The rain hammered against the window pane, mirroring the storm brewing inside me, my best friend, maya, had just confessed of stealing my scholarship application, the one I'd poured my heart and soul into.

"I just....I needed it," she mumbled, her eyes down cast." My parents were going to pull me out of school, if I didn't get that scholarship".

My throat tighten. "You knew how much this meant to me, maya. You knew I was counting on it."

"I know, I'm so sorry," she choked out, tears welling in her eyes, " l didn't think it would hurt you this much.

But It did. It hurt like betrayal, a stab in the back from the person I trusted most. We have been inseparable since kindergarten,sharing secrets,dreams, and everything in between. Now, a chasm of doubt and hurt yawned between us.

The schoolship was more than just money, it was my ticket to a better future, a chance to escape the dedent life l'd been destined for.

Now it was gone, stolen by the very person I thought would have my back.