I was at the local farmer's market, buying some fresh fish. Just as I was about to pay, I realized my phone was gone. Stolen. I was sweating bullets, panic rising in my chest, when I saw Tyler walking over. His arm was wrapped tightly around his girlfriend, Jessica. Relieved, I quickly ran up to him and asked if he could lend me $11 to pay for the fish. But before Tyler could even open his mouth, Jessica scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Wow, your little childhood friend sure knows how to play the system. She treats your wallet like her personal ATM, doesn't she?" Tyler scratched his head, looking put-out. "She’s always been a freeloader, babe. Honestly, it's exhausting for me too." Then he turned to Jessica with a reassuring smile. "Don't get the wrong idea, honey. I’m definitely not letting her take advantage of me this time." Jessica’s chest puffed up with pride. She stepped forward, jabbing her fake-nailed finger right at my forehead. "Take a look in the mirror, you cheap tramp. You want my boyfriend to be your sugar daddy? In your dreams."
I was furious at the sudden, baseless accusation, but I tried to keep my cool and explain. "Tyler, my phone was just stolen, and I don't have any cash on me. Old Hank already gutted and cleaned the fish for me. I can't just walk away and leave him with it." Hank, the fish vendor, looked at the three of us anxiously, terrified of losing a sale. Tyler looked at Hank, then back at me. Seeing that I wasn't lying, he let out a dry laugh. "Oh, so that's how it is." He turned and squeezed Jessica's waist, whispering in a baby voice, "Babe, look how pathetic and miserable she is. Let's just help her out this once. Lend her the $11, and I'll make sure she pays you back double with interest later." But Jessica shoved him away, her face twisting with sudden rage. "Oh, so you feel sorry for her, Tyler?" "Tell me, how much money have you spent on her? Are you keeping her as your side piece behind my back?" "No wonder you're always telling me to copy her makeup. You two are screwing around, aren't you?!" Her loud, hysterical accusations immediately drew a crowd. People started stopping, pointing, and whispering at us. Tyler threw his hands up in panic, desperate to defend himself. "Babe, I swear! How could I ever like her? She’s been a leech since we were kids. I’ve suffered enough because of her." "I swear, I only love you. Every other woman is trash to me, including Chloe." Hearing this, Jessica let out a nasty laugh, intentionally raising her voice so everyone could hear. "Once you get stepped on by trash, it's hard to shake off." "Sweetheart, I feel so bad for you. Just walking through a market and you step right into a pile of garbage." She was clearly calling me garbage. The crowd got the hint, and several people pulled out their phones to record. My head was throbbing. I must have had terrible luck today. All this drama over eleven dollars. Hank, the vendor, was getting impatient. "Young lady, I'm just trying to make a living. I already prepped the fish. You can't just leave without paying!" I quickly assured him, "Don't worry, Hank. You will get your money." Then I turned to the onlookers. "Can anyone lend me $11? I'll pay you back immediately." The crowd quickly dispersed, stepping back to avoid getting involved. I rummaged through my purse and pulled out a brand new, unused YSL lipstick. I held it out to a young guy, Zach. "Hey, this is a brand new YSL lipstick. It retails for $40. You can keep it as collateral..." Before I could finish, Jessica snatched it from my hand and slammed it onto the concrete floor. "What a shameless bitch! First you treat my boyfriend like an ATM, and now you're trying to scam some other guy to pay your bills? You have no dignity." She pointed her finger at my forehead again, trying to humiliate me. "You dream about finding a sugar daddy every day, but look at yourself. You're cheap. No man wants a gold digger like you. As long as I'm here, you won't get a dime." Tyler chimed in, adding fuel to the fire. "She's always been like this. Flirting with any guy she sees. Look at all the people here, and she specifically targets the cute young guys to beg for money." Then he glared at me. "Chloe, apologize to my girlfriend right now. Promise you'll never touch my money again, and maybe we'll pay the $11 for you." The crowd started whispering nastily about me, throwing dirty looks. I was so angry I could feel my blood boiling. But after a few seconds, a cold calm washed over me. I smiled at the crowd, waving them closer. "Everyone, come closer! Today, you're going to see exactly how this guy has been 'sponsoring' me all these years." I looked at Jessica, my smile turning icy. "It's a rare show, babe. Make sure you watch closely."
