Dear friend,

You may not be aware of this, but I've caught on to what you've been doing. I'm honestly a bit surprised that it took me this long to figure out the emptiness of your words. You tell me stories that don't add up, you talk about people who don't exist and you tell me details so obscure that they couldn't possibly be true.

I can only assume that you say the things you do out of a feeling of insecurity. Maybe you feel like you have to overcompensate for certain aspects of your life that you feel aren't up to par in comparison to me or our other friends. Maybe you feel like you're not interesting enough. On the other hand, maybe you do it for the thrill of seeing my reaction when you tell me these outrageous stories. I don't think you're an unkind, manipulative person, so I'm going to go ahead and give you the benefit of the doubt and think it's because of the first couple reasons rather than the last.

I hope you realize you don't have to make up elaborate stories for me to be your friend. I like you for your personality and character, not how many dates you go on, how many people hit on you or how many unusual circumstances you seem to witness or get yourself into.

I hate that you feel like you have to lie to contribute to our conversations rather than simply changing topics to something that we all have in common. We have plenty of other things to talk about, and I would much rather have a real conversation with you rather than one filled with relatable lies.

I feel like our friendship is at a standstill because I find myself questioning the accuracy of every word that exits your mouth. I feel the need confirm every one of your stories and look up every person you mention because how am I to know if you're telling the truth this time?

I've noticed when I've tried to ask for more details and background, you become defensive, excuses come pouring out and you then distance yourself in hopes that I'll forget about your inaccurate story. I must admit, you've got quite a talent for being quick on your feet. I don't think I've ever seen someone think up so many lies and excuses on the spot before.

To be honest, I don't exactly know how to deal with your problem. It's kind of a lose-lose situation. I could confront you, but I know you'd deny it. That's awkward and uncomfortable for the both of us. I could continue to go along with it just to humor you, but I feel uneasy about encouraging such unhealthy behavior.

I don't know how long you've been lying like this, but let me tell you, I'm not the only one who's noticed. People pick up on questionable details; we're not as naive as you had thought. I hope you reconsider this habit and take a moment to think before you speak. Our friendship is important to me, but I'd much rather it be built on truth than lies.