ROSE-SCENTED SCAM.

He was ambivalent in his self-pitying wallow over losing the two most important things- the lustful angel, the devil he loved, and all in between.

Damien contemplated how he was to fill the emptiness in his breast, or how to settle the debt he'd been encumbered by the ones he trusted.
That eventful semester had been summed up by the crinkled letter that lay in his hands. His mind dashed to the excitement that reined his now sombre, melancholy-filled countenance; it'd always been the same expression, the brow-itching blush and the ridiculous grin, whenever he received Leila's Rose-scented letters, that had her trademark scarlet lipstick smudge at the envelop back.
Although it should've aroused his suspicion, being two days late, he'd enthusiastically opened it. It read.

"Damien, I'm sorry for being a fraud.
I've been lying to you a long time, and I don't think I can afford it any longer.
My loyalties are torn between my heart and the promise to a committed friend.
I can never love you like Martha does. She loves you dearly, but you only see her for less than she's.
Talk to Martha, she'll explain all, coz' I'll only try lie to you that love conquers all, but it cant conquer my deceit and betrayal.
Farewell, goodbye.
Leila."

He pored over the letter and contemplated the realism of his folly, her duplicity, how she'd always been so mysterious; this should've made him cautious, it excited him instead.
He rushed over to Martha's hostel for answers. Only for a fight to break out between him and Richard; the sloth that was supposedly dating Sheila; his ex, that wretch of a woman.

"Why're they fighting?" Sheila asked.

Martha explained after the raging furies had subsided, and threats discarded. She sat'em down, spoke thus.

"I'm sorry, Damien, for not telling you earlier how much I adored, loved you. I should've, I tried but you'd not let me-dismissed my concerns_"

"_What concerns?" Damien asked.

"About the wretches you were involved with, but you never listened, neither would you see me as anything more than the girl you confided about your depraved exploits, as if i enjoyed listening to it.
You're the kind of dangerous man, I promised myself I'd never fall for. Before I knew it I was spinning on a thin sheet of ice that's your flawed charm. The harder I fought, the faster the ice broke from beneath my feet, eventually I drowned in your wiles-like everyone. I wished you'd see me as worthy love, even just a little bit. The many times you told me of your exploits, and times when those selfish, hollow girls gossiped-how much of a thorough lover you're, I felt the anguish of my obsessive jealousy tear me up, left a void in here," she placed a hand on her breast, added "a void I fought you to fill, tried all I'd to feel even an ounce of that kind of love they talked about."
Martha spoke with fervour, soon replaced by a regretful wave of pity.

Damien's empty gaze wandered his mind off to the recess of his memories, of how Martha cloyed at his every whim, how she'd presented herself suggestively in the days of comforting his numerous heart breaks- she'd try to cheer him with the prospect of meaningless sex.
'Sex has meaningful healing powers.' she'd enthuse.
The way she pouted everytime he declined her offer.
She was obviously more beautiful than most of those low self-esteem girls he'd indulged, he was intimidated by her; a pretension he marked in the 'sanctity' of their friendship- 'I value your loyal friendship too much to compromise it with sex.' he'd reply, all those times he fought from her sensual embrace.
Damien blushed remembering the only time he took Martha up on her offer- when Sheila had broken him, a tough time it was; the tears, the vulnerable hopelessness, the wallowing. He needed her indulgence, they tried the 'healing' sex, but he was rendered impotent by his endless tears, that they soon abandoned the whole endeavour, never to be spoken of again, until now.
He listened as Martha narrated.

"That night when your muffled cries got in the way of a good time, it ignited an insatiable fire that turned my infatuation into obsessive fantasy."

"That's how the letters started?" Damien asked. Martha hesitated before nodding.

"Hearing you speak, I realize the letters were your words, not Leila's" Damien commended.
Richard frowned.

Martha didn't know if there was an implied compliment in his words, or not. She narrated "I wrote as your secret admirer. You'd ask me 'Its 2010, who writes letters?'"

Damien added "And you'd say 'Our emotions are primitive'."

"You got so excited bout this secret admirer, eager to meet, I promised to introduce you two. Them you went and mistook Leila for 'me', despite me tucking the agreed-upon rose in my hair.
I felt betrayed again. I saw opportunity present itself, convinced Leila to play along, as I wrote more letters"

Richard demanded some information too. They treated him indifferently.

Martha continued "The goal was to make you fall deeply in love."

Sheila added "Then she'd crush'im, and he'd run to you."

"I'd show'im true love." Martha returned.

Richard mocked "Sounds like a plan!"

"Yea, until Leila went and fell in love with'im. Even meeting you (Richard) didn't help much. I planned it such that you'd be the 'other man'"

Sheila scoffed "And Richard fell in love with her prematurely, didn't he?"
Martha regretted.

"So you took my money instead" Damien asked.

"That's all Leila's plan. She convinced me she'd give it to me, and when she'd broken your bank, you'd run to me for help, that way you'd become indebted to me."

"So, where's the money?"

Martha shook her head, "I don't have it. She took it all, that cunnin' bitch!"

Damien conceded "Never trust a gambler whose habit you fed."

A silence ensued.

Sheila intimated "So, Damien has it worked, are goin' with Martha?

He flashed his most insinuating scowl, answered "NO, never! I now see the snake Martha truly is,"
He shocked them, in a surpassing wonder. He added "This ploy of yours has failed. Yes, Leila told me all-how you convinced her to scam me of my money. Then you decided to cut her out of her cut."

"Are you going to trust that whore over me?"

"She has morals, something you don't!
I thought you were my true friend, why the money, why the pain? Was my friendship insufficient?
We'd a bond like no other-you needn't envy those other girls. I see who the real wretch is."

Sheila intervened "That's a little harsh!"

"Harsh is how you helped plan all this. Breaking my heart wasn't punishment enough for loving you earnestly.
I knew it was impossible that you'd be with this clown," Damien turned to Richard "And you, I thought you were my friend; was it about the girls, the money, the cheap popularity, huh?

"What's the meaning of this?" Martha demanded.

"Shame on y'all. I figured you out, before you did me. Brilliant idea it was ; Richard dating Sheila, that surely drove me into your trap. Desperate, frustrated, I played along and fell in your snare, and I thank you, for I never would've met a love like Leila's" He grinned briefly "We were happy. Then you compelled her into this plot, 'til she couldn't stand all the treachery."

Martha shrieked "Leila lied. She played you too!"

He continued "She couldn't! She fell in love and didn't want to take the money. That didn't sit well with you, so you'd suspended for exam cheatin'. Then wrote this letter in panicky desperation."

"I did no such thing. She left on her own."

"You won. You broke me, tho' not in the intended fashion. This little 'farce' with Richard almost fooled me, good thing she used the money you wanted her to steal, and used it to break your banks instead." he chuckled, continued "Too bad, I changed the game on you. We played you! Richard's angry 'coz Leila did'im how she was to do me, broke his heart and took his money.
And Martha, you never loved me, what kind of love can be birthed from these lies? Also, dont bother rummaging through your closet, that money isn't there. Sheila, the careless daughter of a careful man, lets see how little daddy's little girl is goin' to be when he receives your flanking reports and 'special' pics' I sent him.
You should've left us, we were happy, still are!
You'd more from me than most would dream, but you just'd to go be greedy. Your rose-scented scam turned on you. Checkmate!"

He rose to leave, face gleamin' as he tried to call her, tell her the good news. The number was disconnected. His face shone in the resounding shade of despair. He'd been duped as well.
"MY TUITION?"He whimpered.

"Checkmate!" Martha returned mordantly.

Their worlds sank.