I accidentally overheard my ‘best friends’ talking trash about me behind my back, calling me ugly and fat.
To test them, I lied and told them my family had gone bankrupt and I was broke. The result? They immediately kicked me out of our SnapChat group.
If it wasn’t for you being so dumb and rich, who would bother being friends with you?
“From now on, if you see us, just disappear. You’re such bad luck.”
“Aria, you wouldn’t blame us, would you? As a *former* friend, how could you possibly drag down your ‘besties’? So, let’s just break up our friendship.”
I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping me, and turned to leave.
It wasn’t long before they learned the truth, and then they came crawling back, crying and begging for my forgiveness.
“Where’s that big idiot Aria Hayes? She’s slacking off instead of working! I’m going to give her hell later.” Brittany Taylor huffed.
“You’re too smart, leaving all the wedding prep to Aria. Did you even pay her?” Serena Davies asked, curious.
“Aria probably paid for it herself. She’s always so eager to please,” Ashley Miller said, sounding like she knew me inside out.
Of course, my family was old-fashioned, always prioritizing my brother over me, so I’d been funding Ashley’s university tuition and living expenses since day one.
After spending half the day painstakingly decorating the bridal suite, I finally collapsed in a corner, ready for a break. That’s when I heard my three ‘best friends’ tear into me with a torrent of insults.
Their attitude was completely different from usual, and I couldn’t help but hold my breath, wanting to hear what else they’d say.
“Haha, well, it’s Aria’s fault for being so dumb and rich. Just sweet-talk her for a second, call her ‘bestie,’ and she’s so thrilled she doesn’t know what hit her. From college until now, it’s worked every single time. I almost feel sorry for her,” Brittany said, clearly gloating.
“God is so unfair. Aria Hayes is dumb as a brick, and her looks are terrifying, yet she’s incredibly lucky and loaded. If only we had her money,” Ashley said regretfully.
“So what? Just ask Aria for whatever you want. I’m planning to milk her for all she’s worth for the wedding, make her buy me a car and a house as gifts.”
“If she dares say no, I’ll just threaten to cut her off. She’ll meekly fork it over,” Brittany boasted shamelessly.
Serena suddenly sighed deeply, then her voice turned chilling.
“What if Aria just… disappeared? She’s an only child, so all that money… We could pretend to be her grieving best friends, comfort her parents, and who knows, maybe we could inherit her family’s fortune. What a pity.”
The room fell silent after her words. I could clearly hear my heart pounding uncontrollably in my chest.
“Pfft! I was just kidding! Don’t take it so seriously. I could never do something so terrible. Just saying it out loud was enough,” Serena said, laughing as if nothing had happened.
“Haha, yeah, right! Aria is our best friend!” Ashley added awkwardly.
Brittany didn’t say anything, only responding distractedly.
Even though they quickly changed the subject, for a moment there, I broke out in a cold sweat.
Human hearts can never truly be tested. If those three were truly scheming against me, I was certain I would have fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.
After all, we’d known each other for years, and I had come to see them as family, completely letting my guard down.
Memories of the four of us laughing and joking together felt like a slap in the face. The memories were so beautiful, I couldn’t bear to believe it was all just manipulation.
Brittany, always cheerful and like a ray of sunshine; Ashley, quiet but the most thoughtful; Serena, seemingly fragile and delicate… my best friends, they all turned rotten today.
I leaned numbly against the wall, my thoughts spiraling, not even noticing when they left the room.
Until my phone vibrated violently, and I slowly opened our pinned group chat.
“Aria Hayes, where the hell are you? Get your ass back here and work! If you mess up my wedding, we’re done!”
“Hugs, my sweet Aria! You’ve worked so hard! Your decorations are so gorgeous, they look super expensive. I want you to plan my wedding too, hehe.”
“Too bad I have to work late today, otherwise I’d totally come help…”
Tears blurred my vision. I struggled to make out each word, trying to convince myself that what I’d overheard was just a cruel prank.
But no!
Even though the whole chat was dripping with calculation and exploitation, I still wasn’t ready to give up and decided to give them one last chance.
“Girls, my family went bankrupt! From now on, I might need your help.”
“You guys will have to handle the wedding decorations yourselves; I need to deal with my family’s debts.”
To make it sound convincing, I even added a few crying emojis.
But the three of them didn’t care at all. They just kept insulting and attacking me.
“Aria Hayes, have you put on enough of an act? As a ‘best friend,’ is this how you’re going to half-ass my wedding?”
“Bankrupt? Are you kidding at the wrong time? You’re such bad luck! You’ve ruined my good mood.”
Brittany’s voice came through, a rapid-fire assault of accusations.
I didn’t argue. I just sent a screenshot of my supposed debt, repeating seriously.
“I’m not lying to you. You’re my very best friends.”
“I can’t explain the full situation right now, but long story short, my family really is bankrupt. I truly have no money left.”
“Oh, Brittany, I’ll send you the breakdown of the wedding decoration costs. Remember to settle up, okay?”
If I hadn’t overheard that conversation today, Brittany would have just pulled her usual disappearing act, leaving all the work to me. But she wouldn’t get that chance again.
The chat screen remained unchanged for ten minutes, then Brittany’s hysterical scream came through.
“No way! You’re so irresponsible, Aria Hayes! Everyone I know expects me to have a lavish wedding, and now you’re ditching me? You’re making me look like a fool!”
