Why is it that, it’s the people who are the
closest to you, that seems to find a way to hurt you in the place that you would most
definitely feel it the most. I guess that’s why the saying goes, “Keep your friends close,
and your enemies, closer”. The same could be said about the situation that transpired between
my best friend, whom I was the closest with at the time, which was back then when we were in high
school. I would most definitely not have guessed, that in any reality, that, she would betray me
the way that she did, and the worse part of it all is that, for one, she did not even feel a
bit remorseful or regrettable of her actions, and secondly, she did it without a second thought,
as to whom it was that she had done such a thing to. I guess all I was to her, was just an
expendable friend that could be tossed aside, whenever the time came for her to protect herself
and her integrity. Naturally, I am not the kind of person or friend to hold a grudge to someone
the way and did, and for how long I did, but, it just goes to show you how deeply she truly
hurt me, and how well driven and motivated I was to making sure that I got back at her.
To make you understand what truly happened, I have to take you back to the very
beginning, where it all started. Hi, my name is Zoey, I am the first daughter of my
father and the younger sister to 3 older brothers, my mum had my first brother, when she was still
in college, and my dad had already decided and made up his mind right then and there, that he
was going to make her his wife, by all means necessary, and they got married as planned right
after the both of them had gotten their degrees, and graduated from college. It did not take
them very long after having my eldest brother, Mathew that my mother conceived of my 2nd
brother and within the span of which my 2nd brother was born, my third brother followed
in succession. I guess you could say that they were really trying for a female child at the
time, because on the 4th trial, they got me, and since then, I do not think that both my
parents were ready to get another child again. Being the only female child in such a chaotic
house hold, growing up, I had always had this certain obsession, or inclination towards guys,
I would view most guys at times as my little brother, or my elder brother, as the case may
warrant it. You could say, that my reason for this ideology, was based off the fact that, I grew
up alongside, three elder brothers of different, yet alike, and chaotic personalities. Once, when
my first brother, Mathew, and my third brother, Jonah, were into an altercation between each
other, the argument got so intense, so much so, that when my 2nd brother, Andrew, tried to
intervene and stop things from escalating further than it already had, he almost got injured, as
things had already started to get near physical, and then I stepped in, knowing fully well, that
no matter how serious the fight was going to get, they would never do anything at all to hurt me.
Every single time I do this, I always feel scared, because I only ever step In, when the situation
is already getting too serious, which has happened more times that I can count. Any ways, growing
up with three elder brother has its perks and its demerits. Some of the perks of having three
brothers, is that for one, I know for a fact that, being the only girl in the family and their only
sister, they tend to be overly protective of me, at all times. I usually enjoyed this when I was
little, because it had always made me feel like I was being protected by my very own personal bod
guards, like I usually saw in the movies. This was one of the things I had usually bragged to my
friends in the street about. But one demerit of having three brothers in my lie growing up,
was having to put up with three different, yet very alike brothers, in the same house,
and this occurred very frequently, seeing as my parents were scarcely around, due to the nature
of their job. In some way this did not prove to really be a problem, because I usually enjoyed
the kind of drama they usually pulled. This in some way actually affected my school life a bit,
because for one, when I had grown up quite a bit, and got registered and enrolled in a high school
very close to my house, I was usually accompanied to school by my three brothers, as at this time,
the three of them had already started frequenting the gym, and they had become quite a bit muscular,
so much so, that they were already possessing intimidating auras, that could make them
noticeable whenever they walk into a building. This was no problem initially, as I thought
they looked cool and all, but it was later on I got to figure out and realize that, following the
presence of my brothers in the school almost every day, I became very popular in the school and even
feared. This happened because people were scared of the fact that they, (my brothers), really
looked like real life body guards, and this in a way prevented me from making new friends amongst
my peers. I had not noticed this initially, when I had just gotten into the school, for the
first few months, as I had just thought to myself, that they were just being that way seeing that I
was a new comer and all, but I still wondered for a bit as to why this was so, as I know for a fact
that I am a very social person. It was not until it was brought to my attention, by the girl whom
I would soon come to consider as my best friend, and who would no sooner betray my trust.
