chapter 7

data-p-id=21ed3189cd151840b9b7ad48a4d1676d,s=text-align:left;,“He is so cute” Amber said to her best friend Emma as they sat on a nearby swing at the park, resting for a while after their morning run.

data-p-id=63868bb671bfe16dd0315983ef58117b,s=text-align:left;,”I'm sure he is” Emma replied. Amber had been going on and on about Bruce that she already knew who the 'he' she was talking about was. She was even starting to get resentful about the way Amber spoke about him.

data-p-id=52f8bdaceeb291e063b173b1d01deace,s=text-align:left;,''He is also very smart for him to have passed his bar exam just like my dad," Amber droned on. “I can't wait to pass the interview for the civil service so that I can show him that I'm also intelligent and that I really deserve to be with someone like him".

data-p-id=e52b94c7be0e032f4aaf8be29018295d,s=text-align:left;,Emma was so tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. She had reached her limit and she no longer cared if she hurt Amber with her next words. "Don’t get your hopes up too much; I don't even think you'll pass the interview. Guess it was just a mistake that you made it through the first phase. Maybe there was actually a mistake with the recording or something, because I don't see how someone with a pea sized brain like yours could have possibly scaled through".

data-p-id=df39cae8b0a5f50e9309ef3d521c7e0a,s=text-align:left;,"So what are you trying to say, that I cheated or what?" Amber asked feeling hurt. How could someone she considered a friend be spouting such hurtful words? Weren’t friends supposed to support each other?

data-p-id=62be8aeca174df22f4a269e0fb7b5980,s=text-align:left;,"No, all I'm trying to say is that they could have been a mistake so don't be too sure that you are gonna pass the exam this time around" Emma replied.

data-p-id=b649c5d8ecfad42e7813ea64a042c2ab,s=text-align:left;,"How can you be this cruel? You are meant to be my best friend and you ought to be wishing me well and encouraging me" Amber replied on a verge of tears.

data-p-id=990f40368ae023450d7a208c22868b75,s=text-align:left;,The green-eyed monster took hold of Emma, "I'm sorry to tell you this but things have changed. For weeks you have been talking about nothing else, it's always Bruce this, Bruce

that. I am tired of hearing it. Oh! Really you want to pass this interview and go ahead and get a job then marry before me, sorry because it's not happening. You'll never be ahead of me. I will always be the master over you. You ought to always remain in the shadows. The earlier you get that, the better for you", Emma finished off.

data-p-id=8322d62a5868d8f9d2c0c750d3a9b189,s=text-align:left;,By now, tears were already streaming down Amber's eyes "Fine, I'll prove to you that I'll pass the interview. I'll make it into the civil service and also tell Bruce about my feelings for him" Amber stood from the swing and wiped her eyes "And you can't do anything to stop me from achieving my dreams ", she said finally as she continued jogging.

data-p-id=65ded3aa100b537003a8fc8c3c9b8bf0,s=text-align:left;,"We'll see about that" Emma said brutally.

data-p-id=3ecc374224818c82f5a7c00595959d3d,s=text-align:left;,               *     *     *

data-p-id=e3caf0f852775565ecd41199f88c2a38,s=text-align:left;,"I can't wait to tell Bruce that I passed and that I love him" she said to herself. With that thought in mind, she fled from the office, running to spread the good news. She knew Bruce will be in the cafeteria where he always spent his afternoons.

data-p-id=a378def8c2706500f72eeb570f2af60d,s=text-align:left;,After the long run, she stopped in front of the cafeteria to catch her breath and gather her composure before she went in and finally confessed her feelings to him. She glanced around her and looked through the glass windows of the café to adjust her clothing but her eyes caught on something or rather someone.

data-p-id=4940a8e3ab905970c5122ec6202276e9,s=text-align:left;,Fear was gnawing in her stomach, betrayal was paralyzing her. She was rooted to the spot as she continued to look at the couple inside the café. She watched as Emma smiled at something Bruce said - her own Bruce. They were secluded in their own world that the failed to notice her; so oblivious to the happenings around them.

data-p-id=5dbda99c57e8edce98d60404f19cd2a0,s=text-align:left;,Suddenly, Bruce knelt down on one knee and brought out a ring from a box. Amber could feel her blood freeze, she saw his mouth move but couldn't really hear what he had said, but she knew instinctively that he had just asked Emma to marry him.

data-p-id=daf9270c7e8cf52754cfd278914d1749,s=text-align:left;,Emma acted coy at first but later brought out her finger. She smiled as Bruce the slipped the ring through her finger. He stood and embraced her lovingly with a look of adoration and appreciation in his eyes.

data-p-id=d36026536f8505f13bd616ff6d89a787,s=text-align:left;,Tears rolled down Amber’s cheek as she realized the implication of what had just happened. While she had been there studying her head off for her interview, Emma had been plying her feminine wiles on Bruce.

Emma knew she loved Bruce. Emma knew she planned to confess to him. She knew all her plans yet she went ahead and did this to her. data-p-id=737493d946f54e934b0caa46149f6dbc,s=text-align:left;,"How could her so called friend do this to her" Amber lamented in her mind.

data-p-id=72da010e5ac8a99fff88204a17e6eb02,s=text-align:left;,Amber was on the verge of retreating when Bruce turned and saw her standing outside there. He tried to call out to her and invite her in but Emma held him back, telling him that they'll both tell her the news later "let's celebrate now" she said.

data-p-id=29f0d9f9070ea3de155e326a07757349,s=text-align:left;,On reaching home, Amber went directly into her room with the intention of crying her heart out. She felt like a big fool, how could she have known that her best friend had been teaming up with the man she loved behind her back. She cried out for the betrayal by her best friend; she cried for the loss of her love; she cried for her own naivety, timidity, and stupidity; she also cried for the loss of a friendship that she thought would last forever.

data-p-id=bd2f75bc318ed0845ac0aa8c76672ad5,s=text-align:left;,And when she was done crying, she felt cleansed. She regained her composure as the searing pain in her chest receded. She took a shower and promised to live her life as a wiser person. At least she had her job now. She would just put her all into it. Men and friends were the least of her problems now.

data-p-id=e4b704efdca3da7fa992deb48bd269f3,