When I was a teenager, I hoped high school would turn out like a Molly Ringwald movie. But of course that never happened. High school was an awkward time for me realizing who I was and who my true friends were. Now after 6 years have passed, I still have the same group of friends from then and my high school sweetheart. I love the outcome but never the duration of my four years there. The inspiration for this article comes from a message I recently received via Facebook. My old high school crush decided it was time to say sorry for acting so rude to me. This made me wonder; does this act of forgiveness help me move on from my past?

I agree it’s like a movie brought to real life to have him say “I’m sorry” after what he put me through of teasing and his rudeness for four years of my life but I moved on from it after graduation. After 6 years this apology made me look back and realize my life has become better since then. College helped me improve who I am but I can’t neglect my high school years. I’ve made friends for life there and met a wonderful man as well.

Although I didn’t have the greatest of times those four years, my advice to others who have had a similar experience is to take the good times and make a better future for yourself. High school may not have been the greatest for some us out there but it’s part of our past that we must acknowledge and then move forward from it. Right after graduation, my friend Deanna had a similar experience by receiving apologies from her bullies. “They matured after high school and were able to look back on how inappropriate their behavior was,” she states in an interview. “If a person is apologizing for teasing someone back in high school, then I think it’s better for the victim to forgive them and just chalk it up to high school stupidity.”

Deanna was bullied throughout high school as well as grammar school and quotes upon the repercussions of it. “However, if the person is a known bully who harassed the victim for years and caused them real physical/emotional harm, then I believe the victim has every right not to accept the apology if they choose not to.” It comes down to maturity on either sides of the party. An apology may come off simple through a Facebook message and not always does it have to be accepted as Deanna has made a point of. But it comes down to the victim to accept or deny this forgiveness. As well, there must be a level of maturity to accept the past and move on from it. High school must end and the future must be encouraged and embraced to move forward in life.