Betrayal

By GT
I have always thought of Jack as my best friend. I have always thought that we would share weal and woe together. I have always thought that he would never betray me. But after that fateful incident, I realised that my beliefs were wrong.

It was just another typical day. Jack and I were walking to school together as usual. The glorious morning sun was peeping out slowly, bringing life and light to the neighbourhood. The dried leaves that the sweeper had painstakingly raked into a heap were blown away by the wind, and were covering the footpath once again. Jack and I chatted happily along our way. Within moments, we reached our school and proceeded to the classroom.

When we reached the classroom, we saw many pupils crowding around David’s seat. We put down our bags and went over to David’s seat. We were amazed by what we saw! Right in David’s hand was a mobile phone which was the latest model of its kind. This was the mobile phone that Jack and I had always dreamt of having. It had many interesting features and some new ones too. But it was very expensive, so our parents refused to buy one for us no matter how much we begged of them.

“Well I just have to use it. I just have to,” I thought to myself.

I asked David, “Can I please borrow your mobile phone? I want to check it out for a while.”

David turned his head to look at me and sneered at me, “You want to borrow my mobile phone? Dream on! Go buy it yourself!”

I was pretty offended by what he had said. How could he answer me in this manner? So what if he was a rich kid? He has no right to treat me like that. I wanted to howl at him, but Jack grabbed hold of me.

“Let me go, Jack,” I demanded while struggling.

“Come on, James. So what if he does not want to lend us his mobile phone? You will not die, right?” Jack tried to calm me down.

“But I really want to check out that mobile phone out. My fingers are itching to touch it,” I protested.

Then suddenly, I had an idea, an idea that I know was morally wrong. But greed got the better of me. I told Jack of my idea.

“Since he is unwilling to lend us the mobile phone, we will just have to steal it from him,” I whispered to Jack.

“Are you mad?! What if we get caught?” Jack exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, here is the plan. Simon and Ben are on duty today during recess, but from past experience, they will go for recess after five minutes. That’s when we come in and swipe the mobile phone. Is that clear?” I asked Jack.

“But…,” Jack tried to protest.

“No buts,” I interrupted Jack, “If you don’t help me, then forget about being friends.”

Just then, our teacher, Mrs. Lim, came into the classroom. I winked at Jack before returning to my seat. During the next few periods, I tried to pay attention to the teacher, but my mind was preoccupied with the plan. Finally, it was recess time and everybody rushed out of the classroom like bees in a beehive. Jack walked to me, shivering slightly.

“Must we really do this?” he asked, his voice quavering.

“Yes, we must,” I answered him firmly.

After five minutes of recess, Jack and I went up to the classroom. As I predicted, Ben and Simon were off for their recess. There was not a single soul in the classroom. Silence hung densely in the air.

We went to David’s seat and I started searching David’s bag while Jack looked out to see if anyone was around. My heart pounded rapidly and my mind was in a blank. Sweat tickled down my neck like a row of unsewn pearls. My conscience told me that I was in the wrong, but I did not listen to it. Then, I found the mobile phone. I could not believe my eyes. I tugged at Jack, anticipating him to smile radiantly. But instead, his face turned as pale as death.

“I am sorry, James. I am really sorry…,” Jack apologised to me.

Then, Mrs. Lim came into the classroom. I tried to escape, but it was too late. I stood rooted to the ground.

“Jack, did you tell Mrs. Lim our plan?” I asked Jack with wide-eye horror.

“Yes, he did,” Mrs. Lim continued, “he had no other ways to stop you. He was hoping that you will change your mind before commiting this crime, but you did not.”

I was aghast. I was flabbergasted. My best buddy, Jack, had betrayed me. How could he do this? Suddenly, I felt furious. I was angry with Jack. I glared at him with my bloodshot angry eyes.

“I am really…sorry…really…sorry,” Jack stammered.

I had to face the music. The Discipline Master let me off with a stern warning after reprimanding me. My parents also punished me by grounding me for a month. They were disappointed with me and felt that I should learn from Jack. A month passed quickly and soon the people around me no longer held the matter against me. But one thing has definitely changed. Jack and I were not as close as we were before.