My university roommates knew I was a yoga teacher, so they asked me to lead them in some classes. Ten dollars a session, four times a week. Then one day, no one showed up. No one would even answer my texts. That’s when I found out my best friend, Jessica, had stolen my little business. She was only charging eight dollars a class. But Jessica had only taken a handful of classes with me. She didn’t understand the first thing about yoga principles. Sure enough, a few sessions later, her aggressive hands-on adjustment broke a classmate’s leg. 1 Not a single person came to my class today. The dance studio, usually packed, was completely empty. A wave of disappointment washed over me. Was there some school event I didn't know about? I packed up my mat and props and headed back to the dorm. When I got there, I found them all, already looking like they’d just finished a yoga session. I stood frozen at the door. “You didn’t come to my class. Where did you practice?” An outside yoga studio charges over a hundred dollars for a single class. Wasn’t my ten-dollar fee a much better deal? But no one even looked at me. They exchanged awkward glances and scattered. I suddenly felt like a complete fool. I grabbed my roommate, Lily, by the arm. “Lily, what’s going on? Did I do something wrong?” Lily turned her head, glaring at me angrily as she wrenched her hand free. “Get lost! And to think I called you a friend! You’re such a scammer!” I was utterly confused. “I didn’t do anything.” Lily took a step closer, her neck craned. “Didn't do anything? You tell me! How much does an outside yoga teacher charge for one class?” This was a question I was more than qualified to answer. My family owns a chain of yoga studios. My mom and my aunt are both certified Iyengar instructors. I started training with them professionally at a young age. By the time I was in high school, I was already a qualified advanced yoga instructor. I rushed to explain. “For a corporate class of fifteen people, an instructor at a studio charges around $300 a session!” “Bullshit!” Lily shoved me, furious. “We looked it up! A yoga teacher’s fee is $100, max!” How was that possible? Where did she get that information? My heart pounded with anxiety. “My family’s…” “Your family’s what? Stop bragging! We checked! That ‘Serenity Yoga’ studio you talked about? It’s not yours! The legal owner’s last name is Chen!” Lily stormed off without giving me another chance to explain. But the registered legal representative of Serenity Yoga… was my grandmother. 2 Watching Lily’s angry retreat, a wave of hurt washed over me. She wasn’t a malicious person. Lily was straightforward, cheerful, and even a little naive. This wasn't the first time she’d been used as someone’s pawn. This whole thing definitely didn’t start with her. Then who? My eyes fell on my best friend Jessica’s desk. There were several newly purchased, obscure-looking yoga books on it. A suspicion began to form in my mind. Just then, Jessica walked in carrying a washbasin. The moment she saw me, a flicker of something unreadable—shame and greed—crossed her eyes. It was gone in an instant, replaced by her usual bright smile. “Hey, sweetie, when did you get back?” I stared at her, silent. She put down the basin and took my hand. “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?” Tears suddenly started streaming down my face. She was my best friend. Seeing her like this, my sense of betrayal reached its peak. “Jess, did you…” Before I could finish, seven or eight other students stormed into our room. The one in the lead, Maya, yelled furiously, “So, Joyce’s back! You money-grubbing piece of trash! Ripping off your own classmates!” “Yeah! Were you raised by wolves? No manners at all?” I stumbled backward, terrified. Jessica ducked behind the crowd of students. Maya got right in my face, her expression menacing. “Joyce! You said you’d contact the factory for us, that you got us the cheapest yoga mats. Have you no shame?” I was trembling with anger. “The factory price was $68! And they threw in yoga blocks and a stretching strap for free.” Maya hurled two yoga blocks at my face. “Who wants your crappy, defective freebies! Take them back!” “Yeah! ‘Free gifts’? More like charity handouts.” Blood gushed from my nose. A flicker of fear crossed a few of their faces, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. I pulled out a few tissues and pressed them to my nostrils. “I have the chat logs with the factory owner,” I sobbed. “You can look at them.” “Pah! Chat logs can be faked! You’re all in on it together! Who would believe you!” Maya pointed a finger at me. “I’m telling you, stop playing the victim! Refund our money for the mats right now!” “Yeah! Refund!” “And refund the extra fees you charged us for the classes!” 3 The tears wouldn’t stop. “Fine! I’ll refund it! I don’t want friends like you anyway!” “Who wants to be friends with you, you greedy pig!” “Haha, yeah, that’s right! From now on, we’ll call her Greedy Joyce!” My nose was still bleeding, and I felt dizzy. “Give… give me back the… the yoga blocks and straps I gave you.” Maya laughed. “You scammed us. We’re keeping those as compensation.” “You’re going too far! You know how much yoga mats cost in the stores.” I cried, replacing the blood-soaked tissues. “Then how did Jessica find us mats for only $38?” At that, my heart sank. The tears stopped instantly. I looked up, past the crowd, to my dear friend, my best friend. Her eyes darted around before she pushed her way through the group. “Alright, everyone, calm down. Even if Joyce did something wrong, she did teach us for a while. We should be grateful for that.” “Grateful? For what? For overcharging us?” “Yeah, we’re all poor students. She’s so calculating, her