11 Small Secrets That Grew Into a Big Hot Mess

You may have gotten away with a lie, but has it ever caught up with you? Maybe it eventually has, or you’ve dug yourself too deep. Either way, these people’s little lies offer a lesson that being honest is definitely easier in the long run.

1.

I’m 30 now, but this started when I was around 27, during a phase where I was trying really hard to be one of those “put-together adults.” I bought a 12-pack of sparkling water because, you know, that’s what the cool people were drinking. The first sip tasted like someone whispered the word “fruit” into a cup of TV static. Absolutely disgusting. But I had already posted it on my Instagram story with the caption: “New addiction lol.”

And that was the beginning of my downfall. Friends started bringing sparkling water over when they visited. Coworkers stocked it in the office fridge “because I liked it.” My girlfriend (now fiancée) thought it was cute how “into sparkling water” I was, so she bought me more for Christmas.

Now, I’m in too deep. Anyway, if you’re young and reading this: never lie about your beverages. That stuff will haunt you. © VryCuteAjaBharDuChut / Reddit

2.

Back in college (00’s) one semester, I checked out a stack of books for a major research project. School and life got overwhelming, and I completely lost track of them until the end of the semester, when I got a letter from the library about overdue materials. I panicked—each book carried a daily fine, and I had at least 10 of them overdue by over a month! I didn’t have money to pay, and outstanding fines meant no grades or transcript access.

I gathered the books and rushed to the library, heart pounding. Instead of dropping them in the return bin, I approached the desk and forced a grin. “I know these are way overdue,” I admitted. “But I swear, I never even got to use them.”

The librarian eyed the stack, then me. “You could’ve just returned them weeks ago,” she said flatly. I swallowed. “Yeah... but I kept thinking I’d finally need them tomorrow. And then tomorrow never came.”

She sighed, shook her head, and, after a pause, typed something into the system. “I’m not waiving the fees,” she said. “But I’ll cap them at the 30-day max instead of letting them keep accruing.” © Admirable_Alarm_7127 / Reddit

3.

I was going through a rough patch. My rent had just gone up. My car needed an expensive fix. I was sleep-deprived, constantly on edge, and the pressure at work was insane.

There’s this girl at work who always seemed to get ahead. She was younger than me, prettier, always got picked for high-profile stuff. One night I overheard her talking about leaving early the next day for a “doctor’s appt” but then later she joked to someone about going shopping. And I just... snapped.

I sent an anonymous complaint to HR. Said she was abusing time off. Nothing major. But it triggered a review. She didn’t get fired, but she got written up. And I heard her cry in the bathroom stall while I pretended to be in the next one.

I wanted to say something. Anything. But I froze. I sat there in silence while she tried to breathe through it. I regret it every day. I didn’t do it because she was bad at her job. I did it because I felt like life kept handing her wins, and I was drowning. But that’s not her fault. And I punished her for it. © OreliaShade / Reddit

4.

I am very ticklish, and I hate that. Very often with any partner I’ve had at some point it comes up, “Are you ticklish?” proceeded by them trying to tickle me. There is one major problem with this, though.

When people find out you’re ticklish, they forever have this secret playful power they can use against you at any time. Because of that, long ago I just decided to always lie, say I’m not ticklish, and it has worked out amazingly.

Very important though, following that statement you always have to go through about 2–3 seconds of tickles, you must stay strong, after this you’re safe forever. © DevelopmentHungry906 / Reddit

5.

At work, I’m known as the go-to person for productivity tips. I’ve got a whole routine: color coded planners, to-do lists, time-blocking. Everyone asks me for advice.

The truth? Most days, I’m just opening spreadsheets... and then immediately switching to endless scrolling. Once I set a timer for 25 minutes of deep work but spent the entire time watching a compilation of pandas sneezing.

No one suspects a thing. I just smile, nod, and say, “Focus is key.” © PixelFernn / Reddit

6.

My closest friend and I have been working together for some time now. I have a slightly higher managerial role to him, and our boss confides in me quite a bit. Our boss had previously told me how my friend was starting to slack and politely asked me how to deal with it, so I gave him advice on how he can approach the situation based on my friend’s character.

