You know that saying, that the closest enemy you have is your friend.
From young, I have always been the reserved, quiet and non-confronting type of person. The fact that I am the only child of my parents didn’t help.
My parents income or economic strata is above average or more say high. I never lacked anything and this did not help my nature for me to fight for something.
While others had big elaborate dreams, I just wanted to scoot into my shell and allow life to keep moving.
I met Elise when I had just entered university. Being the youngest in the entire set due to the fact that I had entered university early. My parents didn’t have to worry about me, so they felt it was quite okay and being someone with a brilliant mind just made me stand out.
I have a higher comprehension than average and I was almost always buried in my books. I didn’t exactly know what fun is.
Elise was the only friend that I had that was willing to endure my dull character and even talk to me for long hours. I wasn’t the talking type, so I found joy when Elise gisted me of the school happenings.
My friendship with Elise was good for the first year as we stayed in hostels due to the compulsory rule- Each new student must stay in the hostel.
The moment we got to 200 level, my parents got me a place to stay outside campus. It was well furnished, except that my parents did not get me a TV or Generator. I didn’t mind not because I understood why they did not get it for me, but because I did not need it.
I invited Elise to stay with me because she was complaining about how things were hard for her on her own end and she didn’t have money to lodge outside campus.
Our friendship began having cracks and if I had been more exposed or have more worldly experience, I would have known it was time to distance myself from her.
It started with Elise always clubbing and during test or exam periods she would have me tell her expos.
Sometimes she would carry a cheat sheet with her into the hall.
Elise started bringing male counterparts to the lodge and each time she would boast to them that she was just helping my life by allowing me stay with her.
It got worse as Elise became progressively dirty, to the extent she started wearing my undies.
I had to start by new undies every two weeks despite having shouted at Elise and even going ahead to warn her, but guess her response, “You are just a child. What do you know. Besides, you should be grateful that I am wearing your stuffs.”
Before I knew it, my stuffs also started missing. From my perfume to my roll-on and to my food stuffs.
I didn’t want to tell my parents because I wanted to resolve this on my own as a big girl and prove that I wasn’t under my parents wings.
One night, as I and Elise were going for night class after she had practically begged me for us to go.
I didn’t exactly like night class due to mosquito bites and was even more surprised that Elise wanted us to go for one, since she hasn’t exactly been serious with her studies and we are currently in final year.
We went for the night class but instead of reading, Elise was busy chatting with a young man we had met there. He was quite handsome and fair, but I wasn’t into fair guys.
I only greeted him and sat down to continue reading.
This continued on for a while, every time Elise would drag me to night class and she would while a way her time chatting with him and when she feels tired, she would sleep till the next morning.
Soon, I became familiar with him and even learnt of his name.
I didn’t give him my number when he asked of it as I believed that He and Elise were a thing i.e dating.
I wasn’t even aware that he was asking Elise to help him to ask me out for him, not knowing that Elise was in love with him. Or maybe he knew.
Elise got very jealous of the whole thing and schemed for me to be raped and Dayo would see the whole thing.
It started with her apologizing for al her wrongs and even deciding to cook and give. I forgot that a leopard cannot change its spots and ate with relish.
A few hours later, I was high like as if I drank, my whole body was hot like I was being steamed.
Through my blurry eyelids, I watched as a young man entered the room and approached me with a sleezy smile.
My whole body shuddered in shock and I stared at Elise in disbelief. I realized what was happening.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked with tears at the corner of my eyes.
“Are you seriously asking me that?” She cackled and continued, “If you hadn’t charmed Dayo with who knows what, he would have been mine.”
She laughed, and mocked me with various insulting words, unaware that Dayo had come earlier than he had discussed with Elise as Elise had told him that I was sick and coming to see me would be a bonus point if he wants to woo me.
Dayo stormed into the room with anger and punched the person Elise had brought to rape me. Dayo immediately took me to the hospital in his car, which I found out that he has.
After I got myself, I went back home to throw everything Elise had in my room out and even change locks, but when I got home, I realized that she had already cleared everything, including my own belongings.
I was met with an empty room, with cockroaches that she had probably brought inside, scurrying around the room.
I didn’t know what to do and just began weeping.
After everything, I called my parents and explained what happened to them. I realized that indeed, I was still under my parents and I needed to go out of my shell and if possible, learn when to say no.
I cannot accommodate every body in my life. I didn’t have that big of a heart and need to learn who to accept and accommodate.
That was a big life lesson to me.
Thanks for reading.
Note: This is a realistic fiction.
NB: ALL IMAGES ARE AI GENERATED