What makes a great liar?

When I was in Elementary school, I had this friend of mine. She told me that people told her she should pursue law because she's good at lying and manipulating and scheming. Everybody knew it. It's a tag she's been carrying around at the time - being an open liar.

Since I've established the fact that I wanted to be a lawyer, I had to wonder what is it really that makes a good lawyer. Does a good liar also mean a good lawyer? I suppose it's a part of it of course, to protect clients and to win cases. But that's just it. It's a part of the job. But it doesn't define the job.

And so I asked myself, what makes a good liar?

An open liar like my Elementary days friend?

Friends of mine think of me as the good girl. The honest girl. They'd encourage me to lie in times of complications, and mostly so we can stay out longer to hang out. 

I usually decline.

And if don't... it would still look like I want to.

People think I don't lie. That I can't lie. What they don't know is that I can lie. I just have a different name for it. Lying is so easy for me because I write stories. I make up stuff in my head all the time, so making up excuses or covering up for something comes as easy as breathing. Lying is writing. Writing is lying. But I don't lie for petty things like sleepovers or friends night outs. What a waste of time and effort.

I can lie to my parents whenever I want to and it would be easy. I've done it so many times anyway. But I only lie for the bigger things; important things that matter. And it won't be that obvious, like getting sick or studying late or being off somewhere for the day. It'd be a story. After all, it's what I'm good at. They say we should work around our strengths and that's what I did. I'd tell a story that would actually make sense. A story that people will believe. A story that I made up. But you see, people wouldn't realize that I made it all up because after all... they think of me as the good girl. The honest girl.

I could be putting up a front with my parents, but how would you know I wasn't with you?

And that is what makes me a great liar.

Lying without people realizing I was.

*****

Hell I just remembered something. Back in high school I wrote a poem called "The Great Pretender" and a friend of mine at the time thought it was about my Elementary days friend when in fact, it's actually about me.

But no, he wouldn't think that because 1.) I wouldn't write about myself 2.) He thought I was the good girl 3.) I made him believe I was the good girl

I guess I've been playing this game for a while now. Question is, when do I take the credit?

I suppose when people find out and hate me for it. 

It pays to take credit. That's why I wanted to stay anonymous.