Never Trust Your Best Friend

My boyfriend, John Yeo, and my best friend, Cici James, betrayed me together, and there were rumors that I was being kept on the Internet.

***

Since the last time Stephen Shepard drove me to school, someone took a photo of me getting out of his car and posted it on the school forum.

In that photo, I was smiling at my brother, who handed me the Chanel bag my dad bought for me.

The forum erupted into chaos, with everyone fervently discussing my alleged promiscuity.

My roommate told me about this, and I looked at those crazy speculations.

[How can someone like this get into a top university?]

[Which department is she from? She's so good at playing.]

[She's got a good catch, at least he's not an old man.]

[She's a pretty girl; why is she so materialistic.]

Among the comments, someone suddenly exposed my identity.

[Isn't this Sonia Shepard, the school beauty of our university? She has a boyfriend at school, but I didn't expect her to do such dirty things.]

This comment was immediately pushed to the top when it came out.

It immediately received over 999 likes.

I looked at my roommate's probing eyes and said firmly, "Rumors, all rumors. That's my brother, my own brother."

"Who's the damn gossip-monger spreading such lies? When I find him/her, I'll make him/her pay dearly!"

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I couldn't swallow this insult. I wanted to discuss a solution with Cici James.

Cici was my best friend and my closest friend. We went to the same high school and now the same university.

We even made a pact to work at the same company.

She knew that I had an elder brother, so I asked her to help me post a clarification on the forum. After all, she was also a famous person in our school, the goddess of the IT department.

Thinking about the solution, I started to walk faster.

When I went to her dormitory to look for her, it was obvious that they were discussing my matter because as soon as I entered, they suddenly fell silent.

"Cici, have you seen the post? It's my brother, but people on the forum say that a man is keeping me. You have to help me clarify this," I said.

Cici was playing with her phone and looked up at me when she heard my words. "Sonia, the truth will prevail; don't waste your time on their petty disputes."

Hearing her words, I was shocked and confused, "But they're slandering my reputation, and I can't even imagine how John will perceive me when he comes across this news."

"He won't doubt you no matter what if he loves you," Cici said lightly.

I looked at her with some incredulity, and she spoke again in a gentle and warm voice. "Sonia, you've never cared about what others think of you at school. Why are you so worked up this time?"

I couldn't say a word in response. It seemed like what she said was right, but I also felt a bit strange in some way.

"Cici, that's my brother. Can you tell?"

She opened the post, enlarged the photo, looked at it carefully, and then looked up with a troubled expression, saying, "To be honest, I can't tell who is in this photo either. I haven't seen your elder brother for a long time. But I definitely believe you."

This photo was quite interesting. My face was clearly visible, and my brother's face was slightly turned to the side.

"You should go back soon. Tomorrow we still have an interview at InterReach Media," Cici said.

"Alright then, Cici. See you tomorrow," I spoke.

As I walked out of her dormitory, I heard people in Cici's dormitory speaking loudly.

"Pretending to be high and mighty," One of them said.

"She really thinks she's the campus belle. I think she is a joke."

"Even her best friend doesn't want to help her, let alone clarify."

"She can only fool people with her looks. Otherwise, why would the talented John in our department be interested in her?"

I kept hearing those sentences off and on, but I didn't catch Cici defending me at all.

I was so furious that my face flushed red, biting down on my lip to keep the tears at bay. Cici remained silent, did that signify her agreement with this? I was torn between walking in and confronting her or not.

A message from WhatsApp came.

John: [Let's break up, Sonia.]

I called, but no one answered.

I called again, but still no answer.

I called again, and he hung up.

Just as I was leaving, I saw Cici coming out, with makeup on.

I called out to her.

She looked at me, surprised, and said, "Why haven't you left yet, Sonia? I'm going out to buy something."

"John just broke up with me. Can you accompany me?" I said, feeling a bit painful.

"Really? It just shows that he doesn't truly appreciate you." At that moment, her phone rang, and she glanced at it and hung up. She patted me nervously.

"I have to go, Sonia; come back quickly," after saying that, she walked away quickly, utterly disregarding my plea for company.

I didn't know if it was just my imagination, but when she heard that I broke up, she seemed to have a hint of satisfaction on her face.

I had been with John for nearly three years. John was recognized as a talented person in the IT department, and he was handsome and favored by many girls.

I accidentally met John in my sophomore year when I went to the computer department to find Cici. He led me to find Cici.

Since then, he had often asked me to have meals together and to go to the library with me.

Finally, he confessed to me on a starry night.

He had his own pride. Although he came from a poor family, he worked very hard and looked down on those rich second-generation who were only superficial. So, I never had a suitable opportunity to reveal my family situation to him. I originally planned to tell him after graduation.

But his strong character was something I really admire about him.

Now, he broke up with me without even listening to my explanation.

My tears couldn't be controlled and flowed out.

This damn day.

That night, no matter how I contacted John, he didn't respond.

The next day.

Initially, I had arranged to accompany Cici from school to InterReach Media, but she abruptly suggested we meet directly at the company in the morning instead.