We were in the cafeteria for our lunch break, and by we, I mean every student in the school, and
I was already used to this, but I was always left alone on my own table, at the cafeteria, during
lunch hours, and this was nothing new to me, but on this very day, I was approached by this
very lovely and kind hearted lady, who asked if she could sit right next to me, to which I most
definitely did not object to. She had her seat and we got talking. She introduced herself, as Skye,
she was also taking the exact same classed that I was at the time, and we got talking, she was a
really easy going and cool person, and as she kept on talking I began to find her character very
intriguing and interesting. So basically, when she came down to it beside me at my table, she
had noticed prior to that day, that I was being ostracized by very student in the school, as they
had all thought that I was some kind of celebrity at the time, and I was being escorted by my body
guards every time I was coming to school, and every time I was leaving school too. I laughed the
moment she said this, as it was not something I was expecting at all. I told her that I literally
thought that, the reason, as to why everyone was trying to distance themselves from me, was because
of the fact that, I was still a new student, and that everyone was just being wary of the new
student, seeing as I was always coming to school, accompanied by three hefty men, who seemed like
body guards. When she heard m side of everything, she quickly burst into laughter, she laughed so
loud, that the entire school, turned to m table as they began to wonder what was so funny. This
was the first conversation I ever had with Skye, as from this moment on, we became very good
friends, and as the time went by, we became almost inseparable. It became so obvious that, anywhere
you were looking for Skye in the school premises, I was not always too far back, and the same goes
for her. I had even introduced her to my parents and my brothers that she was so scared of all
this time, and to my greatest surprise, they got along really fine. Anyways, this was not even
the highlight of our then supposed friendship, the true highlight, was when during the incident of
Brad. For future references, Brad is the leader of the schools, Lacrosse team. Upon first look, after
hearing that he was the leader of the Lacrosse team, you would originally have this impression
that he was really handsome, with broad shoulders, a chiseled jawline and chest, and many other
things girls my age were drooling over at the time. But that was not Brad one single bit. Brad
was to generally everybody, very average looking, as he did not possess all those muscular features
that girls my age, found very attractive and sexy at the time. Probably one of the reasons why
I was not ready to opt for a guy that every other girl was chasing, was the fact that I also
had brothers, that were way up in the scale than the other guys were, and as such I thought it
weird to be attracted to such a kind of person. Brad was what you would call my first high school
crush, as he was the first person I was ever attracted to in my entire life, but no matter how
social I was at the time, I just could not muster up the courage to even approach him, let alone
hold a reasonable conversation with him. This went on for weeks on end, I would summon up a little
bit of courage to try and approach him, and then, I would head on over to the lacrosse field,
waiting for him to show up, and when he finally did, I would immediately pack my things and try
to evade him as best as possible. It did not take too long for my best friend to notice this, and
she immediately called me out on this one day, while we were having a conversation about
boys, and which boys in the entire school, had caught our fancy.At this time, I knew where
the conversation was heading to and I did not want to make it seems like I was not interested
in the conversation or anything, but as soon as she asked me this question, I immediately went
blank, and then she called me out on this saying, that I should have told her sooner that I was
interested in Brad, and that she would have helped me out in whatever little way she could, either
by approaching Brad on my behalf or through other methods. I immediately apologized to her, and I
immediately got interested in what form of help, she was willing to offer me at the time. She
became serious and told me that she would help by, approaching Brad on my behalf, and informing
him about myself, and just basically putting a good word for me, and in the process,
setting the both of us up. This seemed like a very god idea, and I let her do it.
