Wallet
by Diana-san

It happened in a blur. One moment this guy brushed by her and the next moment, he was gone in a flash. She would have thought nothing of it. It was crowded in the coffeehouse that evening as everyone was getting their second or third cup of coffee for a night of all-night studying. Geared in the middle of finals week, tensions were high as students were jittery and lamenting over either failed exams or soon to be failed exams.

It was especially nerve-wracking for a third of the student population on campus since tomorrow was the day of the biology and chemistry finals, which can determine whether the student will be able to move up to the next course in the series.

Sakura whirled around to only catch a glimpse of the boy exiting the coffee shop. Dressed in layers for the cold winter quarter, the faux lining of his navy blue hooded jacket only covered up part of the back of his head as Sakura saw that he had a distinct hairstyle. Ebony black hair spiked up high, the view was a familiar sight to her but she couldn't quite place her finger on it.

She must have stood there in a trance-like state because it was only when her friend called her name out, that she snapped out of her daydream. Taking a step back, she felt something against the bottom of her foot. She looked down and was surprised to find a small black wallet near her foot. Bending down, she picked it up and brushed it clean with her hands.

Crouched in the middle of the coffee shop, she must have looked strange as she flipped the wallet back and forth in her hands. She moved to the corner as she ignored the questioning stares from her friends at a couch by the wall. Sakura opened up the wallet to find that there was not much inside. There was a few crisp bills in the money pocket fold and two cards in the card slots. She slid out the first card and saw that it was a credit card with the name Uchiha Sasuke. The name didn't ring a bell. Putting it away, she pulled out the second card as she saw that it was his driver's license. The great thing about a driver's license was the photo for identification.

The name in question finally had a face to it. The face belonged to a very attractive young man with ebony black hair spiked up. The same guy who just bumped into her earlier and left the coffee house. She quickly ran out of the coffee house as she looked both ways in wonder of which direction he turned. The streets were empty as many were inside cafes or stores to keep out of the wintry cold.

Disappointed, she headed back inside the coffee shop. She glanced at the photo again and she could swear that he looked familiar to her. It was after five minutes of staring that it clicked in her brain. She did see him before. He was in her class two years ago in a freshman seminar. She had always walked past him as he sat two rows ahead of her. Since no one was sitting in the row between them, Sakura had always had a clear view of the back of his head.

Placing the license back in its original pocket, she figured she would contact him through Facebook or some sort to message him about finding his lost wallet. That should be the end of it and she should have no more reason to continue searching through his wallet. But the curiosity gnawed at her as she traced the outer edge of the wallet's leather feel.

It wasn't that she was a prying person and would go through everything inside a stranger's wallet. She just had a gut instinct or feeling about this guy in particular. As if the two of them were connected through something more than just a chance meeting of a missing wallet or sharing a freshman seminar class once upon a time ago. She couldn't really place her finger on what or why she had this feeling. It was just an instinct that had no known explanation. But her heart pounded nevertheless as she flipped the wallet back open and dug through the two inner pockets. The first pocket was empty. The second had a bit more luck as her fingers felt the edge of an object.

She pulled it out part way before hesitating and questioning whether she should be doing this. She would hate it if someone found her wallet and went through her stuff. But then again, she would be upset regardless for having lost her wallet. Plus, he would never know. Still didn't justify how morally wrong it felt but she was already too far in to care now.

They were photographs. Wallet-sized photographs neatly tucked into the wallet to be kept hidden. It was strange since most people would prefer to put pictures where it is easily seen. At least, that was how Sakura thought most people would prefer to do. There were three photographs and the first was easy to distinguish. It was a family photo and Sasuke was easily pointed out with his hairstyle never changing from childhood. He looked to be about eight years old or so and was standing besides his father and mother. To the right of him looked to be an older brother as they shared the same facial features with the only difference being that the brother had a distinct tear troughs underneath his eyes. That and he was a head taller than Sasuke and had his hair tied up in a neat low ponytail.

She placed the first photo underneath the stack as she came across the second photo. It was a photo of an older Sasuke standing next to another boy. She recognized the other boy. He was in her class currently and his name was Naruto. A really loud and energetic guy, he always spoke up in class and made the other kids laugh. She smiled as she looked down at the photo. The photo must have been taken not too long ago because they looked to be around sixteen. Naruto was smiling brightly with his arm slung around Sasuke in a casual pose but Sasuke had a disgruntled expression on his face and his arms folded against his chest. It seemed to Sakura that Sasuke was not exactly the type to like taking self-portraits.

As she placed the second photo underneath, she noticed that the last photo was turned over with its back facing up. Her clumsy fingers fumbled a bit to turn the photo around and she only ended up dropping the entire stack on the floor.

Embarrassed, she glanced around to see if anyone noticed her being a klutz in the corner. No one did or if they did, they pretended to have not noticed. Sakura stooped low as she bent down to pick up the photos. After picking up the first two, her fingers barely grazed the last as she stared wide-eyed at the photo. The picture was facing up now towards her so she could clearly see the subject of the picture. It was a picture of her.