I was playing peacefully with my friends when I tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. I thought it was nothing, just another small injury. I was wrong.
I was bleeding.
I couldn't help but cry. My friends rushed to comfort me, and I hated myself for it. I was meant to be tough, not a little child crying over a stupid fall.
Then I looked up and saw Sylvia.
She was standing there, watching me cry. But her eyes were fixed on the girl beside her, like a predator staring at its prey.
Uff. She sees everything but never cares.
Such a heartless person.
I thought at that situation. We began playing again after a while after when I got a bandage on my knee
The game began, and I eventually lost. I walked under a tree and sat down there, alone
With my own thoughts, not expecting any visitors. Not wanting anyone to bother sitting next to me
After a while, I felt someone's presence. I thought it was one of my friends and turned around.
It was Sylvia.
An unexpected visit.
She didn't say a word. She sat down next to me. She wasn't looking at me at first, but I was looking at her.
After a moment, she glanced at me and asked,
"Why are you here alone?"
Her voice sounded softer than usual.
"I lost the game," I said, pulling my knees closer, "so I'm waiting for it to restart."
"You lose. You win. It's just… how it goes," she said, looking up at the sky before finishing the sentence.
"I was overthinking last night," I said quietly.
She looked at me. "About what?"
"The judgments I get," I paused, my voice unsure. "Maybe it's all my fault."
I laughed nervously. "Stupid, I know."
She didn't laugh back.
A small smile appeared on her face.
It was casual, and that confused me. I couldn't tell if it was warmth, understanding
Or if she was mocking me.
"You know," she said after a pause, "what happens when you pour water into a leaking tumbler?"
I nodded. "It leaks."
"Yes," she said, still looking at the sky.
"But it isn't the water"s fault"
I looked her, halfly amused by how poetic a person in this generation can be. But i don't mind it
"Yeah" I replied
She stood up first.
"You should go back," she said. "The game will restart soon."
I nodded, even though I didn't want to move.
As she walked away, I stared at the ground where she had been sitting.
It isn't the water's fault.
I pressed my fingers against my knee, right where it still hurt.
For the first time, I wondered if the problem wasn't me
but the cracks I had been poured into