Never Told A Lie

Have you ever wanted to just tell the truth but you know you can't because you know will get let off easier if you lie? Well good for you, you’re normal! I, on the other hand, am not normal. No matter how hard I try, I just can not tell a single lie. Not even a half-lie. People normally call me harsh or heartless. I try to tell them the truth but they think I'm lying. Only if they knew the truth. "Alana, are you ready?" my mom  asked me. "No mom! You are being very annoying right now!" I respond. At the moment I knew I was in trouble.  My mom started coming toward me. "I'm sorry mom! Please give me a little more time!" I begged. When she finally got to me, she just gave me the keys to the car and told me to get out of the house. I grabbed my stuff and started heading toward the door. "Bye mom!" I shout as I exit the house. I didn't wait for a response because I knew she was very stressed. When I entered the car I realized that my mom forgot to clean it out. I was furious. I stormed back into the house and shouted "Really mom?! You forgot to clean the gosh dang car! That was very irresponsible of you! How come I have to take care of you and the other way around?!" After that I left the house again and went into the car. "Why in the world did I say that?!"I shouted. I slammed my head on the steering wheel in my frustration. When I looked up I saw my mom heading toward me. I turned the key in the car and started driving away. I wasn't sure where I was heading and I didn't know where to go. I decided to call my friend Kayla. "Hey Alana! Whats up?" Kayla said as soon as she answered. "I just yelled at my mom for rushing me out the door and for not cleaning out the car. It's filled with trash," I tell her. She didn't say anything. "You there?" I asked. "Yeah, I'm here. I just wished you would be nicer," she replied. I sighed and told her I wished I would be nicer as well. I drove around a bit with Kayla on the phone for a few hours. "Hey Alana, how about we go shopping?" Kayla asks me. "Sure, why not!" I reply. I start driving in the direction of the mall I normally shop at. "I'm going to hang up now," Kayla told me. Before I could respond, she hung up.

When I got to the mall I saw Kayla just outside it waiting for me. Once I walked up to the mall Kayla noticed me. "Hey Alana!" Kayla said  hugging me. "Are we ready?" I ask. Kayla nods and we go into the mall. The first store we went to was Iris's.  Kayla tried on many outfits that weren’t really my style but most definitely hers. "what do you think of this outfit?" she asked me. I looked at her up and down. The outfit was hideous on her but her face shows that she really likes it. I didn't want to say anything but I couldn't lie. I tried super hard not to say anything but I finally busted. "The outfit looks hideous on you. You should try that outfit on," I say pointing to an outfit she hasn't tried on yet. At that moment I saw her smile turn into a frown. "I'm sorry! I tried not to say anything but-" Before I could finish my sentence Kayla interrupted and said "I thought it looked good on me! Why are you so heartless Alana?!" she shouted at me. Kayla ran back into her changing room and left me in shock. After 30 minutes I decided to leave the mall. 

While driving home the traffic was heavy.  There were many accidents. I just ignored it though. When I made it home I plopped onto the couch and just laid there, scrolling on Instagram looking at everyone’s lives and what they were doing. At the time I felt out of place in the world. Like I should be someone else. Someone who can make friends easily, go out with people easily, be more pretty, and most of all, I felt like I should be able to lie. I decided to put my phone up and take a nap. 

After 30 minutes I couldn’t fall asleep. No matter how much I tossed and turned I just couldn’t seem to fall asleep but then again, I didn’t feel like moving. After another 30 minutes I finally gathered enough energy to get up and eat dinner. “How have you been lately?” my mom asked. I looked at her with my tired eyes and replied “Not too well. How are you?” She sits down at the table and says “Yeah, me either. Today was very stressful. It’s going to be hard once you're gone,” she said. I sigh and sit down next to her. “I told Kayla that the outfit she was trying on looked hideous on her and told her to try on a different outfit,” telling her with tears starting to form in my eyes. My mom started rubbing my back with the palm of her hand and told me that I should apologize to her.  “I tried but she interrupted me. I really did try,” I tell my mom as tears slowly start to roll down my cheeks. My mom then hugged me and said “Maybe you can’t lie because I never taught you to. I never lied to you or around you so maybe that's the reason you can’t lie.” I look at her and say “It’s not that I can’t lie, It’s that I may have just lost my only friend. If I lose her then it's all over.” “It wouldn’t be over. You still have college to go through. Maybe you will find someone new who likes you the same way Kayla did. Maybe even more. Don’t be too hard on yourself Alana,” my mom says. I smile at her while tears are rolling down my cheek. “Thanks mom, I really needed that,” I say, releasing my mom from the hug. My mom smiles at me and gets up to get her food. I do the same but take it to my room along with my phone. 

Once I got to my room I started texting Kayla. “Hey, I know you're probably still mad at me but I’m sorry for what I said at the mall. I’m also sorry for ditching you. I just felt bad and thought you didn’t want to hang out with me anymore so I left,” I texted Kayla. Now all I had to do was wait for her to respond.

After 20 minutes or so I get a text back from Kayla. “Hey, don’t worry about it. Honestly, It did look ugly on me but the way you said it was very rude. I  also know you can't help it but I can't deal with your brutal truth anymore. I’m sorry, I don’t want to hang out anymore,” Kayla texted me. That was the last text I ever got from her. At first I was very upset but after a while, I got over it. Soon enough, I started college and moved out. I have amazing friends that actually understand my problems. They suggested I be a Critic of some kind the fact I can’t lie. Also the fact I am brutally honest. I don't think I’ve ever been this happy before. One thing I do know though is that I have some great years ahead of me.

This work was inspired by the prompt "He said, She said" appearing on  https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/. .