She went as planed and when she came back, she did so, with a number in hand, as she told me
that she had finalized everything, and all I had to do was just call him once I had gotten home. I
was already feeling excited, and I could not wait at all to get home and get right on with it. When
the bell went, signifying the end of the day’s session, I immediately went straight home, as I
did not want to waste even a single second before getting home. Once I got in, I ran straight to my
room, locked the doors, and began practicing what I was going to say when he had finally picked the
call. When I finally finished with my rehearsing, I tried calling the number, but realized that it
was not complete, as there was a single number missing from the beginning, and when I tried to
call Skye and ask her if she had collected to complete number from Brad, her number too was not
reachable. I became worried, as this was the first time that her number would be unavailable. After
trying it several times, I just opted to head on over to her house, seeing that It was not too far
from my own house or anything. When I got to her place, I got welcomed by her mother at the door,
who invited me in, and then she told me that Skye had a visitor she was attending to upstairs. I
got confused, because we had just left school, not up to an hour ago, and if I can recall correctly,
she was still in school when I left, so it sounded improbable that she would be having a visitor
except it was somebody from school. So I just thanked her for letting me in, as I found my way
upstairs to her room. When I got there. What I saw really made me literally speechless. So apparently
this is the general gist of everything that happened up until that very moment. So when Skye
offered to help me get Brads number and put in a good word for me, turns out that she wanted him
for herself, and when she went over to see him, she actually went for herself, and the number she
brought back was none other than a forged number, one that she had just randomly come up with, while
she was on her way back from meeting with him. And as for the event that had transpired right before
my eyes in her room, I met Skye making out, very intimately, with the guy that she most definitely
knew, that I had a crush on. I felt broke, betrayed, angry and a range of some other emotions
in that very moment. I just could not believe what was happening right before my eyes, and when
I even tried to ask her right then and there, why she would and could, do such a thing,
she immediately responded by saying that, she just wanted to have a taste of him before
releasing him to me. Those words of hers, really bore deep into me that very day, as this
was not what I was even expecting from her at all, not even in a million years, I mean, this was
somebody that I could even vouch for with my life, and this was how she had decided to treat our
friendship, as nothing more than a means to get absolutely petty. I just took this as the end of
or relationship/ friendship, as this was the very last time we had seen each other eye to eye, and
conversed. Obviously I was heartbroken by this, by the loss of my best friend and the best friendship
I had ever had in my entire life, and by the loss of the first guy I had a genuine crush and
feeling of likeness on and for. When I got home, my brothers tried to get a better understanding
of what happened and who was responsible for making me feel the way I was feeling for the
past few weeks, but I chose to remain silent, as I did not want to make things worse for her
in the eyes of my brothers. I later decided to come out and tell them what really happened, as
wanted clarify things, when my mother asked me, when Skye would be coming to visit again.
When they heard what really happened, my brothers were furious and wanted to take
immediate physical action, but I stopped them saying it was not really worth it any more, seeing
as she did it intentionally and with a clear mind and all, which, means that this was not something
spontaneous, but rather, something that she had been planning for quite a while. Obviously I was
not my normal self, but there was something I saw that made me even more furious than ever,
which was when I resumed back to school, and I saw that she was still involved with Brad,
and this time, she was even more open with it, and even in a relationship with him. When
I saw this, I just knew she was doing this, all just to spite me, and I was willing
and ready to pay her back in her own coin. When I got home that day, I asked my brother,
if he knew of any way I could get back at her and the solution he came up with was one of the
best ideas, I have ever heard from him. So he is into the deep parts of the computer, and what he
did was change her entire grade to straight As, all while leaving obvious digital footprints,
straight down to her system at home. He did all of this under 30 minutes, and it took the
school about 72 hours, before they were able to track where the hack in their database came
from and what was changed. When the prints had led them to Skye, they called an immediate board
meeting, and the result of said board meeting, was the immediate expulsion of Skye from the
school, and a ban was placed on her head, preventing her from enrolling in another school,
for the next 2 year. This was punishment enough for me, as in this way I had truly felt like I had
gotten back at her for what she had done to me, and my trust that she had broken.
That One Housemate That Turned Out To Be A Pain In My Behind.
Life in our shared house had always been an adventure, a blend of personalities and quirks
that made each day unpredictable. To be honest, the diversity of personalities that existed in the
house was one of the major reasons why I decided to remain in the house rather than stay with
some of my other guys. There were four of us, an eclectic mix of individuals brought together
by fate, or maybe just the chaos of housing arrangements in the bustling city of Bristol.
First, there was me, Jeff. An easygoing and affable guy, or so I liked to think. My friends
often teased me about my laid-back attitude, saying that I could find a silver lining in
even the cloudiest of days. I had a penchant for cracking jokes and easing tension with
laughter. My roommates sometimes referred to me as the "resident optimist." I was the one
who organized the occasional movie night and brought home the pizza for our late-night
cravings. I was the cool guy and even our neighbors knew that. It was indeed rare for me
to have issues with any of the other housemates. When there were issues between the others, I was
more like the go-to guy to make sure that things did not escalate more than necessary. It was
just my way of “following peace with all men.” Then, there was Lily, our artistic soul. With
her vibrant hair and an ever-changing wardrobe of eccentric outfits, she was a whirlwind of
creativity. Our house was her canvas, and her art adorned every wall, telling stories in vivid
colors and abstract shapes. She had a free spirit that brought life to our home. Lily had a knack
for turning everyday objects into works of art, and her enthusiasm for her craft was infectious.
