Mr. Bugiardo (Friendship)

The people mentioned are merely characters in the story.

We do sometimes wonder what would it be like if we were great, popular, rich, to have whatever you name it, to have achieved something impressive. However, is it really worth it to lie to people just to impress them? 

Well, let me introduce two people: Andrew and Stacey. They became best friends in their sophomore year but after a few months, Stacey feels quite pissed off about it. 

"Why do you keep lying about yourself?" Stacey practically yelled. "What's with the story about you are a bartender and earns a $2700 monthly? You're a senior and you seem to have all the time in the world! I have always texted you and you replied me with no hustle! Additionally, you are under-aged."

"I'm telling the truth." It was always his answer. Now, maybe he got fed up, hence replying, "You are an asshole! You don't believe what I say!" and he just left.

Few days have passed, Andrew and Stacey haven't talked at all. Usually, they eat lunch together. Now, they are in their own circle. Stacey never wanted to lose a friend, it was a painful feeling. For all the months that they were best friends, she dusted every lie under the carpet. All the lies have replaying in her head; I have 19 cats, I have a nanosuit at home, I just received the latest video console, a company asked me to try out their invention. She had been to his home -thanks to his mother- and she saw NOTHING of what he claimed was true. However, she just dusted it under the carpet, putting the happiness of the friendship on top priority. She still hears his hearty laugh and proud voice claiming he "finished a whole game in 2 days". How absurd is that? It was the middle of the term, everyone is probably busy with studying for the exams. She tapped her fingers rhythmically on the table, thinking whether to continue being friends with him or not. But his ego is just so big! What can she do? Her heart was killing her, a bad friendship leads her to feel guilty. She wants him to be honest as well. That's why she told him everything; bad times, good times, especially failures.

So the next day, she confronted Andrew. "You know.. You didn't need to be so great to have friends. I don't even freaking care whether you are an achiever or not, a ladies' man or not, rich or not. We just need to be friends."

"Yeah." He replied simply. "You think about what you did wrong."

That came like a knife in her heart. But she just throw it away, never minding what he had just said. She didn't want to be under bad terms. So after a week, there are more events that had occurred between them. Whenever Andrew plans to meet with Stacey, she obliged and waited for him for hours or woke up early just to meet him but he never showed up. Then, day by day, boasting absurdity through text messages and making it seems like Stacey was an inferior.

 In the end, she is still friends with Andrew. Dusting everything under the carpet. Putting up with his lies everyday.

Was that really what she deserves?