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674words2026-01-26 09:10

My best friend,Sarah Miller,and I got into the same university.But she fell for an exchange student from Nigeria,Jamal.
The combination of his strong cologne and his pungent body odor made my stomach turn.I suggested to Sarah that she should date a local guy,but she accused me of being racist.
Later,she contracted HIV,but she falsely claimed that I was the one who had been infected.

She tricked me into coming to her apartment under the guise of making plans. As I was about to enter, Jamal and his gang suddenly rushed in.Before I could enter,Sarah rushed inside,locking the door behind her.
“Emma,hold them off!I’m calling 911!”
But 911 didn’t arrive in time.I suffered through unimaginable horrors while Sarah easily escaped Jamal’s grip.
After my death,I discovered that it was all a plot to get rid of her dangerous ex by sacrificing me.
When I opened my eyes,I was back at the day Sarah introduced me to Jamal.
“Emma,this is the boyfriend I told you about.Hot,right?”

His smell hit me first,bringing back a rush of memories from my previous encounter with him.
In my last life,I fiercely opposed their relationship,nearly ending our friendship.
“Emma,you’re a college student—still stuck on racist nonsense?Get with the times and ditch your backward mindset,”Sarah had snapped.
Furious,I shot back,“There are plenty of great guys here.Why a foreigner?What would your parents say?”

Sarah stormed off in anger and didn’t talk to me for days. I thought she would eventually calm down and forgive me, but then she called me, sounding terrified, and told me she had been infected.
I tried my best to help her, but rumors spread that I was the one sleeping with foreigners and got sick.I denied it,my boyfriend,Lucas,backing me up.
Sarah,pretending to help me,invited me to her apartment to“plan.”As I arrived,she locked me out.Within minutes,Jamal and his friends arrived,targeting me alone.I banged on the door,begging Sarah to save me,but she hid,silent.
I was tortured to death, and it was only after I died that I found out Sarah had planned the whole thing to get away from Jamal.
Facing Jamal now,I covered my mouth,laughing.“Sarah, you and Jamal are truly a match made in heaven.”
Sarah caught my sarcasm but hid her annoyance,politely inviting me to sit for dinner.
Today was the day when Sarah officially introduced Jamal to everyone, and she expected me, her best friend, to evaluate him.But her real goal was to flaunt her tall,handsome boyfriend.
I died only to realize that Sarah envied me—my loving parents and my devoted boyfriend. Everything she did was an attempt to make herself look better than me.
Pathetic.Only a fool bets their life to one-up someone else,especially when I genuinely saw her as a friend,and she betrayed me.
Why should I take the fall for her mess?
During dinner,Sarah and Jamal played lovebirds,feeding each other,Jamal licking rice from her lips.I gagged.
There’s definitely no such thing as a free lunch in this situation.
I waved my hand in front of my nose and sniffed. “Wow,this place serves kebabs?That cumin’s lethal.”
Jamal didn’t get it,but Sarah’s jaw clenched,though she kept up appearances.
I bombarded Sarah with questions.“When you met,did he say you’re his favorite American girl?”
Without waiting,I turned to Jamal.“Did you tell Sarah her eyes sparkle like stars,offer to teach her Yoruba,and say your dad’s a tribal chief?”
Jamal clapped and gave me a thumbs-up, staring at me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable, as if he had some ulterior motives.
“Emma,you’re psychic!”Sarah said,forcing a smile.
Psychic?Hardly.
As I watched Jamal stir his chopsticks around in the communal dishes, I quietly took a sip of my soda.
Sarah invited me to show off her“better”life.In my past life,I pitied her single-parent upbringing,treating her like a sister.But what about her?
My phone rang.I put it on speaker.
“Emma,I’m waiting outside. The movie is about to start. I got you a little gift—hurry up and come out!’ Lucas’s warm voice echoed in the room.
Sarah’s face darkened,though not as dark as Jamal’s.
I wiped my mouth and left,Jamal waving enthusiastically.