But in everything I liked about Lily, what I cherished the most was her laughter. The way it
echoed through the house felt like wind chimes on a breezy day to me. And opposite to Lily was
Mark our resident introvert and a self-proclaimed bookworm. His room was a sanctuary of novels,
filled with shelves stacked to the ceiling with classics and obscure titles alike. He was a man
of few words but a wealth of knowledge. Late-night conversations with Mark often revolved around
philosophy, and his insights were both intriguing and perplexing. His room was a quiet retreat where
he delved into the depths of literature, seeking solace in the written word. We often admired
his intellect, even though we couldn't always keep up with his deep musings. I kinda always
had a feeling that he thought he was smarter than the rest of us. Maybe he was, I really
didn’t know neither did I bother to confirm. Completing our quartet was Sarah, a beacon of
energy and ambition. Sarah had a contagious enthusiasm for life, always setting new goals and
challenges for herself. Our shared spaces were scattered with post-it notes outlining her latest
aspirations, ranging from learning a new language to running a marathon. Sarah's drive inspired us
all to dream bigger. Her morning rituals included upbeat music and a daily to-do list that could
rival a CEO's agenda. She was the motivator of the clan, always ready with an encouraging
word or a high-five to boost our spirits. Each of us contributed to the colorful outlook
of our household. Whether it was Lily's impromptu art shows, Mark's philosophical debates, or
Sarah's infectious energy, our home was a place where individuality thrived. We had our
quirks and idiosyncrasies, but they were the threads that wove us together, creating a unique
and vibrant atmosphere. The dynamics within our house were akin to a well-worn sitcom, with me,
Jeff, serving as the easygoing protagonist who tried to keep the peace amidst the chaos. While I
cherished the camaraderie we shared, little did I know that our harmonious existence was about to be
tested in a way none of us could have predicted. Of the three other housemates, I was the closest
to Mark. I guess it had something to do with us being the only guys so naturally, the ladies chose
themselves. But maybe it was because I was the only one who could actually stomach the excesses
of Mark’s personality. I cherished the friendship and trust I had with Mark. He and I had shared
countless moments of laughter, deep conversations, and even quiet evenings in each other's company.
It felt like we were cut from different fabrics that could seamlessly fit into each other's
lives. Our bond was one of the cornerstones of our shared house, and I had believed that
nothing could tarnish it. It was nice to have him to talk to and even on days when I felt
down and wanted to be left alone to my thoughts, he would sit with me in the silence understanding
that that was the very thing I wanted. Mark, with his introspective nature and his
vast knowledge of literature, had always been a calming presence in our home. He was the one
who introduced me to the world of classic novels and philosophical discussions over lunch or on a
random day when the girls decided to join us in the shared living room. Our shared silences were
as comforting as our conversations – except when his so-called philosophical stance didn’t
have any logic to it, and I had trusted him with my thoughts and secrets.
But then, that trust was shattered, and the betrayal cut deeper than I could
have ever imagined. He hurt me in a way I would never have guessed correctly. The hurt
ran deep, and it was this very pain that would set me on a path I never thought I'd take – the
path of revenge. To him, it was just a random day and an activity without consequences
but he couldn’t be farther from the truth. Now, here is one thing I might have forgotten
to say when I started this. Truth is, I am an easy-going person – I have always been. So, that
part wasn’t a lie. But I was a bit circumventing with the whole story of my personality. You
see, one thing about people who seem easygoing is that they could be extremely stubborn
when the need arises, and when that comes, the heavens would not be able to stop them. So,
maybe I wasn’t a saint, and maybe I had a bit of tar on my edges. But this did not make what I felt
from Mark less hurtful. Nor does it make it cool. Mark's deceit unfolded gradually, like a
shadow creeping across a sunny day. It began innocently enough, with a casual conversation
about our shared finances at least in what actually concerned both of us as housemates.
