第四章 背包里的秘密

"啊……" footwear hit the pavement with a soft thud, echoing the sound of someone dropping their ice cream. I instinctively jerked back, my shadow scrambling on the cracked asphalt. The corner of the popsicle wrapper skittered away, sticking slightly to the ground. A bit of melting sugar glistening under the streetlight. "Oops," I muttered, crouching to retrieve the lost piece. My hand brushed against something cold, clutched in a fist on the other side of the sidewalk. Unthinkingly, I reached out. His knuckles were white where he gripped the paper bag. I pried it open, revealing a half-eaten chocolate bar and a half-empty thermos labeled "Coffee". "Your stuff," I said, holding it out. He looked up just as I straightened up. He blinked, the girl standing there looking completely normal, except for the stolen popsicle piece tucked into her hoodie sleeve. He checked the bag, then his eyes flickered over to me, then back to the popsicle on the ground.