How could they be so cruel!

Vicky walked across the room to pick up her phone and read the text that had just pinged in. She frowned. It was from an acquaintance that she had worked with a few years before. I haven't heard from her for years, she thought.

She read the text: Is it true what Alan said you've done?

Alan? Who's Alan she thought. She smiled, thinking that Ally had texted the wrong person.

Just as she put the phone down, another text arrived. She picked up the phone and read. This time it was from a work colleague. Again, it asked if Alan was telling the truth.

Now she was beginning to worry. Who was Alan? What had he said? She tried to put the messages to the back of her mind, get on with her day.

But still the messages came, all saying the same thing! What was going on? Now she was really worried.

Another arrived, from her best friend Pam. No, this just wasn't on, she needed to find out what was happening!

She called Pam. 'Hi, I'm just wondering, this Alan, do you know who he is? What's he been saying about me.

'Don't you know?' Replied Pam angrily. 'Well no, or I wouldn't be asking' said Vicky defensively.

'Did you really steal all of that money from the company?' Said Pam

Vicky's stomach turned! 'What? What money? What company? Who is Alan?'

Pam went on to explain how she had received a text from Alan, saying that she had stolen a large sum of money from the company that she worked for.

'But I don't know anyone called Alan, cried Vicky! Do you know who he is?'

Pam became quiet. 'Actually no, I don't know him, I just presumed he had got my number from you!

Vicky began to cry. 'But I don't know him, and I haven't stolen anything! Don't you know me better than that?

Pam became quiet! 'Are you still there Pam? Talk to me!' She sobbed into the phone.

She heard Pam take a sharp breath!

'Oh Vicky! I'm so sorry. We thought that you would see that it was a joke! You left your phone on your desk last week and we copied your contacts. Everyone knew what was going on. We really thought that you would like the joke. You have such a great sense of humour.

Vicky put down the phone. How could her friends be so cruel and unthinking. She'd been having such a tough time with things lately and had been feeling so down. But she had kept it to herself, not wishing to burden her friends with her worries.

She fell onto the sofa, sobbing, tears running down her cheeks.

How could they ever have thought that this was OK, that she would 'get' the joke!

How could she show her face again?

She picked up her coat, left the house. Nobody ever heard from her again.