Cutler

Brian Robbins

Chairman & CEO, Paramount Pictures

Diana Martinez

Coordinator/Leadership Advisor, Helen Bernstein High School

Durand Williams

Erin Jordan

Director Corporate Social Responsibility, Paramount Pictures

Isaac Diaz

Jaime Balboa

Executive Director, 826LA

Jack Durwood

Jennifer Lynch

Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility & Internal Communications, Paramount Pictures

Jenny Tartikoff

Executive Vice President Global Communications, Paramount Pictures

Jessica Ferrer

Juliet Conroy

Justin Broederdorf

Kyra Chau

Lisa Goldfisher

Lori Nakama

Marco Lopez

Maya Marinoff

Mike Dunbar Programs & Operations Manager, 826LA

Mike McAdam

Nelly Dennis

Pamela Amaya

Magnet Coordinator & Computer Science Teacher, Cinematic Arts and Creative Technologies Magnet

Puicón-Pérez Design Manager, 826LA

Samantha Jacobs

Sherrie Robertson

Stacey Goldstein

Stephanie Aguilar

Manager Corporate Social Responsibility, Paramount Pictures

Valencia Spates

ABOUT 826LA

826LA OPENED OUR DOORS IN 2005, AS PART OF THE 826 NETWORK FOUNDED BY WRITER DAVE EGGERS AND EDUCATOR NÍNIVE CALEGARI.

826LA is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 who attend Title I schools with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

We believe great leaps in learning can happen with one-onone attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. All of our programs are challenging and enjoyable, and strengthen each student’s power to express ideas creatively, confidently, and in their individual voice.

826LA PROGRAMS

826LA offers a variety of in-person and virtual programming.

TUTORING

Volunteers provide in-person, one-on-one homework help to support students as they navigate all subject areas. Write On! After School supports younger students, while Tuesday and Thursday Night Tutoring supports middle and high school students.

FIELD TRIPS

Our roster of virtual and in-person field trips includes Storytelling & Bookmaking, Well-Wishing & Poetry Writing, Choose-Your-Own- Adventure, and more.

IN-SCHOOLS, WRITERS’ ROOMS, & COLLEGE ACCESS

We provide personal statement writing support for college applications at Manual Arts, Roosevelt, and Venice High Schools and a number of other partner schools, as well as via the Great Los Angeles Personal Statement Weekend event. 826LA staff and volunteers work with teachers to support creative writing projects in the virtual classroom.

826LA.ORG

826LA STAFF

Jaime Balboa Executive Director

Diego Quevedo Chief of Staff

Shani Foster Director of Education

Raeesa Hyder Director of Advancement

Cheryl Klein Senior Communications Manager

Pedro Estrada Programs & Operations Manager, Echo Park

Mike Dunbar Programs & Operations Manager, Mar Vista

LaTesha Knighten In-Schools Program Manager

Megan Acosta Senior Manager of Volunteer Programs

Alma Carrillo Development Manager

Christie Thomas Institutional Giving Manager

Carinne Mangold Store Manager

Puicón-Pérez Design Manager

Angelica Butiu-Coronado

Program Coordinator, Writers’ Room Roosevelt High School

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Susan Ko

President

Sarah Rosenwald Varet

Vice President

Nancy Yang Treasurer

Chad DePue

Secretary

Andy Alcaraz

Ben Au

Adriana Centeno

Matthew Cherniss

Dave Eggers, Emeritus

Jodie Evans, Emeritus

Scott A. Ginsburg

Eileen Shields

Belinda Tan

Holly A. Thomas

David Ullendorff

Karen Van Kirk

William Trlak

Program Coordinator, Writers’ Room at Manual Arts High School

Maricruz Pool-Chan Program Coordinator, Tutoring, Echo Park

Monica Arellano Program Coordinator, Tutoring, Mar Vista

Maddie Silva Program Coordinator, Field Trips, Mar Vista

Mari Zerbe Program Coordinator, Field Trips, Echo Park

Ariana Ponce Olivares

Evening Tutoring Programs Associate

ADVISORY BOARD

J.J. Abrams

Judd Apatow

Miguel Arteta

Mac Barnett

Steve Barr

Joshuah Bearman

Amy Brooks

Father Greg Boyle, SJ

Stefan G. Bucher

Mark Flanagan

Ben Goldhirsh

Rebecca Goldman

Ellen Goldsmith-Vein

DeAnna Gravillis

Spike Jonze

Miranda July

Catherine Keener

Keith Knight

Ariadne Makridakis

Arroyo

Senior Volunteer Coordinator

Wilson Swain

Echo Park Time Travel

Mart Staff

Cole Montgomery Development Coordinator

Larry Hansen

Mar Vista Time Travel

Mart Staff

Marco Beltran

Echo Park Time Travel

Mart Staff

Al Madrigal

Krystyn Madrigal

Tara Roth

Katie McGrath

R. Scott Mitchell

Lani Monos

B.J. Novak

Miwa Okumura

Jane Patterson

Keri Putnam

Sylvie Rabineau

Sonja Rasula

Luis J. Rodriguez

Terri Hernandez

Rosales

Brad Simpson

J. Ryan Stradal

Natalie Tran

Sarah Vowell

Sally Willcox