Ripples of us

5

"Again, he did it again," she whispered to herself, her voice choked with emotion. "Why can't he understand?"

The sky darkened overhead, the once-bright sun now hidden behind a blanket of clouds. Emily's footsteps faltered as she stumbled, her vision blurred by tears. She pushed past people, her tears blinding her to the world around her.

"Hey, watch it!" a man's voice called out, his tone angry and frustrated.

"Sorry," Emily mumbled, barely registering the words.

As she continued to run, her outstretched arm collided with a man, knocking over a basket of apples he was carrying. The sound of the fruit hitting the ground echoed through the park, but in her haste to escape, she didn't pause to apologize.

"Oof!" The man's voice was filled with surprise and pain.

The man, caught off guard by her sudden appearance, looked at her with a mixture of surprise and concern. Emily, oblivious to his presence, didn't even glance back as she continued to run, her heart aching with the pain of her broken friendship.

The man's eyes lingered on Emily's retreating form, his gaze held confusion and concern. While gathering the fallen apples, his eyes caught sight of a small wallet peeking out from under the scattered fruit. Curious, he picked it up and opened it, revealing a photograph of a young girl and a boy, their smiles bright and full of innocence.

His heart skipped a beat as he recognized the girl in the picture. It was the same girl he had just collided with, her eyes filled with tears and pain.

"Hey, are you coming or not?" a voice called out from behind him. It was his colleague from the restaurant, waiting impatiently.

He looked up, the wallet still in his hand. "I'll be right there," he called back, his mind racing with thoughts of the girl and her story.

He quickly gathered the apples and handed them to his colleague. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, his voice filled with determination.

Pushing past the crowd on the sidewalk, his eyes scanned the area, searching for any sign of the girl. His heart raced as he spotted her, now in the midst of an argument with a fruit vendor.

"Stop lying! I saw you take my apples!" the vendor shouted, his face red with anger.

Emily shook her head, her voice trembling with emotion. "I didn't take anything! Why would I lie to you?"

The vendor scoffed, his eyes narrowing. "You kids are all the same, thinking you can get away with anything."

Emily's eyes welled up with tears, her frustration boiling over. "I'm not a thief! You have no right to accuse me like this."

Emily's voice shook as she continued to defend herself, but the argument seemed to be going nowhere. As she tried to find her wallet to pay for the apples she had 'accidentally' taken, she realized it was nowhere to be found.

"Wait, my wallet!" she exclaimed, panic rising in her voice. "I had it a moment ago, but I can't find it now."

Her eyes scanned the area, darting around as she searched frantically. "Someone must have taken it while I was running," she said, her voice rising to a scream. "My wallet, my wallet!"

The vendor's eyes narrowed, his suspicion turning to Emily. "See, I told you. You're just trying to distract me so you can run away."

Emily's heart sank further into her chest, her tears now flowing freely. "No, please, I'm not lying. Why is this happening to me," she said, her voice cracking.