"Sponsoring you?" Jessica’s smirk froze. She stomped her foot. "You little homewrecker! Stop trying to ruin our relationship. He'd have to be blind to sponsor you!" Her tone was filled with absolute confidence in their relationship. Meanwhile, Tyler stood there shaking his leg, looking smug. "My girl is so smart. Chloe has been a liar since we were kids. She practically lived at my house, eating our food, and she's been badmouthing me for years. Babe, you need to teach her a lesson." A guy holding up his phone to live stream, Brad, shouted to the crowd, "My stream just hit fifty thousand viewers! Everyone's siding with the cute couple and calling this girl a shameless gold digger!" Brad's words gave Jessica a massive ego boost. She sneered at me. "Go ahead, speak! If you can't prove my boyfriend sponsored you, I'll sue you for defamation and ruin your life." Tyler gave her a thumbs-up. "Go get her, babe. Put her in her place." He was so incredibly punchable. I wanted to slap him, but doing that in public would make me look guilty. I forced myself to stay calm and speak clearly. "Let's start with freshman year of college," I said, my voice steady. "Tyler used to blow through his monthly allowance before the 10th of every month. After that, he survived by eating with me at the dining hall every single day. Let's do the math. At least $15 a meal, 20 days a month, 8 months a school year. Over four years, how much is that?" "During summer and winter breaks, he had no money and refused to get a job. Instead, he hung out at the bistro I co-owned, eating and drinking for free. By bistro prices, that's at least $80 a day. Four months a year, for four years. How much is that?" "And his clothes? His laptop? He begged me to buy them for him. At least two new outfits every season, $500 a set. For four years, how much is that?" Before I could finish, Martha, the vegetable vendor, chimed in. "That's at least sixty-four thousand dollars!" I gave Martha a thumbs-up. "And our college was an art school. Tuition was $40,000 a year. Tyler didn't want to take out student loans, so he begged me to pay it upfront. That's $160,000 over four years." The crowd gasped. "Holy crap, so she was basically raising him?" "This is insane! A grown man lying like this and calling her a gold digger? How shameless!" The tide turned instantly. Tyler became the target of everyone's glares. His face paled, and his voice shook. "Chloe, stop making things up in public! Don't drag my name through the mud!" Jessica, who had been clinging to his arm, looked shaken. But she tried to sound tough. "You have no proof! Where's your evidence?" I checked my pockets. My phone was stolen, so I couldn't show them the records right away. I had to think of something else. Just then, Brad, the live-streamer, yelled, "My stream just hit a hundred and fifty thousand! A viewer named Marcus says he was your college class president. He says Chloe is telling the truth and Tyler is a dirty liar!" "And another viewer named Hailey says she was Chloe's business partner at the bistro! She says Tyler ate there for free every break, never paid a dime, and told them to put it on Chloe's tab—at least $100 a day!" Hearing those two names, Tyler's face turned completely green. He stammered, unable to find a single word to defend himself. Jessica stepped away from him, looking utterly humiliated. But the look she gave me was filled with pure jealousy and hatred. I smiled coldly. "See that? I was the one sponsoring your boyfriend."
Jessica's face was bright red, but she refused to back down. "My boyfriend isn't broke! Who knows if you paid off those people to lie? You're just good at seducing men." Even now, she was trying to paint me as a homewrecker. My face darkened. "Jessica, woman to woman, let me remind you—defamation is a crime." Brad, the live streamer, quickly waved his hands. "Hey, don't look at me! I have a wife. I didn't even know Chloe before today." Seeing the crowd grow larger, Old Hank tugged at my sleeve. "Miss, I don't care about your drama. Just pay me for the fish." I had no choice but to whisper, "Hank, please give me a second. Or let me borrow your phone to make a call. I swear I'm not trying to dodge the bill, my phone was literally just stolen." Hank hesitated, then shook his head, refusing to hand over his phone. Just then, Martha, the vegetable vendor, walked over. "I'll dial the number for you, but you can't touch my phone." It was smart to be cautious, and I was incredibly grateful. I pulled her aside and whispered the number. Tyler's eyes darted around, and he suddenly spoke up with a self-righteous tone. "It's normal for college kids from poor families to borrow money! It's not a crime as long as you pay it back. There's a saying: Everyone struggles when they're young, don't look down on a guy just because he started poor." "Chloe, you're just clinging to the four years when I was at my lowest. What about after graduation? You borrowed tons of money from me and never paid it back. Why don't you talk about that?" Hearing this, Jessica instantly revived. She glared at me. "Yeah, Chloe! What are you acting so shady for? Come over here and let's settle the score!" "Tyler has sent you transfers of five thousand, ten thousand, even thirty or fifty thousand dollars! Especially over the last two years. You called it 'borrowing,' but you never had any intention of paying it back." Tyler yelled, "Exactly! I never said no to you, and now you're stabbing me in the back? Where is your conscience?" Looking at these two delusional liars, I laughed out of sheer disbelief. "He sent me money? Do you have proof?" "Because I distinctly remember on February 17th of this year, Tyler begged me for $100,000. He said his girlfriend had been in a horrible car accident and needed the money for emergency surgery. I transferred it without a second thought. Snapchat and bank records don't lie. Do you have the guts to open your phone and check right now?" Martha immediately chimed in. "She even remembers the exact date. That sounds like the truth to me." She stepped forward and patted Jessica's shoulder. "Girl, you better check your boyfriend's phone. Some men are pathological liars. They lie like it's breathing." Jessica's face flushed. "He wouldn't dare lie to me!" "Then check his phone! Stop wasting time, we want to see who the real liar is!" the crowd cheered. Tyler didn't look scared at all. Instead, he threw his head back and laughed. "Check it then! Who's afraid of who? Chloe, you're dead!"
