Catfish: Caught in a lie (Nia & LaughtersAssassin)

[Niah]

Michelle couldn't help but feel jittery, as her nerves began to bother her. Things had been going so well for the young woman and now in one afternoon it could all be put at risk. Over a month ago, finding herself feeling down and lacking confidence, she had decided to try her hand at talking to people online. However even behind the safety of her computer, she still worried about how others might treat her. Michelle had never been slim and high school had been nothing but a torturous affair for the brunette. She was bullied regularly because of her weight and it had left her with serious confidence issues. So when it came to showing people who she was online, she did the stupid thing of sending her cousin's pictures to them instead of her own.

It wasn't long until she had found herself talking to a guy whom she became quite close with. There was just one problem, he didn't know that the pictures were fake. She had wanted to tell him, so many times. They lived in the same town for Christ sake! Michelle had even seen him around occasionally, but of course he walked on by not realizing who she was. Her insides each time screamed at her, saying that she should walk up to him and reveal her true self, but she just couldn't. She had sent him pictures of her cousin, Jessica. It was her that he was attracted to, not Michelle. What if she told him the truth and he never wanted to speak to her again? No, she simply didn't have the courage. Which was fine at first, but now she had a problem on her hands. Jessica had come to town for a visit! For most of the morning Michelle had managed to hide her cousin in the house. After awhile though, the other female became bored and insisted that they go out for lunch.

So now they were walking arm in arm down a busy street in the middle of town. Jessica was chatting away as they looked for a place to eat, but Michelle was too preoccupied to think about food. With her cousin living in a different town, using her picture had seemed like a good idea at the time. Now she cursed herself for how idiotic her behavior was! What if they were seen?! Her eyes darted from street corners to shop windows, hoping upon hope that he wouldn't appear. "Lets head to Nero's" Michelle suggested hastily. It was a small coffee place not far from them, where right at the back there were some booths hidden from view. They could eat there, relatively unnoticed and get back to her house before anyone saw them. "You ok Chelle? You seem a little shaky." Jessica asked, the look of concern clearly visible upon her face. Of course Michelle hadn't told her cousin what she had done. If she ever found out, she'd probably feel so hurt and violated. God! Why did she do it?! She loved her cousin and would never hurt her intentionally. Yet here she was; pimping out her pictures for her own selfish reasons, she was so ashamed! Michelle gave a nod "I'm fine..." she lied. The two girls crossed the road and continued on their way to Nero's, just a few more yards and she would be safe.

 

[LaughtersAssassin]

Dylan knew the stigma about online dating. If you weren't on Tinder looking for casual hook ups, you were pretty much cast as a loser who couldn't find a date in the real world. That wasn't at all the case for Dylan, who always had friends setting him up with other friends and girls in his classes who wanted to go out for drinks. The issue was none were exactly relationship material. Sure, they were fun for a date or two, but they weren't the settling down type. He was looking for a girlfriend, not a girl to get sloppy with and then fool around only to forget just about everything that happened the night before. He'd been there, done that. So, in a last ditch effort, without his friends knowing, he created an online dating profile and found someone.

Michelle lived in the same town and was absolutely gorgeous. She was exactly his type, was incredibly sweet and seemed to be looking for exactly the same things. Dylan was a little skeptical, sure. It was hard enough to believe he was on the dating site, let alone a girl like Michelle. But as time went on, she eased his fears and they grew closer and closer. He wanted to meet badly, but Michelle was good at making excuses or shifting things away from the notion. She had a way of making him feel like getting to know one another over the phone and online would make them actually meeting in person so much better.

And so, they went over a month that way, having long phone conversations at all hours of the night. Dylan had sent Michelle intimate selfies, he'd told her things he didn't even tell his close friends. Things were serious. It was just getting over that hump of actually meeting one another that was holding them back.

So, as he was going to be in town running some errands, he figured it as good a time as any to text Michelle and let her know he'd be around downtown if she had the inkling to want to meet up. "I'm downtown getting some stuff done. If you're around, would love to finally see you." He sent the message and then looked up from his phone. His eyes widened in surprise. Across from the street corner he stood at was Michelle. She was there with who he presumed was a friend, but yeah...it was definitely her. He'd seen enough pictures to know what Michelle looked like.

Jogging across the street, Dylan laughed as he stopped dead in front of them. He wore a grey t-shirt and a pair of jeans and sneakers, dressed casually for his day bouncing from store to store. "I literally just texted you. God, this is crazy. It's so good to finally meet you," he said, flashing who he thought was Michelle a warm smile. He leaned in and gave her a hug, but realized she wasn't quite as receptive as he anticipated. He couldn't understand why.