We had always been open about money matters, pooling resources to make our house run
smoothly. I trusted Mark implicitly, believing that he had our best interests at heart.
One evening, as we sat in our cozy living room, surrounded by the warmth of shared laughter,
the topic of our shared savings account came up. Mark had been managing our finances, a role
he had willingly taken on. It was simply that a part of our individual finances was sent
to this account and kept till we needed to contribute money for certain things in the
house. The point was to make it easy to come up with the money in cases of short notice. It was
during this discussion that I noticed something amiss. There was something in the numbers that
didn't add up. When I questioned Mark about it, he brushed it off as a simple mistake.
But my gut told me otherwise. And my gut is right 8 of 10 tries. So, I decided to check it out.
I delved deeper into our financial records, meticulously reviewing transactions and
statements. What I uncovered sent shockwaves through me – Mark had been siphoning off
money from our joint account for months, diverting it into his personal account. When I
first noticed the initial transaction it didn’t ring any bell since he told me of any debit
on house maintenance at the end of each month, I thought maybe he needed it and he credited
the account with the same figure after a while. There was no credit for that debit transaction.
The realization hit me like a tidal wave, drowning me in a sea of disbelief, anger, and betrayal.
As I confronted Mark, his facade of friendship crumbled. I could have sworn that he was not
the one talking when the words came out of his mouth. What I expected when I went to meet him
was clarifications. There had to be a reason, howbeit stupid or irrational, why he chose
to steal from me. But there was none. What I met from Mark was his accusations. He decided to
twist the tale around and ask why I did not trust him enough that the money was complete. His only
argument was not why the money was missing…not if money was missing. His argument was about how
I thought so little of him to go behind his back to check the record of the accounts.
I expected his admission to his financial deception, his voice tainted with regret, or
perhaps even regret at being caught. But there was nothing of that nature. The magnitude of his
betrayal was staggering. It was not just a matter of money but a profound breach of trust that cut
to the core of our friendship. It was worse than when our other housemates noticed the off-vibe
between the both of us, he conveniently forgot to tell them about how I found money missing from
our account. His story was how I didn’t have trust in him and how he caught me going behind his
back to get details of the transaction history. I felt the walls of what I called our friendship
crumble leaving behind a gaping void. The anger that surged within me was unlike anything I had
ever experienced. It was a fire that consumed me, an overwhelming desire for revenge
that overshadowed every other emotion. Night after night, I lay awake, my mind racing
with thoughts of payback. I couldn't eat or sleep, my days consumed by a relentless obsession to make
Mark pay for his betrayal. It was as if a darkness had descended upon me, blinding me to reason and
compassion. I felt justified in seeking revenge, convinced that it was the only way to heal
the wounds Mark had inflicted. Then I began to meticulously plan my revenge, pouring over
every detail like a detective on a high-stakes case. I was driven by a need for retribution, a
thirst to see Mark experience the same pain and loss that he had caused me. My previously
easygoing nature gave way to a relentless determination to make him pay for his actions.
The first step in my revenge plot was to expose Mark's deception to our other housemates. I wanted
them to see the true nature of the person they had trusted, the wolf in sheep's clothing.
I gathered evidence meticulously, creating a timeline of Mark's financial manipulations.
Then, during one of our house meetings, I laid it all out before them, each transaction,
each act of betrayal. The shock and disbelief in their eyes mirrored my own when I discovered
the truth. Mark, the one we had all trusted, had been deceiving us all along. The tension in
the room was palpable as we confronted him. His remorseful apologies fell on deaf ears, drowned
out by the anger and hurt that surged through us. But this was only the beginning of my revenge.
I wanted Mark to experience the consequences of his actions on a grander scale, to feel the
pain of loss just as I had. I began to carefully manipulate situations to put him in difficult
positions, and to make him question his choices. One evening, I orchestrated a scenario where he
was publicly humiliated at a gathering of our friends. It was one thing to let the other
housemates know the kind of person he was, it was another to let our mutual friends see him
for who he actually was. It was a calculated move, designed to tarnish his reputation and isolate
him further. The satisfaction I derived from watching him squirm was intoxicating, a
balm for the wounds he had inflicted on me. One evening, as my obsession with revenge reached
its peak, I meticulously orchestrated a scenario that would not only expose Mark's deceit but also
publicly humiliate him. It was a calculated move, designed to tarnish his reputation and isolate
him further from the friends he had once held dear. The stage for my revenge was set
at a gathering of our closest friends, a group that had shared countless memories
and laughter. It was the perfect setting, an unsuspecting backdrop for the unveiling of
Mark's true nature. As the evening progressed, I subtly steered conversations toward financial
matters, knowing that this was the Achilles' heel of Mark's deception. I skillfully weaved a
narrative that led our friends to inquire about our shared expenses, prompting Mark to explain
his role as our financial manager. With feigned curiosity, I began to ask probing questions
about our joint account, carefully guiding the discussion toward the revelation I had prepared.