Jessica grit her teeth and demanded Tyler's phone. Tyler handed it over with a smirk, throwing me a dirty look. Jessica opened his Snapchat and demanded, "Is this you?" I looked at the profile picture. "Yes, that's me." She triumphantly showed the chat history to the crowd. "Look at this, everyone! Look at how much money this leech dragged out of my boyfriend!" "April 2nd: 'Tyler, sweetie, my appendix is acting up. I need ten thousand for surgery.' And my boyfriend sent it immediately!" "June 8th: 'Hey Tyler, emergency! My landlord is threatening to evict me. Can you send your favorite girl five thousand?'" "And just last month, on the 9th: 'Hey Tyler, can I borrow fifty thousand? I need it for tuition to further my studies.'" The disgusting pet names made my stomach turn. I almost threw up on the spot. But I had absolutely no memory of any of these messages. The crowd erupted in disgust. "Ugh, that's vile. 'Sweetie'? 'Your favorite girl'? She's a professional leech." Jessica shoved the screenshots right in front of Brad's camera lens. "See this? She's been using my boyfriend as her personal bank!" She grew more and more furious. "Just two days ago, I told him to make her pay it back. You know what she said? She said she would 'pay him back with her body.' You hear that? She was literally begging to be his kept woman!" "If I'm lying about a single word, let lightning strike me down!" Her sheer confidence made Martha, the vegetable vendor, change her tune. She snatched the phone, looked at it, and glared at me with pure rage. "And here I was, standing up for you! I can't believe you're actually a cheap gold digger! The screenshots and chat logs are right here. What do you have to say for yourself?" She looked like she wanted to tear me apart. Old Hank looked devastated. "My stand is ruined. Get out of here! I don't want your dirty money!" The crowd's anger boiled over. They began shouting insults at me, and someone even threw a rotten cabbage leaf. I was completely bewildered. I tried to step closer to get a better look at the screen, but Tyler suddenly kicked me right in the stomach, knocking me to the ground. "Chloe! Since you want to play dirty, don't blame me for being ruthless. Pay me back my money right now!" Martha led the chant: "Pay it back! Pay it back!" Jessica clapped gleefully, crossing her arms in triumph. "How could a person like her have any money? We've known her long enough to know she's a broke loser." She looked down at me with absolute contempt. "Tell you what. I did the math, and you owe Tyler about two hundred thousand dollars. We'll be generous. Just write a promissory note, leave a thumbprint, and promise to pay it back within six months." Tyler kissed her on the cheek in front of everyone. "My girl is so sweet and understanding. She always knows when to be merciful." Then he turned to me with a wicked glint in his eyes. "Chloe, for lying about me, you need to get on your knees and apologize. Only then will we call it even. Don't say I'm being too harsh. A man's reputation is everything." Brad, the live streamer, started chanting, "Kneel! Kneel! Kneel!" Looking at Tyler's smug, punchable face, a sudden realization hit me. I clutched my stomach and struggled to my feet. "I can prove I'm innocent. And I can prove you are the lying fraud here." Jessica scoffed. "Oh yeah? Show us the proof then. Stop bluffing." Just then, a voice called out from the crowd. "Here's your proof." Tyler looked toward the voice, and the smug grin on his face instantly froze. He turned white as a sheet.
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