It's being described as a real-life "Truman Show."
Lawson Spolansky, a content creator, shared his story about how a family member paid someone to be his best friend, a ruse that went on for a decade.
On TikTok, Spolansky says he met *Dexter* on the playground when he was five years old.
At the time, Spolansky suffered from several behavioral issues, including violent outbursts.
Things came to a head when his aunt sat him down at five years old and told him that he needed to "become a better man."
Spolansky then tells how he met his buddy Dexter and his mother at five years old and how they became friends until they were in their teens.
@lawsonspolansky im finally ready to share with u this horrific story #storytime #bestfriend #childhood #lawsonspolansky #fyp #childhoodtrauma #fypシ゚viral #mentalhealth #real #truth #actor #school #fypシ #trending ♬ My Best Friend I Never Had - Lawson Spolansky
After a series of odd occurrences, Spolasnky discovered that * Dexter* was a child actor and was hired all those years ago to pretend to be his friend.
It turns out Spolansky's aunt was behind the whole ruse, hoping it would help her nephew.
Spolansky says it's hard for him to trust anyone because of this revelation.
"I've never experienced a true friendship, so thank you, Aunt Jekka. I don't know what to do now," he said.
Since posting about his experience, he's been getting messages of support and shock.
"What in the Truman show is this dude omg that is insane."
"I’m so sorry, that’s so manipulative of everyone in your life. I hope you can start your healing journey now, you seem like such a wonderful person and you’ll find the people who really care about you."
"Lawson you are worth an honest true best friendship and you will have a genuine one along the way ❤️don't let this break you."
Feature image from Pexels by Cottonbro Studio