I couldn’t help myself—I hit "like" before turning off my screen. But just then, a message from Brittany popped up:
[Olive, Landon and I are just joking. Please don’t take it seriously.]
I paused, a bit stunned. But for the first time, her words felt hollow, and I found I didn’t care as much as I once might have. After a moment, I typed a reply:
[Got it, have fun!]
As I walked past an ATM, I noticed a young girl nearby, huddled against the wall, clutching her phone, tears streaming down her face.
“Buddy, he transferred all my money. My mom’s still in the hospital… what am I supposed to do?” I overheard the girl’s distressed voice as I walked past, but I kept my steps steady, not wanting to intrude on her pain.
A gust of wind carried her voice again, trembling and bitter. “Buddy, I hate this world so much…”
With a sigh, I turned around and stepped toward her, offering a small smile. “Hey there, how about a trade? I’ll give you something I have here, and in exchange, you let me buy you something sweet.”
The girl looked up at me, blinking in surprise before pulling a few pieces of White Rabbit candy from her pocket. “Miss, are you low on blood sugar? Here, take these—no need to trade.”