Shadows of Jealousy

The applause was deafening, but it felt like a distant echo to Mia. She stood at the center of the stage, the trophy gleaming in her hands. The lights above cast a golden halo around her, but they also made it impossible to see the crowd clearly. Not that it mattered—she wasn’t looking for their approval. She was looking for one face, one smile.

When her eyes finally locked on Kara in the audience, something flickered in her best friend’s gaze. It wasn’t the pride Mia had hoped for. It was something darker, sharper—there for just a second before Kara plastered on a grin and clapped like the rest of them.

That fleeting look burrowed into Mia’s chest, twisting her triumph into doubt.

After the ceremony, Kara found her by the refreshment table. "Congratulations, superstar!" she said, pulling Mia into a tight hug. Her tone was warm, her smile flawless, but her fingers dug into Mia’s back, just a little too hard.

Mia pulled back, studying her friend’s face. "Thanks, Kara. You okay?"

"Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?" Kara’s laugh was airy, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "This is your night. You deserve it."

Mia wanted to believe her. But as the night went on, Kara’s words began to unravel in her mind, each one laced with a faint bitterness she couldn’t ignore. Then she fell asleep.

An hour after that, Mia woke up with a jolt, having a really bad dream. She couldn't really recall what was so bad about the dream except for one word:

"She’s not who you think she is."

"Who?" Kara asked her paranoid self. Then she recalled her triumph the other day, and her envious friend. "Could it have been talking about her?"

Mia wanted to tell herself "it's just a dream" and proceed to sleep but couldn't get her mind off the thought. So she remained awake till the morning came.

The next day, Mia found herself hyper-aware of Kara. Every laugh, every comment, every glance felt loaded. At their usual coffee meet-up, she couldn’t stop thinking about the dream, even as Kara chatted breezily about her weekend.

"So... " Kara said. "What's next for the superstar? World domination?"

Mia was shook by this statement. "W-What do you mean by that?"

"Haha " Kara laughed " That was just some silly joke. Forget I said anything like that"

"That did not sound like a joke" Mia whispered to herself. "Haha... Sure"

Kara tilted her head slightly, studying her. "You okay? You seem... distracted."

" I'm great," Mia lied.

"O-kay?" Kara said unsure of what could've happened over the weekend.

And later that night, as Mia lay in bed trying to forget whatever had happened that day, she couldn't help but wonder why Kara's behaviour suddenly changed towards her, where all the jealousy came from.

"She'd better realize her mistake and change before tomorrow, " She finally told herself and dozed off

Over the next week, the dream kept gnawing at Mia’s mind, even as she tried to focus on her work. Kara seemed normal—funny, supportive, always there. But Mia couldn’t shake the tension that lingered beneath their interactions.

It wasn’t until Mia’s phone buzzed during a meeting that everything unraveled.

“Don’t trust her,” read a message from an unknown number. Attached was a screenshot of a group chat Mia wasn’t in. The messages were from Kara, ranting about how “exhausting” it was to watch Mia “take everything.”

Her chest tightened. The words blurred, but one line stood out:

“She acts like she’s better than us. Maybe it’s time someone reminded her she’s not.”

That evening, Mia confronted Kara. She held her phone up, her voice trembling. “Why, Kara? If you hate me so much, why pretend to be my friend?”

Kara’s face paled, then hardened. “I don’t hate you, Mia. But do you even realize what it’s like? Always being in your shadow?”

“I never asked for this!” Mia shot back. “You could’ve talked to me. Instead, you...” She couldn’t finish.

Kara sighed, tears pooling in her eyes. “I was jealous, okay? I’m sorry. But I don’t know how to fix this.”

Mia stared at her for a long moment, the weight of betrayal heavy in the air. Finally, she said, “Maybe we both need time. I can’t do this right now.”

As Mia walked away, she felt a strange mix of sadness and relief. Some shadows weren’t meant to be part of her life.