The Betrayal of a Vicious Best Friend

Chapter 1

I only went to the clinic with my best friend, and wouldn’t you know it, she tests positive for syphilis.

She drops to her knees, begging me to keep it a secret.

“I just slept with my ex once, can you believe he had something like that? It’s so gross!”

“You know I’m about to get married, you gotta help me out here. Don’t tell anyone.”

“I’m a victim here, too, you know?”

I felt bad for her, so I caved and helped her get treatment on the down-low.

But guess what? After the wedding, her hubby gets syphilis, too. He’s threatening divorce and wants to sue her ass off.

She flips out and blames it all on me.

“You’re just jealous, aren’t you? You messed with my meds, didn’t you? There’s no way a head doctor like you couldn’t cure me!”

“My life is ruined because of you, and I’m gonna make sure you pay for it!”

Next thing I knew, I was drugged and left for dead by a bunch of lowlifes.

I wake up, and I’m right back where I started, the day I took my friend to the clinic.

…

“Liz, please, you gotta keep this quiet!”

Liz’s voice snaps me back.

As I fully come to, I realize with a jolt that I’ve been given a second chance.

This is exactly how it went down the first time.

Liz said she wasn’t feeling well, so she insisted I go with her to the clinic.

And the test results? Boom, she’s got syphilis.

I knew she’d hooked up with her ex before, but I never imagined she was this reckless.

I’m still holding her diagnosis when she starts pleading with me.

“Sarah, I swear, I don’t know how I got this crap. It was just one time with Ben, he must’ve given it to me.”

“Sarah, you gotta help me out! I’m getting married next month. If Josh finds out about this, he’ll call off the wedding. My reputation will be ruined, and I’ll have to jump off a bridge!”

“I’m begging you, please keep this a secret, okay?”

She’s on her knees, tears streaming down her face, looking so pathetic.

I hesitated for a second, then foolishly agreed to help her. I went with her to all her doctor’s appointments, and helped her get through it.

Thankfully, after a while, she seemed to be doing better, and the wedding happened on schedule.

On her big day, I tried to give her some friendly advice.

“Liz, you gotta be careful, okay? If you’re not feeling well, don’t get intimate with Josh. This thing is contagious, you know.”

“You still need meds for a while to get totally clear. Having sex now could cause a relapse, got it?”

She nodded and said she would take care of herself, putting my mind at ease.

But then, barely two weeks into the marriage, Josh gets syphilis, too!

And Liz’s symptoms came back with a vengeance, even worse than before.

That’s when I find out Liz’s syphilis wasn’t just from one slip-up with her ex, but that she had been messing around behind Josh’s back.

She was still seeing her ex, sneaking off to hotels for a quickie.

That’s how the disease came back, and how Josh caught it, too.

When Josh found out everything, he went ballistic. He threatened to divorce her and sue her for everything she was worth.

Liz couldn’t handle it, and like a typical Karen, she blamed everything on me.

She even accused me of giving her the disease in the first place.

I stared at her, totally dumbfounded.

“Liz, are you out of your mind? You begged me not to tell him in the first place.”

“And let’s not forget, I’m the one who’s been treating you this whole time!”

Liz acted like she had no idea what I was talking about.

“Sarah, don’t even. You’re a head doctor, but you couldn’t cure me. You must be jealous that I landed a better guy, so you messed with my meds, right? How else would I have a relapse?”

“If I didn’t get sick again, Josh wouldn’t have found out, and I wouldn’t be getting kicked to the curb!”

“It’s all your fault! You ruined my perfect life!”

“I’m miserable because of you, and I’m gonna make sure you pay for it!”

Then she had some guys show up, grabbed me, and knocked me out before I could run.

I couldn’t fight them off, so I was hauled off and left for those guys to do with as they pleased.

Remembering the horrific way she ended my life, I looked at her on her knees, tears streaming down her face, and saw just how fake she really was.

I wouldn’t let her manipulate me.

Instead of keeping her secret, I took a deep breath and said, “Liz, you have syphilis?”

“And you want me to keep it a secret?”

The words rang out and instantly heads popped out of the doors in the waiting room.

Liz quickly covered her face and slammed the door shut, then turned around to glare at me.

“Sarah, I asked you to keep it quiet! Why would you yell like that? Are you trying to let everyone know I have this disease?”

She looked furious, but I didn’t feel bad for her. I just smirked.

“I just got a little excited, you know? It’s not every day you hear about someone with something like that. It’s pretty rare these days.”

“I’ve been working here for years, and I can count on one hand the number of cases I’ve seen. Who would’ve thought my best friend would get it?”

“This is what happens when you act like a ho. Otherwise, why would you have something like this?”

“If you can’t stop seeing dirtbags, you’ll catch their dirt. You need to learn to keep your legs closed.”

Liz’s face turned green.

