I’ve been lying to my online best friend for 2 years. she thinks I’m 18 years old when I’m NOT. she’s 16 and I’m 14 and I don’t think I could ever tell her the truth that I’m 4 years younger than I said I am. I don’t think she actually believes I’m 18 but she goes along with it because it isn’t harming anyone. we would still have a 2 year age gap but I’ve come up with so many elaborate and specific stories in my life that ‘prove’ that I’m of age that I feel like it would just be too much to break the lie now. its so hard because we want to meet irl one day and we could never because of this lie. maybe if we’re still friends 10 years from now ill tell her but for now I have no intention of doing so. I don’t know why I lied in the first place, but sadly, she’s my only friend right now. I struggle with severe social anxiety and don’t want any friends, so I can’t afford to lose her. I wish i could just have gone back and told her my real age, she wouldn’t have cared and it would have prevented so much trouble. I hope this all gets sorted out one day.