Writers 
David and Michael had been best friends since they were young. They lived in the same street and attended the same school. They did almost everything together. They studied together, played football together, and sometimes went home together after school.
Everyone in the class knew that they were close friends.
One Monday morning, their teacher asked the students to submit their science projects. David had worked very hard on his project. He had spent many days making a small model of the solar system.
When David came to school that morning, he placed the project carefully on his desk.
During break time, David went outside with some of his classmates. Michael stayed behind in the classroom because he wanted to finish some work.
A few minutes later, David returned and saw that his project was on the floor. Some parts of it were broken.
David became very angry.
“Who did this?” he asked.
Nobody answered.
David looked around and saw Michael standing near his desk.
“You did it!” David shouted.
Michael looked surprised.
“No, I didn't,” he said.
“But you were the only person here!” David replied.
Michael tried to explain himself, but David refused to listen.
“You are not my friend again,” David said angrily.
Those words hurt Michael deeply.
“I did not break your project,” he said quietly.
But David walked away.
The next day, David told some of his friends that Michael had destroyed his project because he was jealous. Soon, many students started believing the story.
Michael felt sad. He tried to explain the truth, but David did not want to listen.
For several days, the two friends stopped talking to each other.
Then, one afternoon, their teacher called the class together.
“I found something that may explain what happened to David's project,” she said.
She showed them a small ball that had been found near the classroom window.
The teacher explained that some students had been playing football near the classroom during break. The ball had entered through the window and hit David's project.
David was shocked.
He suddenly understood what had happened.
Michael had been telling the truth.
David felt ashamed. He remembered all the bad things he had said about his best friend. He wished he could take his words back.
After school, David went to Michael's house.
When Michael opened the door, David stood quietly for a moment.
“Michael, I'm sorry,” David said.
Michael looked at him.
“I should have listened to you. I blamed you without knowing the truth. I also told other people things about you that were not true. Please forgive me.”
Michael was quiet.
Then he smiled.
“I forgive you,” he said.
David felt relieved.
The two friends talked for a long time. David promised that he would never again accuse someone without knowing the truth.
From that day, David learned an important lesson: an apology is good, but sometimes it can come after the damage has already been done.
We should be careful with our words because once we say something hurtful, we may not be able to take it back. Before blaming someone, we should first find out the truth.
Sometimes, saying “I'm sorry” is easy.
But saying it before it is too late is even better.