SILLY LIE BACKFIRED

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In college, I was at this party where a group of people I didn't know well were talking about this guy named Marcus they had gone to high school with in Chicago. They kept staring at me and whispering among themselves.

Finally, one of them approached me. "Dude, stop playing games. We know you're Marcus Thompson from Lincoln High. You literally sat behind me in AP Chemistry."

I was confused. "I'm sorry, but I'm not Marcus. I'm from Denver, and I went to Jefferson High."

They weren't buying it. "Come on, man. You look exactly like him. Same face, same voice, same everything. The only difference is Marcus wore glasses, and you don't."

They started pulling out their phones, showing me pictures from their high school yearbook. The guy in the photos could have been my twin brother.

So, in order to mess with them a little bit, I said with a completely straight face, "Oh wait, you mean Marcus who wore glasses? Yeah, that's me. I wore glasses all through high school but got contacts when I started college."

I'd never worn glasses a day in my life.

The group erupted. "I KNEW IT!" one girl shouted. They started reminiscing about "our" shared high school experiences, and I just nodded along, making vague comments like "Oh yeah, that was crazy."

The problem was that my roommate Jake, who I'd known since we were kids in Denver, was also at this party. When the Chicago group moved on, Jake cornered me.

"Dude, what the hell was that about? You've never worn glasses. I've known you since we were eight."

I explained that I was just messing with them because they were so convinced I was this Marcus guy. "It was harmless fun. They'll never see me again anyway."

But a few weeks later, one of the people from that group—a girl named Sarah who was in my sociology class—approached me after lecture.

"Hey Marcus," she said with a smirk. "My friend Emma from the party didn't believe you about the glasses thing. She said your roommate seemed confused when you mentioned it."

My heart sank.

"So I told her she was wrong," Sarah continued. "But Emma said she was going to ask some of your other friends from high school to settle it once and for all."

I had to get to Jake before Emma did. I found him in our dorm room and explained the situation. "Look, I know this is weird, but if anyone asks, can you just say I wore glasses in high school?"

Jake looked at me like I was insane. "You want me to lie about something as basic as whether you wore glasses?"

"Please, man. It's harmless, and it'll blow over soon."

Jake sighed. "Fine, but you owe me big time."

A few days later, Sarah found me after class. "Emma asked your roommate about the glasses thing," she said with a satisfied smile.

My stomach dropped. "And?"

"He totally backed you up. Said you definitely wore glasses all through high school and that he remembered when you got contacts for college."

Over the next few months, the glasses story kept coming up in random conversations. Each time, I'd just nod and go along with it.

The weirdest part was that Jake started bringing it up too, completely unprompted. We'd be talking about high school memories with other friends, and he'd casually mention things like, "Remember when you broke your glasses during that basketball game?"

I started to wonder if he was just really committed to the bit, or if something stranger was happening.

A decade later, I finally had my eyes checked and actually did need glasses—just a very mild prescription for reading and computer work.

When I picked up my new glasses, I ran into Jake at a coffee shop near our old college campus. We'd stayed in touch over the years, and he was in town for a conference.

Upon seeing me with glasses for the first time, Jake's face lit up with recognition. "Oh wow," he said completely naturally. "I haven't seen you with glasses on since high school. They look good on you."

I stared at him, trying to read his expression. There wasn't a hint of irony.

"Jake," I said carefully, "do you remember that party in college where those people thought I was someone else?"

He looked confused. "Vaguely. Why?"

"Do you remember the glasses thing?"

Jake's brow furrowed. "What glasses thing? You wore glasses all through high school. I remember because you were always complaining about them fogging up during football practice."

I've never been sure whether he backed me up in that lie and then somehow internalized it over the years.