Helping Her Out

ARWAN

I didn't expect to see her cry.

Throughout my acquaintance with Emery, she was always the carefree girl who didn't take anything too seriously, always wearing a smile and embracing life with a touch of sarcasm and cheekiness. She always exuded an overflowing joy that I admired and wished I had.

But today, everything I thought I knew about her is in question. Looking at her with teary eyes, slumped shoulders and bowed head, she seems an entirely different person. This isn't the Emery I see every day, the girl who likes to play pranks on me just to annoy me. Today, it's quite the opposite, and it tugs at something inside me, almost unreal.

With my hand still on her wrist, I gently pull her closer so that she's facing me. "What happened?" I ask, my voice filled with concern.

She avoids meeting my gaze, barely looking up. "Nothing's happened. Really. I just wanted to talk to Lil', but I'm fine," she murmurs.