8
1290words
#HowTerrifyingAreFakeFriends
#SpottingYourFriendsTrueColors
I was no stranger to this kind of thing, having been through it in my past life.
What shocked me was Emma’s account.It had only 200,000 followers before,but now it had 5 million in just a month.No account grows that quickly naturally—something fishy was going on.
Riding the wave of their newfound “fame,” Emma and James started their first live stream.
Emma’s face still bore slap marks,and James’s nose prosthetic was gone,his face heavily bandaged and swollen.He could barely speak.
I decided to turn up the heat and gain some followers of my own.
As Emma tearfully ranted about me,I joined their livestream.
I sent a big gift,and her eyes lit up.
“Thank you,‘GoToHell,’for the gift!We appreciate your support!”
I typed:I’m Claire.Let’s go live together.
Her smile vanished,but she kept up the victim act.
“Claire,please stop harassing me and James!I’ve been patient with you!”
She refused to accept my request to go live together.
The chat exploded with hate:
“Homewrecker,get out of here!”
“I despise vain women like you!”
“Your mom’s in the hospital—aren’t you afraid karma will come for her?”
“Have some decency!”
Ignoring them,I typed:Too scared to face me?Guilty?
“Claire,stop pushing me!”she cried.
I spammed:Want to know the truth?Follow me!
Curious viewers flocked to my account.
Fearing I’d steal her audience,Emma ended the stream.
She called me soon after,not to fight but to negotiate.
“Claire,stop this.James will never be yours.”
“And?”I asked.
“I’ll pay you.Your mom’s medical bills are through the roof,right?”
Her mention of my mom infuriated me.
“This is personal. Harassing my mom crossed the line!”
“I got carried away,”she admitted.
“How much are you offering?”
“One million,”she said.
“Deal.”
But instead of money,I was hit with even worse cyberbullying.
Emma edited our call to make it seem like I was extorting her and posted it online.
Her fans’ attacks became even more vicious,,and some even found my mom’s hospital room.I called the police.
The situation had reached a boiling point.
I released James’s old messages pursuing me,dated long before their“official”relationship.
Then I posted the full version of Emma’s“proof”of my interference,exposing her lies.
Public opinion flipped.Emma went from“kind-hearted”to“liar.”
She posted a tearful video:
“I just loved James so much that I made some mistakes!”
James backed her up:“Emmais the love of my life.The unloved one is the real third party!”
Her fans defended her:
“There’s no such thing as cheating if they’re not married!”
“Emma’s so cute,I support her no matter what!”
My first two pieces of evidence didn’t cause a huge stir, so I decided to reveal even more.
The recording from Robert’s threats had been deleted,but my phone’s auto-backup feature had saved it.
I also possessed the hospital surveillance footage of Emma harassing my mother, as well as the recording of her call where she tried to buy my silence.
These nailed her.
Emma became a pariah,pointed at wherever she went.Passengers even asked for selfies with the "notorious" flight attendant, treating her like a freak show attraction.
She tried to coast by at the airline without actually doing any work,but I emailed to the management,exposing her unprofessional behavior during flights.
With Nathan’s influence backing me up,she was fired.
I released Nathan’s plane footage,sparking outrage.The“heroic flight attendant”became the“most irresponsible.”
Emma was rejected by one airline after another due to her unprofessional conduct.
Some pointed out that Robert’s attempt to force me to take the blame constituted coercion.
Supporters strongly urged me to report him and dig deeper into his background.
Taking their advice,I called the police.The investigation uncovered a bombshell.
Robert was involved in money laundering.
Under questioning,he confessed to using Emma’s livestreams to launder money for profit.
His downfall implicated a slew of others.
With Robert out of the picture,James lost his protection.
Someone who’d long disliked him got him fired for a trivial reason—stepping onto a plane with his left foot first.
Emma’s social media account was banned.
I gained followers,and my former haters became“guilt fans,”a complete reversal from my past life.
A month later,Emma and James made the headlines once again.
James proposed to Emma,but she rejected him.
The blurry video showed James looking rough.
After Robert’s assets were seized,his family was forced to moved from a mansion to a decrepit apartment with no bathroom.
James’s nose,untreated after his prosthetic was removed,was scarred and grotesque,his once-handsome face unrecognizable.
Money truly shapes appearances.
In the video,James knelt,presenting a ring,but Emma slapped it away and walked away without a second glance.
He stood there,frozen.
They deserved it.
I heard nothing more about them until a colleague gleefully shared gossip.
“Did you hear the news?Emma got beaten up!”
It was a chatty crew member who loved drama.
Seeing my confusion,she showed me a video.
“She was having an affair with a married man and the wife caught her!”
The chaotic footage showed several women attacking Emma.
Her skimpy clothes were torn to shreds.
A middle-aged woman shouted,“Look at her!This is Emma Carter,that flight attendant who went viral! She's been sleeping with my husband!”
“You shameless whore,can’t you find your own?”
The man she’d been with fled,leaving Emma to fight alone.
If the woman hadn’t shouted her name,I wouldn’t have recognized the battered,swollen-faced Emma.
She tried to cover her face,desperate to save her dignity,but the mob tore her clothes and paraded her through the street.
She social reputation was completely destroyed.
I asked my colleague to send me the video.
“Planning to rewatch it?”she teased.
I just smiled.It’d be a shame not to share it with her parents.
I thought that would be the end of it, but one day after work
But one day after work,James blocked my path.
He looked as disheveled as in the proposal video.
“Claire,I was wrong.Can you forgive me?”
He dropped to his knees.
“I know I messed up.Emma’s not even worth your toe!”
I dodged his attempt to grab my hand.
“James,I’m not cut out for the Harper family.Find someone on your own level,”I sneered.
“Claire,I was blind.I deserve to die!”
He slapped himself.
“You’re a pathetic excuse for a man,James,”I spat.
“Yes,I’m the worst!Just take me back,and you can say anything you want!”
“Keep dreaming.”
I turned to walk away,ashamed of my past blindness.
“Claire,you played me!”
He grabbed me,suddenly enraged.“If it weren’t for you,I wouldn’t be in this mess!”
He choked me,but I was no longer helpless.I overpowered him,beat him soundly,and left him too scared to bother me again.
As time went by, I climbed the ranks from a regular flight attendant to become the chief flight attendant, enjoying a substantial pay raise.
One night,scrolling through videos,I stumbled on a livestream.
It was James and Emma.
I wondered how they’d ended up back together, but then James spoke:
“Welcome,new viewers!We’re the couple from the proposal and mistress scandals.”
They were shamelessly exploiting their infamy.
“For the price of one beer, we'll hurl insults at each other.For a $10 gift,we’ll slap each other!”
Their audacity knew no bounds.
I sent a beer.
Emma jumped in:“James is a filthy idiot!”
James retorted:“Emma’s a dirty slut!”
I sent a$10 gift.James slapped Emma,and she slapped him back.
The chat section filled up with vulgar comments, and virtual gifts started pouring in.
They soon started arguing over who hit harder,escalating into a full-on brawl in the stream.
The audience cheered,sending even more gifts.
What started as a money grab turned into mutual rage.
During the fight,Emma ripped off James’s fake silicone nose,exposing his scarred face.
Hehad been wearing it to look presentable on camera, but now his true appearance was exposed for all to see.
Furious,he hit her even harder.
I left the stream as Emma,missing a front tooth,scrambled to find it.
How pathetic.They were finally reaping the bitter fruits of their own rotten lives.
