A Secret

Ben and I were the best of friends and had promised each other to stay that way. However, something happened that changed our friendship forever.

A few weeks ago, I had noticed that Ben had been quiet and sad, totally unlike his usual happy and chirpy self. It was as though he had morphed into a different person. Not able to contain my curiosity, I asked, “Ben, what’s bothering you?” “It’s a secret. Can you promise not to tell anyone?” Ben replied hesitantly. “Of course!” I replied without a thought.

Looking around to make sure nobody was nearby, Ben leaned over to me and whispered in my ear, “My parents are divorcing.” I was stunned and speechless. Why had he not told me earlier? I tried my best to comfort him. Ben revealed that he did not want anyone to know as he felt embarrassed by it.

For the next few days, Ben was downcast and moody. Feeling burdened by his problems, I wanted to tell someone so that we could cheer him up. After some deliberation, I finally decided to tell Max, our good friend. That was one of the worst decisions I had ever made!

Although Max had promised me not to tell anyone else the secret, the news soon spread like wildfire. Before long, our entire class knew about the divorce. I had not expected that to happen. When Ben was around, nobody said a word. However, the moment his back was turned, everyone started gossiping about Ben’s parents.

Soon, it became obvious to Ben that people were talking about something secretive behind his back. Even our form teacher, Miss Lim, noticed that something was going on. During one of her lessons, Dave and Sam were caught whispering to each other. Miss Lim confronted them and asked them what they were talking about. Stunned, Dave and Sam kept quiet immediately. It was only after Miss Lim interrogated them further did Dave finally relented and told her the secret.

When Miss Lim approached Ben to ask if his parents were alright, Ben’s eyes widened in surprise. That day, Ben hollered at me and called me a traitor. My face turned as red as a beetroot. I wanted to dig a hole and hide. Feeling guilty, I mustered up my courage and apologised to Ben, “I’m sorry for revealing the secret, Ben. I didn’t mean to.” His face turning red with anger, Ben gave me a scorching glare. “You promised not to tell!” he hissed, as he clenched his fists and his lips started to tremble.

From then on, Ben no longer treated me as his best friend. By not being able to keep a secret, I had lost a dear friend. That was a huge price to pay.

Gazing at the fluffy teddy bear with a heart- shaped locket tied around its neck, tears welled up in my eyes as bittersweet memories came flooding back into my mind. The teddy bear has been my treasured companion, a special gift from someone I missed dearly.

Ruby was a classmate of mine and I rarely ever spoke to her. She was cheerful, outspoken and had a hearty laugh. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with mischief. Ruby’s hair was usually tied in a messy ponytail, with fly-away hair sticking out everywhere.

I was the complete opposite. I was shy, studious and very soft-spoken. When our form teacher appointed Ruby and I to be Art representatives of the class, I felt a sense of dread. “How am I going to work with Ruby?” I thought.

As Art representatives, Ruby and I had to go on a few learning journeys together with the Art Club. Our first outing was to an Art museum. With Ruby’s incessant chattering and infectious laughter, we were both distracted and lost the group. Upon realising that we were lost, we panicked. We tried to retrace our steps and finally found our group. Both of us then burst into laughter and no one knew why. We bonded over our secrets and that was how our friendship began. From that day on, we did everything together. We visited flea markets, Art exhibitions and many other interesting places. We were inseparable and became the best of friends.

Skipping home one day after school, I was in a jubilant mood after spending a happy day in school with Ruby. I was surprised to see my parents at home. It was then that my mood changed. Excitedly, my parents told me that we were moving and I would be changing school the following semester. I stared at them incredulously. “Moving and changing school?” I mumbled, devastated.

Dumbfounded, I stumbled to my room. Tears like a never-ending stream flowed down my cheeks. I tried to stifle my tears but to no avail. Being separated from Ruby was too hard for me to bear.

The next day, I dragged my feet to school with a heavy heart. Trying to control my tears, I broke the news to Ruby. For a moment, she stood rooted to the ground as she absorbed the news. She was shocked. Then, putting on a brave front, she tried to comfort me and encouraged me to do my best in my new school. We were sad but decided to treasure the rest of the semester together.

On the last day of the semester, I saw Ruby as I was walking to school. We chatted for a while and then Ruby turned to me. She took out a beautifully-wrapped gift box and handed it to me. There was a bright-pink ribbon tied around the box. Surprised, I held the gift in my hands and stood there, not knowing what to say. “Go on, open it!” Ruby prompted, with a smile on her face. Carefully, I unwrapped the gift and opened the box. It was the teddy bear from Build-A-Bear workshop that I had always wanted! Ruby had saved up her allowance to buy the bear for me! There was also a special heart-shaped locket hung around its neck. Inside the locket was a picture of us when we first became friends at the Art museum. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I tried to stifle my sobs. Mixed feelings of joy and sadness overwhelmed me as I held this precious and meaningful gift from my best friend.

Although we were not in the same school anymore, we were still the best of friends. We kept in contact and often had play dates together during the holidays. The bear was always on my bed and I always hugged it to sleep at night. Looking at it never failed to bring back wonderful memories of a treasured friendship.

Ruby had saved up to buy the teddy bear that I had always wanted. This heartfelt gesture made the teddy bear a special gift that I would cherish for a long time.

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