The Last Time I Lied

by Riley Sager

There’s surprise in his voice, as if women are somehow incapable of boldness. Or maybe his surprise stems from the fact that, in person, I’m anything but bold.

“Everything is a game, Em. Whether you know it or not. Which means that sometimes a lie is more than just a lie. Sometimes it’s the only way to win.”

I think she might actually be a bitch in training. She stood up to me last night, which took major ovaries. I was duly impressed.

She needs to learn not to trust everything everyone tells her. Two Truths and a Lie isn’t just a game. For most people, it’s a lifestyle.

Like it was wrong of me to mourn her. Like grief was a mental illness.

Anyway, that’s the lesson I learned today. Every woman is crazy. The ones who can’t hide it well enough are shit out of luck.

It’s like barbed wire that’s been stretched between us—invisible yet keenly felt whenever one of us nudges against it.

It was like a leak in a tub of water, the optimism draining away drop by precious drop.