I didn't want to go originally, and now I wasn't in the mood to face any interviews.

For that, my elder brother also managed InterReach Media. It was a matter of minutes for me to work there.

Just to accompany Cici. Cici's family conditions were not good, so I never talked about these things before her.

After crying all night, my eyes were swollen and puffy, whereas Cici stood beside me, radiant.

This atmosphere was becoming increasingly bizarre and strange.

The people who could participate in the interview were all selected. InterReach Media was one of the top three companies in the industry. Many students applied for jobs there every year, and those who could get in were definitely the top students from various schools.

Cici looked at me absentmindedly and pushed me, "Sonia, if you're tired, just sleep on this sofa. I'll call you when it starts."

I didn't sleep well last night, and now hearing her words was like a curse. I nodded and fell asleep on the sofa.

In a daze, I heard some movement around me and heard someone say that it was about to start.

But my eyelids felt weighed down, and Cici assured me she would wake me up, so I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

I slept soundly this time, and upon waking, the first face I saw was Stephen's.

He looked at me with a smile, and I was stunned momentarily, "Stephen, what are you doing here?"

"Why am I here? I haven't even asked you why you're sleeping here. What did you do last night?" asked Stephen.

"I, I came here for the interview. It's your company's fault for being so slow, no efficiency at all." I got angry when I mentioned it last night. It was all Stephen's fault.

He played with the pen in his hand and laughed, "Sonia, look at the time: The interview was over a long time ago."

I took out my phone and looked at it, only to find that it was already four o'clock in the afternoon. There were no students around for interviews.

Stephen's voice continued, "I just returned from outside and saw a beautiful girl lying so openly on the sofa in the lobby. Oh, isn't this my precious sister? I thought you came to find me."

"Why did I find you? I told you not to drive me to school, but you insisted on doing so. And that bag, I asked you to take it home, but you insisted on giving it to me." I shouted.

"What's the issue with a brother offering to drive his sister? You've been in college for four years now, and I haven't even had the chance to pick you up even once. With graduation looming, what harm would there be in me driving you to school for once? Besides, Dad mentioned that backpacks aren't allowed during your internship, so he's asked me to pass this bag on to you. How could I possibly disobey him?" said Stephen.

"You are right, I'm leaving. Going back to school." I answered

"I'll drive you back."

"Don't mention it, Stephen. I really appreciate it! Last time when you drove me back, you directly sent away my boyfriend."

"Sonia, what kind of boyfriend is he? I have a buddy; let me introduce him to you."

"Stop it, Stephen. Don't mess around. The successful people around you are not suitable for me."

"Then I'll drive you back."

Five minutes later, I sat in his Ferrari again.

Because before I refused, he said, "It's because others don't know you have a brother that they misunderstand you. It would be better if I drive you a few more times so that everyone can get to know me."

I honestly believed there was some truth to that statement. Had everyone known from the start of school that he was my brother, my situation today wouldn't have escalated to what it is now.

In the car, Stephen brought up the topic of my father's wish for me to join the group post-graduation. As a result, my dad had never allowed Stephen to involve himself in the matters of the headquarters group, patiently waiting for me to finish my studies. Truthfully, I understood that my dad was trying to make amends, but that particular incident had already passed, and more importantly, I was still here, alive and well. I was already deeply grateful for that.

The speed of the Ferrari was really impressive. In a moment, we arrived at the school gate. As soon as I exited the car, I felt a hot gaze staring at me.

Following the gaze, it was John. But unexpectedly, Cici was also there. Without thinking too much, I happily wanted to go over and explain to him, and my brother was there too. "Stephen, that's John, the top student in our school's IT department. I was planning to introduce him to you recently."

Stephen smiled and patted my head, "Sonia, my little sister is growing up so fast! Is that your boyfriend who misunderstands you?"

"Yes, please help me explain to him."

Stephen squeezed out a sentence, "OK, actually I didn't want to."

I just called out to John, and he looked at me angrily when he saw me walking towards him. Without waiting for me to speak, he said angrily, "Sonia, I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. Get lost and never come find me again."

After saying that, without waiting for me to speak, he pulled Cici and left.

Leaving me in the wind in a mess?

The crucial aspect was that he grabbed Cici, yet Cici remained silent and didn't even glance at me.

"Stephen, your taste in men is not good," came Stephen's sneaky voice from beside.

"There must be a misunderstanding, and I'll go ask him," I answered.

"Are you still deceiving yourself? He already has a new love. Why are you so foolish," said Stephen.

"What new love are you talking about? Stephen, that's Cici, my dear friend from high school," I said, feeling increasingly guilty with each word.

On the other hand, Stephen laughed at what I said, "My silly sister, only you treat her as your best friend. She sees you as a fool."

"Alright, Stephen. You should go now. Keep in touch "

Stephen's words were like a curse. I couldn't believe my most trusted person and the person I liked would betray me.

After I exposed the cheating scumbag and my angelic bitch best friend, my angelic bitch best friend proceeded to seduce my current boyfriend.