“It’s not a ‘dirt’ disease, and you’re a doctor! Are you going to be a bigot when it comes to treating your patients? It’s your job to heal people!”

“Sarah, I’m your best friend. Are you really going to watch me get sicker?”

I laughed.

Now, I realized just how much she used the word “friend” to manipulate me.

But the old Sarah was gone.

This time, I wouldn’t lift a finger to help her.

“That’s your problem, not mine.”

She just stared at me, dumbfounded.

When had I ever been so cold to her?

I started typing up her chart.

“Your case is a little beyond me. My skills aren’t quite up to par. You should probably get a second opinion.”

I handed her the paperwork, got up, and opened the office door wide.

The noises in the waiting room snapped Liz back to reality.

Then, she threw herself to the ground, grabbed my leg, and started sobbing.

“Dr. Smith, it hurts so bad! You can’t just abandon me because it’s hard to treat.”

“We’re both women, don’t you have any sympathy?”

“Dr. Smith, my wedding is next month. You don’t want to see my fiancé six feet under, do you? It’s your job to save lives.”

“If you don’t help me, I’m gonna jump out the window!”

The people in the waiting room heard her, and started to yell at me.

“How can a doctor be so heartless? She has no sense of ethics.”

I took a deep breath. Just when Liz thought I was going to help her, I kicked her away and threw the window open.

“Go ahead.”

Liz was shocked. I looked at her, cold as ice.

“This hospital doesn’t have the equipment, and I don’t have enough experience.”

“Transferring to a different hospital is your best bet.”

“You’re kneeling because you want to manipulate me.”

“If I can’t cure you, you’ll call me a quack, then threaten to kill yourself. I am not going to let you do that to me.”

My words shut her down, I knew it was true.

The people who had been on Liz’s side just clammed up.

Then, someone spoke up and defended me, condemning Liz.

“You’re ridiculous. The doctor is trying to help you and giving you advice. You can’t even say thank you? You’re blaming the doctor for you being a hoe?”

“Yeah, she’s young and doesn’t know how to control herself. Why is she blaming the doctor? How can you be so delusional?”

“She looks familiar. She reminds me of a social media girl I used to follow. I can’t believe she has something like that!”

People started taking pictures of her with their phones.

Liz didn’t want to get posted on the internet, so she covered her face with her purse and ran.

The crowd dispersed.

The story spread through the department. At lunch, one of my coworkers, started talking about how I’m treating Liz.

“Dr. Smith, you’re a head doctor. Treating something like that shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

“I thought she was your best friend, Sarah. Can you really just leave her out to dry?”

Ever since I got promoted, Mr. Jones has been making snide comments about me.

I used to ignore him, but not anymore.

“If you think it’s so easy, why don’t you take over the case?”

“You always say your skills are better than mine. If you can cure her, I’ll give you my promotion. How does that sound?”

He doesn’t have the skills to treat that. If I’m not comfortable taking the case, there’s no way he can handle it.

People who talk the most never have any real skills.

Mr. Jones just glared at me.

After what happened, I thought Liz would leave me alone, but I was wrong.

I saw her with a knife, she started holding it to my neck.

The blade cut into my skin, drawing blood.

I knew she wasn’t going to let me go that easy.

She started yelling at me.

“Sarah, if you don’t treat me, I’m gonna kill you!”

“I’ll make sure you know what it feels like to die.”

I just laughed.

She was taken back that I was not afraid.

“Sarah, what are you laughing at? I’m serious, I’ll do it!”

“I’m cornered, and I’m not afraid to kill you! Aren’t you scared?”

I grabbed her hand and pushed the knife closer, drawing more blood.

She trembled, but I held on tight.

“Liz, you’re diseased. Stabbing me will put you in prison, you know? Do you know how dirty prisons are, and how awful the healthcare is there?”

“If you kill me, you’ll be miserable. Think about it. Which doctor is going to help a murderer with a disease?”

“Is that really what you want?”

She backed off, dropping the knife.

Without the knife, Liz broke down.

“Sarah, I’m gonna die if you don’t help me.”

“We’re best friends, how can you be so heartless?”

When she tried to drag me into this, our friendship died.

Before I could reject her, someone knocked on the door.

Mr. Jones saw Liz on the floor, crying, and rushed to help her up.

“Dr. Smith won’t help you, but I’m not as cruel as she is. I’ve seen your chart, and you can get better if you get treated. I won’t let you ruin your life.”

Mr. Jones lead her out of my office.

I don’t think he is as nice as he seems. I know he uses enhancement drugs.

The only reason he’s helping Liz is…

My theory was proven. Mr. Jones and Liz were hooking up.

I clocked out early one day, and I was walking through the parking lot, when I heard some noises.

I came closer, and I saw Mr. Jones and Liz doing it in the corner of the parking lot.

The sounds made me want to throw up.