Run Away With Me

Truth Doesn't Change The Way You Lie

"Did we get enough beer?"

"Yes, Maddie."

"How about chips?"

"Are we really going to do this every time we invite people over to the house?"

"I'm sorry, you're right. I'll grab a beer and just go outside until they get here."

"That'ta girl." He uses the bottle opener to pop the lid off my drink and then spanks me on the butt as I pass him to go out to the deck.

Our friends should be here soon and every minute we get closer to their arrival, the sweatier my palms get. I can't explain it but even after all this time, all these experiences and incredible nights, I still feel like at any minute they will see right through me and realize I'm not who I say I am.

Not just my name, obviously that's a lie. I'm worried they might realize I'm a loser who had to ask a practical stranger to be my friend for two months. They thought we were sleeping together when we first met but we hardly knew each other.

They hardly know me.

The doorbell rings and it's a stark contrast from the last few times they had been here and let themselves in through the back gate or knocked once and opened the door.

Jack jogs over and answers it, plastering a smile on his face. Easily slipping into his open and friendly persona. The one that is the king to my queen at parties. The one everyone wants to be friends with and feels like they are after just one conversation.

They hardly know him.

"Hey, guys. Thanks for coming. Stella is out back if you ladies want to join her." He gives a side hug to Kayla. "Kyle, my man."

That's the rest of the conversation I hear before the back door opens and Sophia, the twins, and Kayla are walking outside to join me on the lounge chairs.

"Hey, girl! We missed you. You two have been MIA since-"

"Tansy." Tiffany shushes her sister.

"Right."

"No, guys, it's really ok. You have known Mason your entire lives. I really don't want it to be weird between all of us. It's not like were making you choose between us and him."

"You just don't want him here anymore." Sophia finishes. But the bite in her words makes me cringe.

"Is that so wrong?" I try to defend.

"It's just that-" Tiffany starts softly but is cut off by Sophia.

"It's just that we've known Mason since he was in diapers. We were in kindergarten together, we learned to ride bikes together, we wrote on his cast when he broke his arm, we went to prom together. I find it hard to believe that all of a sudden, after eighteen years of knowing this incredibly sweet guy, all of a sudden I'm supposed to believe some girl we just met a few weeks ago that he is an emotionally unstable jerk."

"If you felt this way, why did you come here tonight?"

"Honestly, I'm not even sure. Maybe I wanted to hear how you two would defend yourselves. Because I'm getting a completely different story from Mason."

"I'm sure you are. You said it yourself, you've known each other your whole lives. Why would he want you to see him any different than you have been since you were kids?"

She doesn't say anything, only purses her lips. I don't want to pick a fight with Sophia. With anyone, for that matter but I never imagined the person defending Mason would be her.

"Look, if you feel you need to make a choice between Mason and me, pick Mason. Because at the end of the day, he will be here and I won't. But I hope you know the likelihood of me lying to you about something like this is impossible. I don't know why I would try this hard to be all of your friends only to screw everything up for you."