When the moment was right, I presented the evidence I had gathered, a meticulously
constructed timeline of Mark's financial manipulations. The room fell silent
as I unveiled each transaction, each act of betrayal. Gasps of disbelief filled
the air as our friends realized the extent of Mark's deceit. If we had taken a vote, he would
have been the least likely to be found in that kind of scenario. Mark, once the center of
attraction and envy of our social circle, now stood exposed as a manipulator and a thief.
His face paled, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he stammered in a feeble attempt
to defend his actions. But the damning evidence left no room for excuses or justifications.
I watched with a mixture of satisfaction and vindication as our friends reacted
with a mixture of shock, anger, and disappointment. The camaraderie we had
shared for years unraveled before my eyes, replaced by a collective sense of betrayal.
But I wasn't finished yet. I had one final card to play, a move that would cement Mark's humiliation
and isolation. I subtly hinted at a revelation, a secret so damning that it would further tarnish
his reputation. It was a calculated tease, a bait that I knew he couldn't resist. With a dramatic
flair and garnishing glint of bait in my eyes, I revealed a fabricated text message conversation,
supposedly between Mark and an imaginary confidant. In this fictional exchange, Mark had
boasted about his financial deceptions, betraying not only our trust but also his moral compass.
The room erupted into chaos as our friends grappled with the shocking revelation. Mark's
protests fell on deaf ears as his credibility crumbled before him. The humiliation was palpable,
a weight that pressed down on him as he struggled to salvage what remained of his reputation.
I reveled in the chaos, the satisfaction of watching Mark squirm intoxicating and
overwhelming. It was a moment of sweet vindication, a balm for the wounds he had
inflicted on me. The desire for revenge, which had consumed me for so long,
seemed justified in that instant. But even as I relished in Mark's public
humiliation, a nagging feeling tugged at the edges of my conscience. The darkness that had consumed
me was now spreading to those around me, staining the very friendships I had sought to protect. As
I looked around at the shattered bonds and the devastation my revenge had wrought, I couldn't
help but wonder if the price of payback was too steep. Little did I know that the consequences
of my actions were far from over, and the true cost of revenge was yet to be fully realized.
As the consequence of my revenge plot continued to unfold, I became consumed by a darkness that
seemed to grow with each act of retribution. My once-harmonious household was now a battleground,
with me at the center of the storm. The lines between right and wrong blurred, and I justified
my actions by convincing myself that I was merely giving Mark a taste of his own medicine. But deep
down, beneath the rage and the desire for revenge, I couldn't escape the nagging feeling that I
was losing a part of myself. The very traits that had defined me – my easygoing nature,
my affable personality – were slipping away, replaced by a relentless pursuit of
vengeance. I looked in the mirror one morning, I didn't recognize the person staring back at
me. The once-smiling face had become hardened, the eyes filled with a cold determination. It was
then that I realized the true cost of my revenge. I had become a person I despised,
someone consumed by anger and bitterness. The pain of Mark's betrayal had been replaced
by a different kind of pain – the pain of losing myself. I had become so fixated on making him pay
that I had lost sight of who I was. The revenge that had once seemed so sweet now tasted bitter
in my mouth. At that moment I was not concerned with the series of backlash that I got from
Mark, because he did try to get even with me. It was not just easy for him to do. Yet, I was
consumed by the way the whole plot unfolded. To be honest, as I recount this experience, I
still think there was a better way to end the whole issue. Maybe I shouldn’t have called him out
in the manner I did. Maybe I should have just let it all slide. And for the last maybe….
Maybe, I shouldn’t have moved out of the house that month after I failed
to recognize myself in the mirror.
