The Fatal Best Friend

It was my fiance, Sophia, who first suggested a getaway with her best friends. I should have seen it coming. Her male best friend, Arthur, was in charge of the snacks. Hed swapped out the beef sauce on the pizza for crawfish paste, something Im severely allergic to.

After I took a bite, tiny red patches immediately flared across my face. Arthur just chuckled, "See? You can eat it, can't you?"

I frantically searched for my epinephrine auto-injector, only to find the storage box completely empty. Sophia, seeing my reaction, merely paused for a moment before explaining, "Arthur is scared of needles, so I threw them all out. Just drink some water, you'll be fine."

But the red rash was already spreading, crawling across my face and down my neck, an angry tide.

"How could I have left them where he could see them? I could die!" I stammered, my voice tight with panic.

She, however, looked annoyed. "Who hasn't had an allergy before? How serious could it be? Don't be such a drama queen." She then turned, pulling her now-sobbing male friend into a comforting embrace, murmuring soothing words.

I couldn't utter another sound. My fingers fumbled for my phone, sending a desperate text to my father: "Dad, I ate seafood, but Sophia threw away all my injectors."

My hands clutched at my face, the burning sensation almost unbearable. "Sophia, tell me, where did you throw them?!"

Perhaps my voice was too loud. Arthur flinched, as if startled, which only made Sophia tense up further.

"Finn Marston! Aren't you suffocating with your hands over your face? Can't you act like a man?" My face was already swelling, but Sophia just gave me an impatient glare, her words dripping with ice.

"You know I have a severe allergic reaction to seafood, Sophia," I tried to reason again, hoping she might show a flicker of concern.

But she merely rolled her eyes, her gaze already fixed on her phone, fingers flying across the screen. Her friends' phones chirped continuously, and they kept stealing glances at me, giggling behind their hands.

My heart sank. I stood numbly outside the hot spring, utterly lost. Arthur, however, walked closer, and with a sudden jerk, pulled my hands away from my face.

"Oh, big brother's face is a little flushed. Could it be from seeing Sophia's friends in bikinis?" He let out a snicker, and the women around us, hearing him, huffed in indignation and splashed water at me.

The hot spring water was lukewarm, but the splash drenched my upper body, and the burning sensation intensified, spreading like wildfire. Despite Sophia's disapproving glare, I grabbed Arthur's collar, though I barely had the strength to hold on.

"Tell me, where did you throw them?!"

Arthur shoved my hand away, a sneer twisting his lips, the cruelty in his eyes now starkly visible. "So eager to know?" He stepped closer, forcing me back a few staggering steps. My foot accidentally landed on some scattered women's underwear on the ground. By the time I realized what had happened, it was too late.

"Ugh, a pervert! That's my freshly changed underwear! Sophia, control your boyfriend!"

"Seriously, Sophia, what kind of person do you bring home?"

I lifted my foot in shock, my gaze meeting Sophia's. "Finn Marston." Her voice was low and dangerous. "Are you done making a scene?"

I was too stunned to explain, too mortified to meet her eyes. My body felt as if a thousand ants were crawling under my skin.

"Sister, it's not his fault. He accidentally stepped on it when he grabbed me. It wasn't on purpose." Arthur seized the opportunity to slink back to Sophia, his voice soft and innocent.

"Arthur was just trying to be concerned, and you laid hands on him?" Sophia's anger flared once more, expertly stoked by him.

I was about to explain, but Arthur cut me off. "Finn, I'll pour you a glass of water. Calm down, and forgive me." With that, he scurried to the outdoor water dispenser. As he filled the cup, he cast a wary glance at me. Then, I saw him squeeze some unknown liquid into the water.

"Finn, it's all my fault you and Sister Sophia are fighting. Have some water to cool down." As soon as the water was brought to me, a sharp citrus scent assaulted my nostrils. The itching on my body intensified.

I endured the discomfort, and under Sophia's watchful eye, took the glass. The moment our hands met, Arthur suddenly pressed hard on the bottom of the cup, splashing water all over my face.

"Ah Arthur, what are you doing!" The acidic liquid, combined with my sensitive, reddened skin, ignited an even more intense stinging, making me cry out in pain.

All eyes turned to me, but Arthur's tears came first. He darted behind Sophia. "I didn't do anything! Finn isn't trying to frame me for splashing water on himself, is he? I was just trying to show some concern for him when he suddenly knocked over the water..."

Sophia's face hardened. She strode towards me. Then, a sharp, stinging slap landed hard on my cheek.

"Finn Marston, have you made enough of a scene? So he gave you seafood, but you're fine now, aren't you? What more do you want?!"

The lemon juice continued to irritate, and my entire body began to swell. After Sophia's slap, my lips started to turn blue.

"Sophia! Where are they?! I'm seriously going to die!" I was on the verge of falling to my knees, ready to abandon all dignity in front of everyone.

But Sophia was completely unmoved. "You dare to yell at me?" she said, her expression alien. A ripple of whispers ran through the women.

"Finn, your emotions are so unstable. If you're like this around Sister Sophia, you might become abusive..."

Sophia's gaze sharpened, piercing me with accusation. I wanted to defend myself, but no words came.

In the silence, Arthur naturally took Sophia's hand, swaying gently. Sophia looked at him with a tenderness I had never seen her direct at me.

"Sister, you know I can get very overwhelmed by sharp objects..."

My eyes burned as I stared at their intertwined fingers, a sharp pain piercing my chest. Just as I was about to speak, Sophia's gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by an expression of pure disgust as she looked at me.

