Catfished: Part 2: Megan

I couldn’t believe a cute supermodel hit me up! I was so excited! He was so hot! Hotter than all the guys at my school. All of them were jerks, anyway. Especially Liam Mitchell. I tried to get his attention too many times, but he wouldn’t give me the time of day. Screw him, then. I had another hottie.

Jac and I had been talking all day, especially during school. I would secretly text him in class and not get caught. During study hall, my friends try to convince me that he’s fake.

“No, he’s not!” I retorted. “He’s real and I’m going to prove it to you all.” But I had no idea how to prove it. I couldn’t find the evidence that he was real. Except for one thing.

“Hey,” I messaged him after school.

“What’s up, gorgeous?”

“Wanna videochat?”

All I saw were those three dots waving around, which made my anxiety go up.

The three dots disappeared.

Was he hiding something?

I continued messaging him.

“Jac? Everything okay?”

“Sorry. I can’t. My webcam broke.”

“Oh I’m sorry. Can you buy a new one?”

“I will when I have time. Later babe!”

“Later.”

I let out a sad sigh as I put down my phone.

“Any luck on videochatting your new boyfriend?” one of my friends, Leona, asked as we left the school building.

“Nope.”

Leona frowned. “I’m tellin’ you Meg. He’s not real.”

My blood boiled. “He is! You’ll see! You’ll all see!”

I stormed away to my car.

~

“So, how was school?” Mom asked as she made a sandwich.

“Okay, I guess.”

“Tell me all about it.”

“Well, let’s see. I learned stuff, talked with friends, and…that’s it.”

She looked up. “No new boyfriends?”

“No,” I said slowly. “Why would you want to know that?”

“Well, since you’ve been talking to boys online, I’m wondering if you talked to some at school.”

“You’re still not over this?”

Mom cracked her fake nice act. “Oh, face it, Megan! You’re making a mistake!”

“No, I’m not, Mom! He’s the sweetest, kindest, most genuine person I’ve met online!”

“Oh, so you do have a new boyfriend.” She placed a hand on her hip.

“Yeah, so?”

“Do you even know what he really looks like?”

“Well…no. But I asked if he could do a videochat with me.”

“And what did he say?”

“He said his webcam broke.”

“And you believe that?” Suspicion rose in her voice.

“You see? This is why I don’t tell you everything. You’re always in my business!” I stormed upstairs.

“Megan!”

“Leave me alone, Mom!”

I pulled out my phone and texted Jac.

“Jac, please. If you’re real, just video chat me.”

I waited for a few minutes until he replied back.

“I’ll buy a new webcam tomorrow. Goodnight.”