Joining senior one in a mixed school introduced me to a completely different society. I came from a day school and I did not know anything about boarding life. So I smiled a lot to make new friends.

Smiling didn’t work. For a while, everything seemed quite complicated. However, there was an old girl I knew from my school. Even though she was a class ahead of me, she was so glad to see me.

"Rene, you’re so welcome to our school! You will like it here.  Rumours are that there is a very pretty girl in senior one and I am only surprised that it is you!” Sharon exclaimed.

I beamed with joy. Wo! It’s only my second day in school and everyone thinks I am this beautiful. Ooh!

Sharon and I got along so well for three weeks. She showed me all the school corners and introduced me to some friends.

Little did I know that she had a wicked plot of setting me up as girlfriend with one of her rich boy class mates. She started asking me to stay behind after classes so we could have fun. She would then mysteriously disappear such that the rich boy and I would talk privately.

I was so uncomfortable with the way things were going. So one day I told Sharon to back off! No, I couldn’t take it any more! So I refused to do whatever she told me and she was so furious I could almost see smoke come out of her nostrils.

She hated me with a passion. She spread rumours and tainted my name so badly. I felt so small because everyone believed the lies Sharon told them. This was a rough time for me. I was humbled but not completely broken.

I later learnt that Sharon’s toxic behaviour was based on the fact that Ronnie, the rich boy, had stopped giving her money and presents because our private meetings had ended abruptly.

From the irony of the whole experience, I now know that it is better to take time and study people’s behaviour before I can choose them as friends, and I also don’t forget to forgive those who wrong me.

Ends