"Enough. I think you just want to use those stupid needles to hurt Arthur. How can you be so malicious? Don't you dare bring that up again."

I briefly glanced at Arthur, wanting to speak again, but a sudden shortness of breath seized me. Then, my vision swam, and I collapsed painfully to the ground.

Everyone was momentarily startled by my collapse, but it was just a moment.

"Sophia, did you find this boyfriend at a circus? He's quite the entertainer."

"Look at his nose, so red. Doesn't he look like a clown?"

"Hahaha..."

Sophia heard the escalating laughter of her friends, and her face flushed with embarrassment. She then kicked me again. "If you're not dead, get up. Get out."

The kick landed squarely on my chest. My chest, already suffering from the allergic reaction, seized up violently. "Cough... cough!" Blood spewed from my mouth.

Seeing me like this, her disgust only deepened.

"Sister, why don't you go play with your friends? I'll take care of Finn. Don't let him ruin your mood." Arthur spoke first, putting on a show of "easing her burden."

After Sophia turned and re-entered the hot spring, he squatted beside me, pulling at my ear. "Finn Marston, you're all red and disgusting," he whispered. "How about I tell you? Your medicine? It's in the trash can at the foot of the mountain. Are you going to go?"

My face was flushed, my body racked with intense itching, too weak to even shake off his hand, let alone stand up and walk the ten miles of winding mountain road to the foot of the hill.

"Foot of the mountain... why..." I moaned in agony, but Arthur's eyes sparkled with more excitement. In a haze, I noticed my messenger bag under the table. I remembered it contained my best antihistamines. While not as effective as the auto-injector, they could slow down an acute reaction. A flicker of hope ignited within me.

Ignoring Arthur's taunts, I hunched forward, reaching my hand under the table. Just a little more, and I'd have it. I strained my body, my fingers almost touching the pills.

But Arthur suddenly stood up. With a swift kick, he sent the pills skittering into the nearby pool. My heart plummeted with them.

"Arthur! What are you doing!" I screamed hysterically, my eyes blazing with furious fire.

"Doing? My foot slipped." Arthur brutally stepped on my outstretched hand, watching me with amused interest. "This medicine isn't as good as the injector, is it? I'll escort you to the gate, you can go get that one, Finn."

With that, he grabbed my arm and dragged me, face-down, forward. The path around the hot spring was covered in jagged, colorful gravel. My exposed upper body scraped against the ground, the intense tearing sensation threatening to make me pass out. He dragged me like this for a full mile.

By the time we reached the gate, my back was raw, a bloody mess of torn skin. Arthur then urinated on me.

The overwhelming stench choked me. I couldn't open my eyes, but the vile liquid made me sickeningly aware. Aware of the agonizing pain throughout my bodythe swelling, the lacerations, the acidic burning... and the profound humiliation.

Seeing me in such agony, unable to open my eyes, Arthur contentedly zipped up his pants. Then, footsteps approached.

"Arthur? I saw a puddle of rotten flesh and a lot of blood on the road! The girls are terrified!" Sophia, in her high-heeled sandals, walked up, failing to notice me hidden just outside the villa gate.

Arthur visibly panicked for a moment, then quickly composed himself, adopting his usual "puppy dog" expression. "Sister, the cook accidentally spilled some scraps of meat, I haven't had a chance to clean it up yet."

"But what about Finn? He's not really hurt, is he? He really is allergic to crawfish..." Hearing Sophia's concern for me, Arthur cast a jealous glance my way. I let out a cold laugh, though my lips instantly screamed in pain.

"I couldn't argue with Finn. He asked me where the injector was discarded, so he ran off to look for it." He then added, "See, my hand is all bruised from him pulling on it."

Bruised? Yes, that was true, but it was from when he beat me.

"What! He hit you again, that despicable man, so vicious!" From my spot in the corner, I watched as Arthur's hand was taken, gently caressed, and mourned.

"Don't mind him. Sister will take you to put some ointment on it."

When Arthur's back disappeared from my sight, I finally passed out completely.

I don't know how much time passed, but large raindrops pelting down roused me from unconsciousness. The sudden coolness brought some relief to the burning pain on my body, but blood still flowed relentlessly from beneath me. The door creaked open again.

Arthur, holding a clear umbrella, slowly approached me, examining me carefully. "Didn't you say you were dying? How come you're not dead yet?" He pulled an engraving knife from his chest pocket. The blade glinted, momentarily blinding me.

"Your face is handsome, it's no wonder Sister Sophia likes you. But if I carve a line across it, will she completely despise you?" he said nonchalantly, a truly grotesque smile on his face.

"Arthur, so you're this despicable because of your inner insecurity?" I struggled against the swelling on my face, forcing my eyes open as wide as possible, mercilessly mocking him.

He seemed to have been struck by something personal. His expression hardened, and the engraving knife slashed across my face, leaving a long, deep gash. Pain. This time, I didn't cry out. I just silently registered the agony on my face.

"Arthur. Let your death countdown begin."

"When I die, my father will flay you alive. Your pain won't be a single fraction less than mine. It will only be more, not less."

"But, I also can't die from such humiliation."

"After all, I am the son of the richest man in the city."

"And now Im enduring this bastard's torment, to be secretly done to death by him."

"And Sophia, she's just the daughter of a small-time business owner."

"I meticulously maintained her self-respect, yet she simply threw my dignity to the ground and crushed it."

"I refuse to accept this."