My Office Prank Went Terribly Wrong

So here's the story. I've been working in the same office for over twenty years now, and one of my closest friends at work is my coworker, let’s call her Laura. We’ve had our share of good times together, but lately she's been pulling some pranks on me that have gotten more annoying with each passing week. I decided it was time to turn the tables on her and give her a taste of her own medicine. I spent my lunch breaks over the last couple weeks planning out this elaborate prank involving a fake mouse that would run around in plain sight, scaring everyone. It took some convincing to get the rest of the office staff involved as well, I had them set up chairs and make phone calls at specific intervals so it looked like there were multiple people seeing the mouse. The day arrived, and things went exactly as planned; Laura came into work in a panic, jumping out of her seat every time she thought she saw something scurrying. But that was all before the fake mouse suddenly stopped working! All this effort for nothing. I felt bad but also frustrated with myself for not checking everything thoroughly beforehand. Worse still, another coworker from a different department heard about what happened and got wind of the prank idea being mine, which wasn't true at all, as it was my office's inside joke initially. This other colleague started spreading rumors around, calling me “creepy” behind my back because she thought I set up the entire thing. Here’s the kicker: Laura overheard this coworker talking about me and now feels betrayed by our friendship. She has completely stopped speaking to me since then. While I did try to explain everything, it seems like the damage is already done. I feel terrible for causing all of this trouble with something as simple as a prank gone wrong. So here’s my confession: what started out as a lighthearted idea turned into a big mess that hurt not just me but those around me too. Maybe in the future, it’s better to leave pranks at home.