Truth: Guys say things girls want to hear.

As much as us girls want to believe that Prince Charming is going to come sweep us off our feet, we’ve (for the most part) come to the realization that he either doesn’t exist or is playing really hard to get. So what do we do while waiting for the day our princes will come? Settle for more humble options.

When a guy approaches a girl, he has three seconds to make a good impression. After this time has elapsed, all you need is some sort of personality and good enough looks to get a hookup by the end of the night.

There are obvious downsides to a one-time hookup, like realizing you actually don’t think he’s that cute or wishing you hadn’t given him your number. If you’re lucky, you won’t be in any classes together or live in the same building. If not, just pray it’s not too awkward when you’re the only two in the elevator.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with a drama-free, no strings attached hookup. I’m just saying if that’s truly the case, there should be no confusion from either side as to what’s going on. Take, for instance, the following example.

Lie: “I had a great time. I’ll text you tomorrow, babe.”

Truth: “I didn’t store your number. I got what I wanted so it’s not like I’ll be needing it anyway.”

In this situation the guy has led the girl to believe he is interested in forming a relationship, whether romantic or platonic, with her. This can go two ways: the attention he’s giving her can make her more interested in him, or she can regret ever getting with him in the first place. If the guy just lets her know she should probably forget his name, the point will come across much more clearly.

Yeah, it’s not the nicest way to break it to her, but it’s better than having to ignore texts, calls and friend requests.

So why do guys feel the need to lie? Maybe it’s insecurity issues. Maybe they feel the need to put up a front of bravado in order to be any kind of competition. Or maybe — and most likely — they are only interested in the physical, so they don’t think a lie can do any harm.

But sometimes guys get ahead of themselves. They don’t stop to think that maybe the girl is looking for the same thing: a meaningless hookup. If they would take that into consideration, they would spend less time trying to hook girls in with empty words and pickup lines and more time getting what is really wanted.

I won’t be completely sexist — there are some good guys out there. But more often than not, a girl will get to know a “nice guy” only to find out that it was just a cover. To the typical guy, getting in a girl’s pants is the equivalent of getting in her heart.

There are some truths that girls don’t want to be told. Don’t tell us you just got out of a serious relationship — we don’t like being rebounds. Don’t tell us how much better our clothes would look, off — you’ll never find out. And above all, don’t tell us you like our Facebook default if we’re not friends in real life — you’ll seem like creepers.

The difference between the truth and a lie is very subjective, but no one likes being lied to. There’s nothing wrong with the truth once in a while.