My Bestie and I

Genevieve and I had always been good friends—or at least, that’s what I thought—until everything changed. I met her in JSS1 second term at one of the most prestigious schools in the state. Compared to her, my family was not financially stable, and because of that, I paid my school fees late almost every term. The Bursary office eventually got used to it, and soon I was known as “the poor girl.” When I first met Genie, she treated me like I was invisible. To be honest, she was really pretty—maybe even the prettiest girl in our class at that time—so naturally, everyone wanted to be her friend. After junior school, our teacher rearranged the seating plan, and I ended up sitting beside her. That was when things slowly began to change. To my surprise, we eventually became friends. That was also when I started realizing that there may be no such thing as a truly selfless friend in this world. By the end of SS2 second term, our bond had become strong enough that people began calling us best friends. And that was how we became besties. My experiences with Genie taught me a lot about friendship. In the beginning, we were cool, but I didn’t really have much to contribute. I didn’t have money or fancy things—just my brain. I was among the top ten most intelligent students in class, and deep down, I knew that was the real reason Genie befriended me. Still, I ignored it because I genuinely enjoyed the good moments we shared. Everything seemed fine. Genie brought delicious meals from home, and I often wished ours tasted like hers. To show off in class and keep her “big girl” reputation, she usually gave me her food while she bought new food from the school canteen. I felt embarrassed sometimes, but I still collected and ate it. During tests and exams, I practically wrote everything for Genie. She would then share the answers with others just so she could appear intelligent. I got caught and punished several times because of her, but she never cared. Whenever teachers caught us, she always blamed me completely. My grades dropped. Teachers complained. My parents complained. Even the principal invited me to his office. All the advice I received gradually helped me build courage. By SS3, after thinking deeply throughout the break, I finally stood up for myself. The first step I took was telling my teacher I needed a seat change because my current position was affecting my studies. My teacher didn’t ask too many questions—she simply moved me. Genie was furious. She confronted me, but this time, my response shocked her. She didn’t expect me to ever stand up to her. That moment drew the battle line between us, and from then on, we became sworn enemies. Then everything changed again. My dad hit a breakthrough that completely turned our lives around—just like that, we became very rich. I got everything I needed. The change in my life was very obvious. And that was when the real story began. Or maybe it truly began when Charlie joined our school in SS3 first term. By then, I had already transformed into a “ganam beauty.” With proper care, my skin became smooth and delicate. Suddenly, I became a threat to Genie. Have I even mentioned my name yet? My name is Cassandra—Cassy for short. A sweet name 😊😊.