The Best Kind of Lie

So, pretty much everyone around me knew I was dating a guy who was building his business.

"Wow, it's so pretty! It must have cost a fortune, right?"

I shook my head, about to explain that it only cost 30 bucks online.

But before I could get the words out, a sharp, condescending voice cut through.

"Of course, it's not expensive. After all, it's a fake watch!"

I always felt like Margot Booth wasn't here to work—she was here for a runway show. The moment she walked in, the heavy scent of perfume followed her. She tossed her hair, and then proudly displayed her phone for us to see.

On the screen was a picture of the exact same watch I had on my wrist. Below it was the price tag:

428,999 dollars.

That was an amount I would need a while to pronounce.

"I doubt your broke boyfriend could make this much money in his whole life."

She threw me a side glance. I looked down at the watch on my wrist and nodded.

"Yeah, this watch really only cost 30 bucks. The 'diamonds' inside are probably just glass. But you know what? My boyfriend only has that much to spare, so that's what he bought me. He's loyal, and he's only good to me. Meanwhile, your boyfriend… didn't he walk in holding two girls in front of all of us that day?"

-

Margot's boyfriend was the son of one of the supervisors at our company—a typical rich kid who liked to flirt around. Margot had worked hard to climb up to his level.

I could tell my words had hit a nerve. Her face turned all kinds of colors—white, then red.

"I don't even know how you have the nerve to wear a fake watch! You really like knockoffs, huh? How shameless!"

She was clearly getting flustered, but I'd never been the type to back down.

"I'll wear whatever I want. You don't get to tell me how to dress. You think it's shameless? Fine, tomorrow I'll bring a hundred fake watches. I'll frame them and hang them right across from you…"

When you lost your shame, you'd become unstoppable. And right then, I was pretty sure Margot was on the verge of throwing up from anger.

But fate had a funny way of working things out. On my way home after work, I saw Margot again. This time, she held up her head so high it could reach the sky.

Her boyfriend had come to pick her up in his convertible Maserati. Of course, that in itself wasn't enough to make her so smug.

What really made her proud was that parked next to his shiny sports car... was my boyfriend's electric scooter.

As she walked past, I could almost hear her heels crushing from all the energy in her prideful stomps.

She got in the car and waved at me.

"Bye, Lisa! You and your little scooter have a long way to go home, huh? Better hope you don't run out of battery halfway!"

I watched them drive off, then hopped onto the back of Lance's scooter.

His waist felt surprisingly firm, and I found it to be the only comfort I had at that moment.

"What's wrong?" Lance raised an eyebrow, glancing back at me.

I told him nothing was wrong and just asked him to keep riding.

The evening breeze wasn't too hot, and sometimes the shadows cast by the high-rise buildings were truly awe-inspiring. But the best part was...

When I saw the traffic jam at rush hour, with Margot's fancy sports car stuck in it, I couldn't help but feel a little victorious.

Clearly, they had been stuck there for a while, and the frustration was evident on their faces.

I turned around from the back of the scooter and waved to them.

"Bye!"

They both shot me a death stare.

We sped off into the night, and I couldn't stop laughing.

Lance shook his head with a resigned sigh. "Sit properly."

"You know what?" I leaned into him, my arms around his waist, as I shouted over the wind, "There are two types of people I can't stand in this world: rich people and liars!"

Suddenly, Lance slammed on the brakes, and I crashed into his back.