After a few months, this apparently didn’t improve at all and my boss took me in a room and said, “I’m gonna have to let him go. Business has to pull the plug, and it can’t go on anymore.” I then had to spend around 1–2 weeks with this information before it actually happened. It’s the hardest thing in the world to talk to someone, knowing such information about them.

The worst part is being their shoulder when they tell you what’s happened, and you need to act surprised. © GuessBrilliant9167 / Reddit

7.

A while back I was home watching movies, relaxing, and eating cookies. They were insanely good, and I found myself in the kitchen several times getting more. I only got one cookie at a time so as to fool myself into thinking it wasn’t too much.

I forced myself to stop when it was obvious, by looking at the clear packaging, that someone had gorged themselves. My mom, who bought the cookies specifically for my son, noticed and asked who was at fault.

I panicked and blamed it on my son and called him the “Cookie Monster”. The name stuck. © GetMeMyDinner / Reddit

8.

About a decade ago, I went to college for a degree in accounting. Despite my best efforts, I struggled so badly to the point of being put on academic probation after three semesters. Anyway, I would make fake screenshots of my grades and send them to my parents after each semester and tell them I was doing so well.

When it came time to graduate, I kept lying and postponing my graduation. It bought me two more years. I kept saying I have a few classes left, when in reality, I changed my major towards the end.

During those last two years, I stopped going to class and work. Additionally, I started giving myself every excuse to skip class and ended up graduating college after 7 years with a 2.35 GPA. Today, I do not use the degree, and instead I am pursuing something else. © AffectionateOkra9863 / Reddit

9.

For context, I’m 19 and currently living with my parents. My sister’s room is right next to mine and is filled to the brim with stuffed animals. Usually I’ll take one or two while she’s out watching TV or something. She has so many that she doesn’t even notice for the most part.

I know it’s weird, but it honestly helps me sleep at night. For as long as I can remember, I never really enjoyed sleeping. I remember one time when I was eleven I woke up sweating after a nightmare which still kinda sticks with me to this day.

I don’t know why, but I guess it helps to pretend someone else is right next to me. I know you’re all probably cringing at this right now, but hey, this isn’t exactly something I would tell people face to face. © Significant-Rise7609 / Reddit

10.

It started as a joke. I watched like every Harry Potter movie and decided one day at school to say I was a transfer student from just outside of London because my parents moved, and I had just transfer to a new school. I fully committed like full force.

Told the teacher my family just moved for my dad’s job. Started calling the bathroom “the loo” and recess “break time.” Even faked confusion over American things like PB&J. The worst part is everyone believed me.

I got so deep into it that teachers would introduce me as “our new British student,” and I had to invent a fake hometown and accent every day like I was on some weird improv show. Eventually, I got tired of the lie, but I didn’t know how to back out. So one day, I just stopped using the accent.

When someone asked why I didn’t “sound British anymore,” I panicked and just said, “Oh, I’ve been working with a dialect coach to blend in better.” Still convinced I could’ve become a child spy. © TsDanielaFernandez / Reddit

11.

When I was 7 I had been learning how to play the keyboard for two years. If you put the easy setting on, you could literally hit 1 or 2 keys over and over again, and it would play the entire song through. So at the age of 7 my grandparents thought I was a prodigy. Family and friends would come over to listen/watch me play and were astounded.

For my 10th birthday, my grandparents bought me a real piano and signed me up for a summer camp where ’prodigies’ of different instruments went to compete. VERY expensive. My entire family, friends from school and a family friend were there for my birthday party and wanted to hear me play on my new piano.

I broke down crying and ran to my room and confessed to my grandmom what I had been doing for years, and it broke her heart AND trust for me. It sucked. I still cringe when I think about it. I’ve been playing for over 20 years now though and can play all of the songs I listed and probably hundreds more now. © melapot8 / Reddit

In the end, secrets have a funny way of catching up with us. What feels like a small lie in the moment can slowly turn into something way bigger, and messier, than we ever expected. The stories we’ve looked at are a reminder that while lying might seem easier at first, it usually makes things harder in the long run. Some lies don’t have to be so catastrophic, like these white lies people told.