Most times in life, it is not an outsider that will betray you, but your own person. That kind of betrayal is even more painful because you never see it coming. Let me share my own story. There is this girl, we are both corpers serving at the same PPA. Funny enough, we practice the same religion, we are from the same tribe, and even the same village. Naturally, you would expect us to stand by each other. You know how it gets at times as corpers, your PPA will just be using you as if NYSC posted you there for punishment. At times, you just need a small break. That was how on one Thursday evening, this my fellow corper sent me a message. She said, “See, let’s just rest tomorrow. Our weekend should start on Friday.” I looked at the message and thought, Yes! At least somebody understands me. So I agreed. Fast forward to Monday, we went to the office, only for our boss to call us out. He was very unhappy that both of us skipped work on Friday. But luckily for us, he was in a good mood because, apparently, he is a Manchester United fan, and they had won their match that weekend. He smiled and said, “You know what? Both of you will dance for the office today. If you dance well, all will be forgiven.” Now, here is the problem. I cannot dance. In fact, I belong to The Association of People Who Cannot Dance. My only signature move is to clap my hands, move forward, move backward, then step to the side. That’s all. Nothing more. My friend too started with the same steps, and I thought we were in sync. I was actually relieved. But suddenly, our boss said whoever dances better will be free, but the loser will be reported to NYSC for deliberately skipping work. Tell me why, at that moment, this girl, my so-called friend from the same village, suddenly transformed into something else. The dance moves I saw her doing, even the late Michael Jackson (God rest his soul) never attempted them. There was a time she lifted one leg, bent her waist, and held her head with one hand while spinning. At one point, she started shouting, “No hands! No hands!”. The office was filled with excitement. People started shouting, “Go Annie! Go Annie! Go Annie!” The more they hyped her, the more dangerous moves she was displaying. Meanwhile, I was still there, clapping, moving front, back, and sideways. When the dance ended, our boss asked them to vote. If they thought I won, they should shout “Yaaaay!” If not, they should shout “Naaaay!” I don’t need to tell you what they shouted for me. When it was her turn, the “Yaaaaay!” almost broke the windows. I just stood there, shaking my head in disbelief. People talk about backstabbing, but have you ever experienced betrayal live and direct, right in your presence? It is more painful. My heart was cold as if somebody stabbed me. Thankfully, our boss later decided to forgive both of us. He only warned us that if we ever wanted to skip work again, we should at least inform him first. He said he is also a father, and a caring person. Which is actually true. After everything, this my friend had the audacity to come and talk to me. I just told her to go and meet her cheerleaders. Since that day, I have not spoken a word to her. Now I want to ask, am I justified in how I am behaving, or am I just overreacting?