MORE HARM THAN GOOD

I first met Jeff ten years ago when I was at university. He was a senior at Harvard and was the favourite of all of the teachers. My friends warned me about being close friends with him. They said that our friendship would be harmful for me as they knew how unreliable he was. He was very intellectual and clever, but selfish. Whenever I wanted help with my projects and assignments, he refused. His grades were the highest at school and he didn’t need to study much, but I had to! Unfortunately, I was not as bright as he was. He didn’t help me with my lessons and homework, but he liked hanging out with me. Surprisingly, he was very generous when we went out. He always offered to pay the bill. He was a big spender! He was a kind of shopping addict. To be honest, we didn’t have a lot in common. However, I kept hanging out with him because he was popular. I have never been self-confident, so I believed everybody would like me if I were close to him.

While my social life was going well, my grades were getting worse. It didn’t take long for my parents to hear about this. It wasn’t acceptable for them as they weren’t wealthy enough to pay for an extra term. My friends were still worried about me, but I didn’t care. I lost my friends and my self- respect. I became deeply depressed. Over time, I started to realize things. I wasn’t blind! I understood that he was the reason of my misery. I had to do something to change this situation. First, I ended my friendship with him. Then, I studied much more than ever so that I could graduate from school at the right time. Luckily, I fixed my life before it was too late.

Jeff? Well, I haven’t seen him for ages. I heard that he hasn’t found a good job since he graduated. He has spent all his money on shopping, and is having financial difficulties at the moment.