Backstory: 
My mom left the family when I was 12. I'm not sure where she was, she's be home late after I fell asleep and leave early before i woke up. Because my dad travels 1/2 the time for work I was left raising my brother who was 7 at the time. 

Around 14 people started realizing I was struggling. Grades were slipping, I was totally depressed, and I was loosing my years to raising a son that wasn't mine. One family in particular took me in.

When I was 15 this family moved to another country and took me with them! It was the experience of a lifetime and forced my mom to realize what she was doing and step it up to take care of my brother. 

There I met one of my closest friends. At the time I was calling the family I was living with mom and dad, and their children my siblings. 
I was lying, and not very good but at the time I couldn't face the reality at home, being abandoned by my mom really messed me up. Most people caught on eventually that I wasn't actually related, nobody asked questions though. 

The move was temporary, and I haven't seen this girl since I was 17. around the time I was 16 she started asking a lot of questions about my family. We were "best friends" at this point. Embarrassed that I lied and told everyone they were my family I continued lying and it snowballed a bit. 

Now she is planning on flying over and staying with me for a month. I'm ecstatic! We've kept in touch and even though we're not as close I'm excited to see her! However Im sure the truth about my family will come out and I don't know what to do. Do I tell her before she comes? Do I tell it to her face? Do I avoid any and all questions about family? Is she going to hate me forever? Will she think our friendship was based on lies? Has anyone been in this situation before? Am I a horrible person? This is my biggest regret in the world.
user
lied about my family to my close friend 6 years ago, going to have to come clean and not sure
assistant
Backstory: 
My mom left the family when I was 12. I'm not sure where she was, she's be home late after I fell asleep and leave early before i woke up. Because my dad travels 1/2 the time for work I was left raising my brother who was 7 at the time. 

Around 14 people started realizing I was struggling. Grades were slipping, I was totally depressed, and I was loosing my years to raising a son that wasn't mine. One family in particular took me in.

When I was 15 this family moved to another country and took me with them! It was the experience of a lifetime and forced my mom to realize what she was doing and step it up to take care of my brother. 

There I met one of my closest friends. At the time I was calling the family I was living with mom and dad, and their children my siblings. 
I was lying, and not very good but at the time I couldn't face the reality at home, being abandoned by my mom really messed me up. Most people caught on eventually that I wasn't actually related, nobody asked questions though. 

The move was temporary, and I haven't seen this girl since I was 17. around the time I was 16 she started asking a lot of questions about my family. We were "best friends" at this point. Embarrassed that I lied and told everyone they were my family I continued lying and it snowballed a bit. 

Now she is planning on flying over and staying with me for a month. I'm ecstatic! We've kept in touch and even though we're not as close I'm excited to see her! However Im sure the truth about my family will come out and I don't know what to do. Do I tell her before she comes? Do I tell it to her face? Do I avoid any and all questions about family? Is she going to hate me forever? Will she think our friendship was based on lies? Has anyone been in this situation before? Am I a horrible person? This is my biggest regret in the world.
user
I lied to my closest friend for the past 15 years. She started asking questions and I'm terrified of the
assistant