As long as you were true to yourself and didn’t pretend to be someone else, you did nothing wrong. All you can ever do is be honest with the people you love. It’s up to them to decide if they want to be with you (the same way you get to decide if you want to be with them). It sounds like you tried and she just didn’t want to be with you. I don’t mean that in a cruel way. It’s just how things sometimes go.

Sometimes people grow apart. Time will heal, yes but for now, you’re grieving. You lost a friend. It will take time to let that go and for you to move on.

Frankly, it sounds like she meant more to you than you did to her. That’s her loss. Stand tall, be proud of yourself that you could give yourself to someone, and that you were honest and open. Go and do that again and again until you find someone that is honest enough with themselves to be as vulnerable with you as you are them.

Don’t t think of this as a failure or defeat. Think of it as part of a process. Turn the page and start a new chapter.

And Sublime did a song about playing the same song twice.

This time it’s different. He likes me in a way he doesn’t like the others. They were all toxic but he knows I’m true. They made him be like that. He knows I won’t.

The most interesting part of this for me is they were right. Both sides do have good points worth listening to.

I’m surprised they’re still around.

I went to my 10 year to make sure I was right. I was. I haven’t gone to any others and don’t even get asked.

I think the quote was “that’s what high school was, cheating and bad lunches”. Or something like that anyway. I never cheated. I don’t think I ever got cheated on either. I think in junior and high school a lot of people are figuring themselves out and make a lot of mistakes. But I think if someone is bragging about it as an adult, that’s just shitty.

Actually it’s not even good for that. Too much polyester.

Ha. To be fair, it was a joke gift, and I’ve only worn it once, to the givers house. I only keep it because every now and then I leave it out when we’re going out to tease my wife.