April 25, 2025
by Jace Everett Kline

So, I did something two days ago that I haven’t really stopped thinking about since—and not in a good way. I lied. It started off as a tiny thing, just a sentence I said without thinking. But now it’s hanging over me, heavier than I expected.

Let me explain.

It was snowing like hell. Like the kind of snow that makes you question every life choice leading up to putting summer tires on your car in January. The temp’s been brutal lately—minus 25, sometimes colder at night—and my car’s nothing special. Just something that runs. Kind of. But I needed gas, and some heat for the engine, so I took it out anyway.

On the way back, I’m coming up to this stoplight about five blocks from home. I press the brakes, and—yeah, nothing. I slid into a guy’s truck at like 6 mph. Not a crazy crash, not even a dent on his side. My bumper cracked from the cold, but he was chill about it. No yelling, no threats, just a quick “you good?” and we both went on with our lives.

It should’ve ended there.

But when I got home, for some reason—I honestly don’t even know why—I told someone my neighbor had backed into my car. I don’t know if I was just embarrassed, or didn’t want to admit I’d messed up, or maybe I was trying to avoid hearing “I told you so” about the tires again. It just… slipped out.

Now it’s two days later and I’m stuck in this dumb lie that didn’t need to exist. And the worst part? My neighbor’s the kind of guy who would definitely not hit someone’s car and drive off. But I’ve told it to enough people now that backing out feels like admitting I created drama for no reason.

I don’t know if I’m gonna come clean. Maybe I should. Maybe I’m just trying to write this down because I feel like a jackass and needed to say it somewhere. But yeah—I lied. And it’s eating at me more than the stupid cracked bumper.