A Wicked Friend

Crystal was my best friend. Her red hair was long, and shiny, and she had waves at the ends. Every single boy we knew was in love with Crystal. I was more of her "side kick" that accompanied her to all the dance parties and clubs that she was invited to. Crystal already had three serious boyfriends by the time she was 18. I had none. Crystal was not just pretty; she was smart, and did really well in school. She also loved rock; we bonded over "Dave Matthews Band." and we were both Biology majors who aimed to be doctors in the future.

Crystal and I were friends for about five years. We did everything together, and spend most of the day together. We even got our first job together at a science laboratory near our university. We ate lunch together every day, and things were great. Great until this boy named Jimmy started to train me. Jimmy, in my opinion, was annoying. He made snarky comments about random people, and had an air of arrogance upon him. He was definitely not my type, or Crystal's type, yet we had to see his face everyday. One day, he grinned and made a comment about my work outfit, and said it made me look "fat". He was genuinely an "asshole" in my opinion. Unfortunately, we had to work together, and I bit my lip everytime he made an annoying remark. He was my mentor, and also my primary manager.

One night, we all went to a work Christmas party. Crystal and I got dressed together, and got our hair done. For the first time, I even got my make up done, and straightened my hair. When we got to the Christmas party, I saw Jimmy stare at my face, and then slowly gaze over my chest. I may have had a tiny bit of cleavage popping out from my chest, and put on my coat abruptly. One of my coworkers leaned forward towards my ear and whispered, "Be careful; Jimmy seems to have taken an interest in you.". I looked over at him, and he was still staring.

After the party, Jimmy asked Crystal and I to come to a local club to hang out. I did not want to go, but Crystal did. So we went. I zoned out when we were there, and felt awkward being around Jimmy. Later that night, Jimmy was drunk, and he started to dance very close to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and starting to grind against me. I tried to push back, but he had a strong grip. He started to push his tongue into my mouth. I started to get nervous, and out of complete fear, to both of our dismay, I slapped him. Jimmy looked shocked. He grabbed me harder this time, and started to grind against me, and moan. I screamed. I looked around for Crystal. She came behind me, and pushed me aside and started to dance and make out with Jimmy, to my disbelief. It almost seemed like she was enjoying herself.

Later that night, Crystal said that I should stop being such a "bitch", and take more chances with men. She said that Jimmy is not my type, and that me and him will never work. It almost seemed as if Crystal was jealous of Jimmy's attention towards me, even though I hated it, and found it atrocious. Somewhere in between, I realized, Crystal wanted to be with Jimmy. Either that, or she was just not used to getting less attention than me for once.

I noticed the next couple of days at work, that Crystal kept flirting with Jimmy. I was fine with it because I did not have feelings for him, but I was amazed at how Crystal was so into him. The guy was a jerk. We had to work on some experiments together, and Jimmy and I got into another argument. The guy blatently asked about my sex life. I was shocked in disbelief. I decided to complain to his boss, and cursed at him. It was the last straw for me.

Apparently, after I warned Jimmy and told my boss, I found out that I was the third complaint against him, and he was fired. Crystal was furious. She told me that I was too sensitive, and that I need to have more "balls" and learn how to stand up for myself without getting anyone fired. I could not believe it. My so called best friend had turned into a wicked, evil witch. I started to hate her. Could she not see that Jimmy was sexually harassing me?!

A few days later, I quit working at the lab. Crystal had called me, but I avoided her calls. I lost trust in her. I thought she wanted what was best for me, but in turn, I realized that she was a pretty, selfish, attention seeking whore. I was done with her. After that day, I graduated from college, and we went out separate ways. A few years later, I heard that she had moved to Ohio, and was pregnant with her new boyfriend's child. I did not care. I never spoke to her ever again.

Years later, we went to a mutual college friend's wedding. She came alone, and I came with another girl friend, who I had become very close to. She looked at me nervously. She looked different; she gained weight, and her hair was short, and thin. She looked like she was ill. I smiled at her awkwardly, and made short talk. Apparently, she lived in Ohio, and had a daughter, but was not involved with the father. Part of me felt bad for her, and the other part was indifferent. I hope she took good care of her child.

I did not trust Crystal, so I did not give her any details of my life. I felt like I had never really even known her. After the wedding, my friend and I abruptely left, and I ran out before Crystal could see me leave.

I realized what true friendship meant after my relationship with Crystal was over. I was selective about who I spent time with, and who I told my secrets to. Thank goodness, I never ran into another wicked witch like her. I wished her the best, but never wanted to have anything to do with her ever again.