“I don’t care. If you don’t have money, sell your house and car. If that’s not enough, pawn your luxury bags.”
“You figure it out! I *have* to be the most radiant bride, otherwise, how will I ever establish myself in the Scott family? They’ll laugh me out of town!”
At this point, my heart had sunk considerably.
But I never expected there was worse to come.
“A big empire doesn’t just vanish overnight. I don’t believe your family went bankrupt without any backup plan. Brittany is your best friend, after all. Can you really bear to disappoint her?”
“Stop pretending, come back and get to work. Be useful for a bit longer,” Serena said, her tone light and airy.
“Yeah, Aria, live a little, right? Even if you’re bankrupt, life still goes on. Just make sure Brittany has a glorious wedding first,” Ashley added, feigning understanding.
I knew what they were scared of.
Brittany was marrying up, and the Scott family hadn’t been thrilled about it initially. They only reluctantly agreed after learning she was good friends with me.
If the Scott family found out my family was bankrupt, the wedding would likely be off.
I coldly rejected their suggestions and demanded the return of all the luxury gifts I’d given them over the years.
“I know you don’t have much spare cash, so I won’t ask to borrow any. But those things are worth a lot.”
“In this critical moment, as my best friends, you wouldn’t let me down, right?”
“Don’t worry, with enough capital, the Hayes family bouncing back is only a matter of time. I’ll pay you back double then.”
Another silence.
Only Ashley stuttered out an explanation, saying she had family issues and had sold her gifts on eBay.
“Aria, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but you know my family situation. I’m truly powerless. Take care of yourself!”
Brittany was even more direct, cutting me off.
“In that case, don’t even bother coming to my wedding. We don’t want the Scott family finding out, it’d be too embarrassing!”
“Don’t ever say you’re my best friend again. I don’t have friends who are so unpresentable…”
I didn’t even finish reading the rest before I was abruptly kicked out of the group chat.
The truth hit me instantly, and I felt like I was plunged into an ice-cold cellar, my fingers trembling uncontrollably.
Just because my family was ‘bankrupt,’ because I had no more use to them, years of ‘best friendship’ were severed just like that, without a single moment of hesitation.
My anger morphed into a bitter laugh. Once I calmed down, I felt a strange sense of relief.
At least I’d seen their true colors before suffering even greater losses.
A few days later, I gathered myself and went to a store to return Brittany’s wedding gift. To my surprise, I ran into all three of them there.
“I’m sorry, miss, but once our merchandise is sold, it cannot be returned or exchanged.”
“Honestly, people who can afford luxury goods never return things. They just toss brand new items if they don’t like them.”
“Poor people shouldn’t try to buy luxury goods; you just create problems for us.”
Hearing I was there to return something, the enthusiastic sales associate’s smile instantly vanished. She eyed me up and down, then scoffed, her face full of disdain.
If she had politely refused, I would have dropped it. But she insisted on this blatant discrimination. Suppressing my anger, I said,
“Is this how you treat customers? Call your manager out here; I’ll talk to them.”
“Customer, don’t be unreasonable. No matter who you call, it won’t change the fact that you can’t return it.”
“If I were you, I’d hurry home and put it up on eBay. Maybe you can salvage some of your losses.”
The sales associate said, smirking without warmth.
I was fuming, about to turn and leave, but three familiar faces blocked my way.
“Tsk, tsk, look who it is! The extravagant Miss Hayes, secretly trying to sell stuff? Looks like the Hayes family is really done for.”
“So angry? Can’t sell your stuff, so you don’t even have money for food today? How pathetic!”
“Since we used to be besties, my house cleaner just quit. How about I arrange for you to come work for me?”
Brittany giggled, covering her mouth, conspicuously wiggling the finger with her diamond ring.
Ashley linked arms with her, her face earnest and sincere, saying with feigned emotion, “Brittany, you’re so kind and loving. It’s my good fortune to be your best friend.”
“Aria, don’t just stand there. Thank Brittany for offering you a job opportunity. She’s doing it all for your own good.”
They sang in unison, spilling every detail about my family’s supposed bankruptcy.
‘Offering a job’? Who would make their ‘best friend’ their house cleaner?
Even if the Hayes family *had* gone bankrupt, I wouldn’t be like Ashley, twisting the truth for money, lying through my teeth.
Compared to the other two, I had given Ashley the most, and her actions hurt me the most.
“Miss, if you’re not buying anything, please take your junk and leave. The air in our store is being polluted by you poor people who just look and don’t buy,” the sales associate spat, her words utterly humiliating.
To echo her, Brittany loudly demanded to see the store’s newest products, and the sales associate happily rushed to her side, gushing descriptions.
Brittany’s family also had a business, but it wasn’t particularly successful until these last few years, when I nagged my dad to throw a few small partnerships their way.
She must have truly married into money now, her spending far more lavish than before. No wonder Ashley was sucking up to her so hard today.
No one is indispensable. There are plenty of rich people in the world.
I let out a self-deprecating laugh, closed my eyes, pushing back the wave of bitterness, and tried to slip away unnoticed.
But then, the unexpected happened.
Serena, who hadn’t spoken a word until now, quickly snatched the shopping bag from my hand, pulled out the limited-edition handbag, and with a slight smirk, said casually.
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