heart must be black!” Jessica stood in front of me, as if defending me. “She’s been punished, hasn’t she? Look, she’s bleeding.” “Serves her right!” “Fine. For Jessica’s sake, we won’t kill you today.” Maya tilted her head at me. “But I’m telling you, you’d better refund our money before we go to bed tonight!” The group of them swarmed out of the room. Someone turned back to ask, “Jess, what time is class tomorrow?” Jessica shot a nervous glance at me, then whispered, “I’ll post a notice in the group chat. Just wait for it.” Then she too scurried out of the room. Lily, who had been silent this whole time, had her fists clenched tightly. Looking like she’d made a decision, she walked over to me. She handed me a warm towel. “Joyce… no matter what you did, I should have helped you just now. I didn't know they would get physical.” I pushed the towel away. Lily looked crestfallen. I forced a smile. “This is all evidence. I can’t wipe it away.” “I’m sorry, Joyce. I was watching them. If anyone had tried to touch you again, I would have fought them.” Finally, a kind word all night. I shook my head at her. “I’m fine.” Then, I gathered all the bloody tissues, didn’t change my clothes, and called my mom. “Mom, call the police. I’ve been assaulted.” 4 Lily offered to walk with me, but I refused. She said, her voice filled with unease, “Joyce, maybe I misunderstood you. Just now, I didn’t see a single ounce of guilt in your eyes. Only fear and disappointment.” “I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I feel guilty?” She nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes, that’s right. But Jessica, on the other hand… her eyes were darting all over the place, like she was hiding something.” I gave a tired smile. Lily was finally thinking for herself. She grabbed my wrist. “Joyce! She was lying, I’m so sorry. But when I heard what she said about you, I was just so angry.” I patted the back of her hand. “Just take care of yourself.” A small smile finally appeared on her face. “What do you mean?” “When you go to her yoga class, don’t push yourself too hard.” “Okay, okay, don’t worry!” Just then, my mom called. “Joyce, come downstairs. We’re going straight to the police station.” I grabbed all my evidence and ran downstairs. As I passed the room next door, Maya spotted me. “Are you crazy, running out in the middle of the night?” she yelled. Then I heard Jessica’s shout from behind her. “Don’t let her get away! She’s trying to skip out on the refund! Everyone, after her!” I had just reached the second floor when I heard the thunder of footsteps behind me, like a mob chasing a thief. “Damn it, Joyce! Give us our money back!” “Refund! Don’t let her get away!” I reached the ground floor and sprinted for the east gate where my mom’s car was parked. I jumped in and slammed the door shut, watching as the girls stood there, furious, yelling curses at me. Jessica, out of breath, glared at me with pure hatred. A chill ran down my spine. Jessica was a scholarship student. She had once complained to me, “This world is so unfair. Some people have to walk miles to get to school, while others are born riding in cars.” At the time, I wanted to comfort her. But her next words stuck in my throat like a fishbone. “All rich people should just die!” 5 Jessica hid her true self so well. From the very beginning, she was never genuinely interested in just exercising. She had said that classes were tiring, that everyone’s necks were about to break. She heard yoga was relaxing, and since I knew how to teach it, why not lead a few sessions for everyone? A group of college girls, laughing and practicing together—it sounded like fun. So I agreed. I originally thought I would just be teaching a few people from our dorm. I never expected Jessica to book a dance studio and gather a group of over fifteen people. She even told everyone that they should give me a little something for my time, so I wouldn't be working for free. She had looked at me with those big, innocent eyes. “Sweetie, how much do you think we should charge per person, per class?” I looked at the group; it was the same size as a small corporate class. I figured half price would be fair. So, a total of $150, which came out to $10 per person. My corporate classes were an hour long. For my classmates, I always taught for at least an hour and a half. I would carefully observe each person’s physical condition and tailor the practice to their needs. I would never rush them or push them into difficult poses just for show, wearing out their bodies in the process. I wanted my classmates to heal their bodies gradually. Pelvic alignment, spinal decompression, restoring the natural curve of the cervical spine. Jessica was one of those people who appeared very flexible. But any real practitioner knows that a "stiff" body is a gift. It means your joints are stable and your ligaments have enough elasticity to protect you from injury. But on the surface, it can look clumsy. Jessica was the opposite. In her very first class, she could already get into some advanced-looking poses. But on closer observation, I noticed she had a severe anterior pelvic tilt and hyperextended knees. If she wasn’t careful, she could easily fracture a bone. This is not uncommon in yoga practice. Looking back, I realized she never took my warnings seriously. In fact, she probably thought I was jealous of her. The other students were always praising her, calling her a natural, saying how amazing she was. I even vaguely remember someone saying, “Jess, you were born to be a yoga teacher.” “Yeah, look at Joyce, she’s been practicing for years and her splits aren’t as good as yours. You got it on your first try!”
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