People react to the "I peeled my orange" story.
A slideshow on TikTok has been bringing people to tears because it’s a touching slice of life that describes what it is like to love, lose and find oneself again. The story is centered around a text conversation between Charlotte and EM, who recently broke up and are heading into college.
Charlotte is still in love with Em, but they don't feel the same.
The conversation starts with Charlotte texting Em out of the blue to thank them for helping her with her college application. Charlotte has recently been accepted to New York University, and Em is also looking forward to moving into a dorm room when school starts.
Charlotte (blue text) has no problem sharing her feelings for Em (gray text).
A text exchange between Charlotte and Em.
Charlotte then reminds Em of how they used to peel oranges for her every morning and she still doesn’t know how to do it herself.
A text exchange between Charlotte and Em.
Then, Charlotte explained what she’s learned and how she has changed since the break up.
A text exchange between Charlotte and Em.
Em reassured Charlotte that there are still plenty of opportunities to find love.
A text exchange between Charlotte and Em.
However, even though Em is clear that their relationship is over they continue to reassure her that someone is out there for her.
A text exchange between Charlotte and Em.
The two had a heartfelt, kind exchange, but Em remained clear that their relationship was over, and it was in Charloette’s best interests that they stopped communicating. Em wants to keep old wounds closed and wants Charlotte to be open to finding someone else. That won’t happen if they remain close.
A text exchange between Charlotte and Em.
The two exchanged final “I love yous.” But Em’s was different.
A text exchange between Charlotte and Em.
Days, weeks, months, possibly more than a year later, against Em’s wishes, Charlotte reached out again with a poignant message.
A text exchange between Charlotte and Em.
Sadly, the texted was delivered green. So Em most likely had blocked Charlotte.
It’s incredible how a quick text exchange between exes can be loaded with so much emotion, tension, truth, kindness, and backstory. The exchange between Charlotte and Em is like a 3-act play where we see where these two people are, where they've been and feel the conflict that keeps them apart. Finally, in the end, our main character, Charlotte, overcomes her pain and learns to be self-sufficient. But Em doesn’t want to hear from her and may never know that she finally learned to be self-sufficient. What a heartbreaking twist.
Can somebody please interview Charlotte and Em and turn this into a movie? We need to see how they met. What things were like when the relationship was going well and why they broke up. It would also be wonderful to know where they are now.
The slideshow has been seen over 6 million times on TikTok, and the overwhelming response has been tears.
“I lost it at ‘loved’ and went crazy at ‘I peeled my orange today,’” Mari (Taylor’s Version) wrote. “The ‘i peeled my orange today’ with the green bubble sent goosebumps down my whole body. Crying for Charlotte,” Mads added.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."