Maria and Anna had been best friends since childhood. They had shared everything together for over twenty years. They celebrated birthdays, supported each other through hard times, and dreamed about the future. But one day, something changed between them. It started with a simple misunderstanding. Anna had organized a surprise party for Maria's birthday. She had invited all their mutual friends and planned every detail carefully. However, Maria found out about the party by accident. She overheard a conversation between Anna and another friend. Maria felt betrayed rather than happy. She thought Anna was talking behind her back. Maria did not understand that the secret conversation was about her surprise. That evening, Maria confronted Anna angrily. 'I heard you talking about me today,' Maria said coldly. 'You were planning something behind my back.' Anna was shocked by Maria's accusation. 'I was not doing anything wrong,' Anna replied defensively. 'You do not understand the situation at all.' Maria crossed her arms and looked away. 'I thought we told each other everything,' she said bitterly. Anna wanted to explain about the surprise party. But Maria's anger made her defensive too. Instead of explaining, Anna became upset. 'If you do not trust me after twenty years, maybe we are not real friends,' Anna said. Those words cut deep into Maria's heart. Maria left Anna's apartment without saying goodbye. The next few days were painful for both of them. Maria replayed the argument in her mind constantly. She could not sleep well at night. Anna also suffered in silence. She had canceled the surprise party after the argument. All those months of planning had gone to waste. Their mutual friends noticed the tension between them. Some tried to help, but both women refused to talk about it. A week passed without any communication. Maria began to question whether she had overreacted. Perhaps she should have listened to Anna's explanation. But her pride prevented her from reaching out first. Meanwhile, Anna was struggling with similar thoughts. She regretted saying that they were not real friends. That was the opposite of what she truly believed. One evening, Maria was looking through old photographs. She found pictures from their high school graduation. Anna had been standing right beside her, smiling broadly. Maria remembered how nervous she had felt that day. Anna had held her hand and told her everything would be fine. Tears started rolling down Maria's cheeks. She realized how much she missed her best friend. At the same moment, Anna was doing something similar. She had found an old birthday card from Maria. The card said that their friendship would last forever. Anna could not stop crying after reading those words. She picked up her phone and started typing a message. Her fingers trembled as she wrote the words. Meanwhile, Maria had made the same decision. Both of them sent messages at exactly the same time. Maria wrote: 'I am sorry. I miss you.' Anna wrote: 'Please forgive me. I need my best friend.' When they saw each other's messages, they both laughed and cried. Anna immediately called Maria. 'I was planning a surprise party for your birthday,' Anna explained. 'The conversation you heard was about the decorations and the guest list.' Maria felt a wave of guilt wash over her. 'I should have trusted you instead of jumping to conclusions,' Maria admitted. 'Can you ever forgive me for ruining your hard work?' Anna smiled through her tears. 'There is nothing to forgive,' she said softly. 'We both said things we did not mean.' They agreed to meet at their favorite coffee shop the next morning. Maria arrived early and ordered Anna's favorite drink. When Anna walked through the door, Maria stood up immediately. They hugged each other tightly for a long time. Neither wanted to let go first. 'I have missed you so much,' Maria whispered. 'These past two weeks have been terrible,' Anna agreed. They sat down and talked for hours. They discussed what had gone wrong and how to prevent it in the future. Both promised to communicate more openly from now on. Maria apologized again for not trusting Anna. Anna apologized for her hurtful words about their friendship. 'I know our friendship is real,' Anna said firmly. 'Twenty years of memories prove that.' Maria nodded and squeezed Anna's hand. 'Let us never let a misunderstanding come between us again,' she said. They made a pact to always talk things through calmly. If something bothered them, they would ask directly instead of assuming. After their conversation, Maria had an idea. 'Why do we not plan a party together?' she suggested. 'We could celebrate our friendship instead of my birthday.' Anna's eyes lit up with excitement. 'That is a wonderful idea,' she exclaimed. They spent the rest of the afternoon planning the party. They invited all their friends and chose a beautiful venue. The party was a huge success two weeks later. Everyone celebrated not just Maria's birthday but also their reconciliation. During the party, Anna gave a touching speech. 'True friendship can survive any storm,' she declared. 'Maria and I have learned that the hard way.' Maria hugged Anna tightly once again. They both knew their friendship had become even stronger than before.
English Story (B1)The Argument
This B1 English story is designed for intermediates learning English. It includes simple vocabulary and short sentences to help you improve your reading and listening skills. Click any word to see translations and hear pronunciation.
About this story
Maria and Anna, best friends for twenty years, have a painful argument over a misunderstanding. Maria wrongly believes Anna is talking behind her back, not realizing it was about a surprise birthday party. After two weeks of silence and regret, they both reach out at the same moment, reconcile, and learn that true friendship can survive any storm.
Translations in English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
Why did Maria become angry with Anna?
2
What happened after the argument between Maria and Anna?
3
How did Maria and Anna finally reconcile?
4
What did Maria and Anna decide to do after making up?
Vocabulary
40 words from this story
