To My Best Friend's Ex-Boyfriend,

First things first, confession time: any text you've ever sent her, I have read. In fact, many of the responses you received from her I helped formulate. Now before you get your back up and tell me I envaded your privacy, you should know that you were obviously important to her and that she felt the need to impress you.

I could see that she was falling head over heels for you, so I wanted to trust you. I wanted to like you. But I saw red flag after red flag, and I was in over my head. I couldn't make her decisions for her, but I didn't want for either of you to get hurt either. It wasn't going to work between you two. Your relationship blossomed quickly, and its problems shot up like weeds. You were changing yourselves, your core beliefs, to make each other happy. I watched you both sacrifice so much of yourselves that you resented each other for it. You fought, made up, fought, over and over again.

I provided the ice cream and the spoons when we sat down and tried to figure it all out. I spoke to both of you separately, trying to help you see that you were both frustrated with each other for the same reasons. After you broke up, I encouraged her to hold her head up high and would dare her to meet new people whenever we went out.

I'm not bringing up the past to hurt either of you or to tell you that I've chosen a side. Take this statement as a reminder that next semester is a fresh start. You've both moved on. I'm not asking you to be best friends and make flower crowns while playing hopscotch. I'm just asking you to let go of your hate. You are bound to run into each other or hear something about one another, but those don't have to be negative experiences. There are so many problems in our world that are bigger than our last breakups. Problems that we can unite over and work together to solve.

I'm asking you to forgive. Don't slander each other or bicker like five-year-olds. Act like the (young) adults we are and focus on bettering yourselves, and the world we live in.