She Scammed, I Got Blamed

Yasmin stood dead center in the square, her tear-streaked face glowing under the giant screen behind her—where my photo was plastered in HD.

"Bella," she cried, "You're a beauty influencer with a million followers. You make tens of thousands from a single video. But that $50,000... that's all my savings. Please, I'm begging you to give it back!

"If we weren't best friends... if I hadn't trusted you so much, how else would I have been scammed?

"You spend thousands on a single outfit, but that money took me years to save! My parents need it—for medical bills, for retirement. I'll do anything for you—be your servant, your assistant. Just give me back my money!"

Then she dropped to her knees.

Phones shot up in every direction. People snapped photos, hit the 'go live' button.

"What the hell? Bella scammed her friend?"

"Are influencers seriously this heartless? She makes bank without lifting a finger, and she still scams her own friend out of her savings?"

"Think about it. If that girl wasn't desperate, why beg like this in public? Bella definitely took that money."

"These influencers are the worst. Ban them all. They're a plague. Can't believe I live in the same city as her. Gross."

"She's just standing there, watching. No shame, no soul—this is how they get rich."

Then a guy marched right up to me, jabbing his finger in my face. "Bella Fleur! You scammer. Pay her back!"

The scene descended into chaos, with people all around shouting, "Pay her back!"

I stayed calm. Just pulled out my phone and dialed the police.

Raising my voice slightly, I spoke. "Yasmin, I sympathize with you. You've been the victim of a face-swapping scam. What you need to do is report it to the police. There's still a chance to recover some of your losses. I've already called them for you."

Her eyes widened rage.

"That account was yours! It wasn't just your voice and videos — it had details about our personal conversations. You're the one who scammed me out of my money! You just don't want to admit it!"

Right on cue, the cops showed up. I gave them a regretful shake of my head.

"She's emotional. I'm worried she'll fall for another scam if she doesn't calm down."

Yasmin shouted, "You're still lying!"

She lunged at me and slapped me hard across the face.

"Bella!" she screamed. "You've probably scammed countless people before! I have proof — it was YOU! You make so much money off your followers, so why are you stealing from me? You're shameless!"

She swung again, but this time the officers grabbed her.

I reached up, touching my cheek where her hand had landed. It stung. Tears welled in my eyes, right on cue.

Slowly, I turned to face the cameras, making sure they caught every angle of my expression.

And then Zack showed up.

Without even looking at me, he started scolding me.

"What's wrong with you, Bella? It's just $50k! Just give it back to Yasmin and be done with it. Look at the scene you've caused! Do you even care what this is doing to your image?

"Yasmin lives so frugally. She's not like you, making tens of thousands from one sponsorship deal. She's not flashy. She's responsible. You earn money easily. Shouldn't you be more considerate of your friends' struggles?"