Shayla will try her best to mislead both Amber and Anthony — and she’ll even use Iman to do it. What happens next?
Shayla had always been the quiet one. The observer. The one who watched people’s weaknesses like a cat studying birds through a window. For years, she’d kept her head down, smiled politely, and listened — but she’d also learned. Learned how people worked, what made them tick, and, most importantly, what made them break.
Amber and Anthony were two of the easiest to read. They had history — messy history — the kind that never truly ended. They’d been close once, then distant, then close again. Each thought they’d moved on, but Shayla saw the tension in the way they avoided each other’s eyes and the unfinished emotions that sat like ghosts between them.
Iman, on the other hand, was loyal. Too loyal. She trusted Shayla completely, thought of her as a friend — and that trust made her the perfect pawn.
The Setup
It began on a Friday evening. The group often met at Amber’s apartment — wine glasses clinking, soft music playing, everyone pretending life was simpler than it was. That night, Shayla arrived early, offering to help Amber set up.
Amber, always grateful for extra hands, didn’t notice the way Shayla’s eyes darted across the room — memorizing, planning.
“So, how’ve things been with Anthony lately?” Shayla asked casually, as she arranged the wine bottles on the counter.
Amber stiffened. “Fine. We don’t really talk much anymore.”
“Hmm.” Shayla smiled slightly. “He mentioned you the other day, though. Said he missed your old conversations.”
That was a lie. But it was delivered softly enough to plant a seed — the kind that would quietly grow roots in Amber’s mind.
By the time Anthony arrived, Amber was already slightly on edge, wondering if Shayla had meant something more. When Anthony greeted her, she smiled too brightly, spoke too fast, and pretended not to care. Shayla sat between them on the couch, eyes flicking from one to the other, soaking in the tension she’d just created.
The Manipulation
Later that weekend, Shayla met up with Anthony. He thought it was by chance — running into her at the café he always went to — but Shayla had planned it down to the minute.
“I saw Amber the other day,” Shayla said, stirring her coffee. “She said you’ve been messaging her again.”
Anthony frowned. “No, I haven’t. Why would she say that?”
Shayla shrugged, playing innocent. “I don’t know. Maybe she wants to make you jealous? She seemed... nostalgic.”
It was a small push, but it worked. By the next day, Anthony was texting Amber again — defensively, awkwardly, trying to clarify something that had never happened.
Amber, confused and slightly flustered, reached out to Iman. “Do you think Anthony’s playing games again?” she asked.
Iman, ever the peacemaker, tried to calm things down. “I don’t think so. Maybe there’s a misunderstanding.”
And that’s when Shayla struck again.
The Pawn
Shayla met Iman for coffee that same afternoon, wearing a look of quiet concern.
“I’m worried about Amber,” she said softly. “She’s been saying strange things about Anthony. I think she’s spiraling again.”
Iman frowned. “Spiraling?”
Shayla nodded. “She told me Anthony’s been reaching out, trying to get her back. But Anthony told me he wants nothing to do with her. I think Amber might be imagining things — or trying to get attention.”
Iman’s eyes widened. “That doesn’t sound like her...”
“People change,” Shayla said gently. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt. Maybe you could talk to her? You’re the only one she really listens to.”
By the end of the day, Iman had gone straight to Amber — repeating Shayla’s words almost exactly. Amber, furious, denied everything and accused Anthony of lying.
And just like that, the friendships began to crumble — one quiet conversation at a time.
The Unraveling
Weeks passed. The air between them thickened with suspicion and silence. Amber avoided Anthony. Anthony avoided Iman. Iman avoided Shayla — though she didn’t know why.
But lies, like threads, eventually tangle.
It started with a message — one Shayla never meant for anyone to see. Iman had left her phone on the table while Shayla texted her something “important.” But when Shayla stepped away for a moment, a new message flashed across Iman’s screen — from Amber:
“I don’t know what Shayla’s told you, but she’s been lying to both of us.”
Iman froze. Then she scrolled up — reread the old messages, the subtle twists of truth, the tiny manipulations. One by one, the pieces fell into place.
When she confronted Shayla later that night, Shayla didn’t deny it. She just smiled — calm, collected.
“Why?” Iman asked, voice breaking. “Why would you do this?”
Shayla tilted her head. “Because I wanted to see what people do when the truth bends a little. It’s fascinating.”
Her tone was almost clinical, detached — as if she hadn’t just broken three friendships beyond repair.
Iman left without another word.
The Aftermath
In the weeks that followed, the group fell apart completely. Amber moved away. Anthony stopped showing up anywhere they used to meet. Iman cut all contact, disappearing into her own silence.
Shayla, meanwhile, carried on as if nothing had happened. To the outside world, she was still the quiet one, the polite one, the listener.
But every now and then, she’d scroll through old photos — faces smiling, arms linked — and a faint smirk would curl at the edge of her lips.
Because deep down, she knew something no one else did:
She hadn’t destroyed them for fun. She’d simply revealed who they already were.
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