I open my pencil case, there all my favorite things are there, and there, in the very corner, are 3 small sakura petals. I carefully take one of them, so as not to disrupt its structure, because due to inaccurate pressing between the fingers, it may disappear. Turn into crumbs, because the petal lies there for a long time. I keep it as a reminder of our first meeting.

I was scared to go to kindergarten, I grabbed the hem of my mother’s dress and begged not to lead me there. The older sister walked alongside importantly, and only looked askance at my cry. Of course, I wanted to look up to my sister, but it was very scary.

The journey took only 20 minutes from the house, it was not far to go, but for me, a 4-year-old girl, my whole life passed. If I hadn’t cried all the way, I could see how wonderful everything was around. Sakura was just starting to bloom, dissolve its pinkish-white buds, bringing with it a sweet aroma. An alley of planted sakura trees brightly painted the streets, transforming from gray everyday life into a fairy-tale carnival.

The sun's rays shone through the scarlet petals, creating ruby ​​patterns on the pavement where people passed. A breeze, as if playing with them, circled them over the heads of passers-by, settling on their hair or clothes, or lying weightlessly in a heap to the same brethren as himself.

The same petals circled over the little girl’s head, touching her face lightly, but did not linger.

The same petals gently touched her cheek when she alone sat sadly under a tree, which was in the garden, in front of the playground, bored. She was sad that no one had come to play with her. None of the children want to be friends with her.

She watched the children get together and laugh cheerfully, run after friend. They, those children, quickly found a common language with each other, they tried to come closer to her, but she always had a frown, and therefore, they only pointed with their fingers, ran away.

This happened day after day, she grew up and not only stretched out and lost a little weight, but the kindergarten was not so scary. Now she herself could get there, because she was already 6 years old. Her dad drove her in a car, and in the evening her mother or sister took her.

One day, something irreparable happened , my parents were late. Of course, they warned the teacher in advance, but she forgot to tell the girl, and the girl at one time went out onto the porch of the kindergarten, and sat on the top step, waiting for when she would be taken home. She was all in her sad thoughts when she heard the question:

“May I sit next to you?” - the girl looked around and saw that next to her is a girl like her, her hair sparkled in the rays of the setting sun. - Hi, I, Sana , what is your name?

- Miyu . Miyu Mina - smiled uncertainly, taking her palm to shake.

“And yet you are not a statue,” Sana smiled broadly , sitting down next to her. Then she leaned over and whispered in secret in her ear. “You scared me, you sat here and didn't move at all.” I already thought I was seeing a ghost.

- You talking to me - quietly reached Mina , her lower lip quivered and eyes welled tears of happiness.

- Hey, what are you doing! - the girl was worried, quickly hugging by the shoulders and pulling him to her. - Do not Cry. Now no one will offend you, I will always be with you.

- Do you want to be friends with me?

- Of course I want. For a long time I want, but all the time I was afraid that you would not want.

- Want. I want to be friends with you!

Yes, now it’s ridiculous to recall that first meeting of ours. You ask, where did the sakura petal come from, because we were sitting on the steps of the kindergarten?You are right, there was not a single tree around us, but before our meeting, there was one small, insignificant episode.

The tree under which I spent a lot of time, I considered him my best friend. We played hide and seek, I talked with him, shared secrets, I studied letters with him, and we laughed together. Sakura petals have become my best friends. I remember exactly that the day I met Sana was my birthday. Dad told me that if you really want, then your desire will come true.

“Please give me a girlfriend, I promise that I’d better try to learn these letters and learn how to spell.” I promise to fix my behavior. I promise ... I promise ... I don’t ask for anything anymore, give me a girlfriend.

The desire is strange, maybe for someone, but not for me. And it must happen that at that moment the wind will play with the sakura petals in her palms, and one of them will come off the palm of her hand and be on her cheek, like a kiss. Light and airy kiss.

As light and airy as the second sakura petal, which I put next to the first petal in my palm. It is as valuable to me as the first. True, this time I did not make a wish, and this day was not my birthday, but that morning changed everything in my life.

With Sana, by that time we had become inseparable friends, we were everywhere together, and the strangest thing was that we didn’t get tired of each other, on the contrary we tried to be as close as possible.

Old school. Usually everything changes, it makes others out of people, and so that this does not happen to us, we decided to do something of our own, something that only we will know.

The hands of the watch went over the dial and knocked out 15:00. Free time from lessons. The time where the students go home, and only those who are on duty in the class remain. Today it was not their turn to clean the classroom, but classmates tearfully asked them to take care of their cleaning for today. And tomorrow, instead of them, they will do everything.

After listening to the circumstances, they agreed, the family is sacred, here you always need to follow the traditions attributed to each family in its own way.

Mina went to the teacher’s office to take the magazine and at the same time say that she and Sana were still at school. Sana at that time began to wipe the boardsoff and raise the chairs on the desk . Mina soon joined her, together they lifted all the chairs, then watered the flowers that stood on the windowsill, wiped the windowsill itself, opened the windows wide to ventilate the room.

- Sana - chan , look, look, how beautifully the wind circles the sakura petals - suddenly in silence Mina exclaimed , looking out the window.

“It's like they are doing a round dance,” Sana whispered admiringly , standing next to her friend.

Their shoulders touched each other. They smiled and silently began to continue watching the dance. silence was comfortable. If necessary, they could remain silent for hours, their eyes, smiles, touches communicated for them.

- Mina - chan , you promise to always be my friend.

- Why such a question? You know yes. My answer will always be yes. I need to worry, not you.

- Why? - did not understand Sana , bringing her face closer to that of her friend. “Why bother?”

“You can leave me.” I always knew that my gift was not durable - I puffed Mina's lips , turning away from her, but Sana gently stopped her face lapel, held it in her hands.

She had long known about the desire of little Mina on her birthday. She knew that they called her a “gift”, but she was not offended, she was glad that on that day she was also presented with a “gift” in the person of Mina .

- Never, Mina , never leave. I promise - she held out her little finger and , after waiting for the return little finger, squeezed. “Our promise is inextricable.”And to fix it forever, you need to come up with a secret that only we will know. And even if this happens and we have to leave, we will keep this secret in our memory, in our memories. And we will smile.

- Secret? Which one?

- I don’t know, I need to come up with.

- Let's think together? - Mina suggested , looking expectantly at Sana , she nodded her head in the affirmative.

As luck would have it, there were no thoughts, my head is empty. The only thing that came to mind, obsessively demanding that she voice it out loud.

“Listen, this is stupid, but I won’t think of anything else now,” she began, embarrassingly dropping her eyes to the floor.

- Let's kiss! - blurted out in one breath that, just as embarrassed, releasing her eyes down.

“I ...” “Does she read my mind?”

- About him we just can not tell anyone! - I looked down Sana , her cheeks burned with embarrassment and shame.

“Yes,” the girl agreed, you certainly won’t tell anyone about this. How to tell what they think about them? And what do they think now, agree?

“Come on, just try, only once — and why do I keep pushing?” But how interesting!

Sana still decided to tear her gaze from the floor, lifted up and froze, she had never seen such beauty in her life. Mina was now so sweet in her embarrassment that the desire to kiss became simply necessary. She reached for her, and was almost taken aback when she met her lips in a gentle kiss. The curtain behind them rose with a gust of wind that brought with it the aroma of sakura, and its petals swirled, dancing passionately around them, further connecting their hearts.

When I woke up from my thoughts, I found that my fingers gently run along the silk surface of the third petal.

The petal that revealed the truth to me, the most important secret that I kept in my heart.

The secret I'm afraid to tell Sana .