Qn1: Write about a time when you trusted a close friend but got betrayed instead.

Betrayal, A word that is so harsh yet it still exists in this world. This word had belittled the importance of the word, trust. It caused the strong bonds between two people to be broken and had replaced the kind hearts of many with hatred. I was a victim of betrayal. The pain of it still lingers and looking back to those years, I reckoned that she probably had forgotten my place in her heart. As she glanced at me with a twinkle in her eyes, something stirred in me. She must be a very kind person, I thought. Yes, indeed. The thought of being her best friend immediately came to mind. I approached her and introduced myself, as expected she greeted me politely. That was when our friendship started, a friendship that could be considered to be as close as twin sisters. Every single joke, laughter and heartfelt moment was shared with her. It was a feeling that could not be described. I was extremely happy then. After a year of friendship, I decided to share my personal secret with her. Something that I have only kept it to myself all these while. I sat down with her one day. Susan, there is something I would like to share with you, however you must never tell anyone. Promise me that. She nodded and gave a very solemn look. Suddenly, the atmosphere seemed to become so serious. My father used to be an ex-convict, he was involved in drug trafficking, Im a little worried for him due to the fact that he might not be able to find a job after his recent discharge. What should I do? I poured out my feelings to Susan, she listened intently, just keeping quiet and wiping away my tears every now and then. After everything, she hugged me tightly and she promised never to tell anyone. I really believed her then; I was glad that I confided in her. However, a terrible thing happened on one fine day. I was shocked the minute Susan stormed into the classroom, her face flushing red and her eyes flared with anger. She screamed at the top of her lungs at me, screaming, You! Why did you tell everyone that I smoked in school? Have you lost your mind! Because of

you, I had to do some explaining to the teacher! You wronged me, I have never done that! Wide eyed, I stared at her blankly and I started to protest but none of my words got to her. Still glaring, she turned her back against me and stormed out of the classroom. A massive misunderstanding, what a huge misunderstanding! This is not real right? I started to question myself. What happened actually? I turned towards the other half of the classroom and caught a few girls giggling. They are the ones who set me up. They have hated me for a very long time. They did that so that I would lose Susan! However, what proof do I have? The very next day, I was caught off-guard once again. As I walked through the hallways, photos of my father in prisoners outfit were passed around the students. On the photo, nonsensical rumours were written. Horrible words that is not true! At that instance, I was horrified, the tears started to pour and sobs escaped from my mouth, my lips trembled with anger. Susan. At the corner of my eye, I spotted Susan laughing hysterically at my reaction, pointing at my direction. I sprinted to where she was and grabbed her by the collar, with eyes filled with anger, I shouted, Why did you spread rumours that arent true about my father? In a low voice, she replied coldly, you were the one who spread nonsensical rumours about me first. I gave an exasperated sigh, with heavy heart, I whispered, Is that all our friendship mean to you? Am I a person who would do that? I felt so betrayed then, I was aching inside. What a tragic misunderstanding that cost us our friendship. Since that day onwards, I have never talked to her. Even when she did try to apologise after finding out the real culprits of spreading rumours about her, it was useless. Everything was gone. After she betrayed me by breaking the promise and letting out my secret, I can never ever face her. She had done the greatest damage. Because of her, my father was judged, discriminated and I was also seen as a criminals daughter. My dad turned over a new leaf but the photo that she shared with everyone did not indicate that. We graduated that year without reconciling. Up to this day, I remember vividly how she actually betrayed me just because of a mere misunderstanding. If only

she acted more rationally, if only she trusted me more. Maybe our friendship only amounted to this much, a bond that could be broken easily. The taste of betrayal is so bitter and also saddening. Recalling the incident really brings back many memories. Perhaps one day, I could try to forgive her; perhaps one day when we pass by each other, we would be acquaintances and not just strangers on the street. Betrayal, the one word that twists fates and hurt the hearts of many.