1)Rivalry.

We had been good friends. We grew up together, going through everything that mattered to us most at that time. We had confided in our problems to each other, never hiding any secrets from the other. However, everything changed after we entered secondary school.

At the start of the school year, we had remained good friends, always sticking to the other, never going anywhere with anyone else. Before the start of the exams, we studied together, asking each other questions when in doubt. After the exam, when the results came out, I saw that I scored a grade lower than her for every single subject.

I was disappointed.

I had laughed it off as something that did not matter. However, I was burning with determination inside for I possessed a competitive streak by nature and refused to acknowledge my loss. I had never scored lower than her in any subject. It was alright if I scored lower than anyone else; she was the only one that mattered.

Before the end-of-year examinations, I studied harder than ever, determined to score higher than her. When the results came out, I was euphoric. I was ranked the second in my class. I went to her and asked excitedly about her results, only to find out that she was ranked first. My smile dropped instantaneously.

I had tried harder than ever in the next exam, driven by the thought of scoring better than her. I succeeded. I had gotten a better grade than her. However, I had let the thought of my success overrule my common sense, making me irrational enough to gloat about my results to her, totally disregarding her feelings. Over the past year, I had my life focused wholly on scoring higher than her, causing the friendship that we have built up over the years to deteriorate rapidly in the span of months. My words had triggered the breakdown of our already extremely fragile relationship, becoming a catalyst in the transition of our friendship to rivalry.

We had been good friends. I had truly believed that we would remain as such for the rest of our lives. I had never thought that a moment of folly of mine would eventually lead to our current love-hate relationship. I would see her unhappy sometimes, wanting to comfort her, my body would unconsciously move towards her, only to have a hateful glare thrown back at me. I would ask myself, ' Was it really worth it?'

Ang Sue Li -4A