They Filmed Their Youth but Forgot Me Behind the Camera

On our weekend getaway, my boyfriend, my brother, my childhood best friend, and our friend Chloe agreed to shoot a travel documentary together.

I wrote the script. I rented all the gear.

We made a pact that everyone would appear on screen, each leaving a personal message for the other four.

On the day of the shoot, the videographer canceled at the last minute, meaning one of us had to get behind the lens.

Chloe gripped my boyfriend's arm, looking anxious.

"I'm terrified of being in front of the camera alone."

Immediately, everyone turned to me—the only one who had studied photography.