I know what the title sounds like, but please, before you think to yourself “oh great, another story about a high school relationship that didn’t work out (surprise),” let me just tell you something—this isn’t a story about a relationship that didn’t work out, this is about why it did and how it changed my life for the better—even now, after it’s over.
Let me just rewind a little—senior year, at the beginning of the basketball season, I was recently out of a terribly too long “worst-mistake-of-my-life-ever” relationship. I felt like I knew what I wanted in my life. I had amazing friends by my side and a picked-to-win state basketball team (that’s another story all in itself)—I thought “this year is all about me, I’m focusing on myself and that is it. No distractions.”
Oh boy, did I think wrong...
Dear you,
It seems like just yesterday I was bringing you Sonic drinks every morning between first and second hours, or maybe even second and third hours when I decided PE wasn’t worth it that day (that was a perk of being a senior. Who actually showed up to class? Plus 99 cent large drinks before 10:00 a.m. – SCORE!). It seems like just yesterday our “lazy Sundays” were a tradition and Monday night "Bachelor" watch parties with your mom and sister were practiced religiously (p.s. sorry for forcing you to be a part of that). It seems like just yesterday we broke down in your old blue truck on the side of the road for over an hour and had to have your dad come get us, after he already warned us it wasn’t a good idea to take it out. That sort of seemed to be a recurring thing with us, doing dumb things together but really not caring because it was just you and I against the world—or at least that’s what it seemed like at the time. But here it is, over a year later and I’m in my dorm room writing this at 1:00 a.m. and everything is completely different.
You showed up out of nowhere, it also helped that I was in a class with two of your closest friends, trying to hook their sophomore friend up with a senior (yeah, right), but man, am I glad I listened to them. You came along and brought happiness to my life during a time I didn’t even realize how desperately I needed it. You pushed for me so hard and kept pushing even when I had my walls up, thank you for that. Thank you for being goofy with me and never judging me (most of the time). Thank you for enabling my late night Sonic obsession. Thank you for our late nights lying around doing nothing and for always being there for me no matter what. Thank you for being there through the biggest year of my life—for being my biggest fan in the stands, my second coach, my personal masseuse, and my favorite shoulder to lean on when I felt overwhelmed. Thank you for listening to me try and rap every Nicki Minaj song ever—even if it did make your ears bleed. Thank you for showing me what real love is, because man, did I have the wrong perception of it before. I could always count on you to make me giggle—in fact, I don’t think there was a time when I was around you that I ever stopped smiling. I could go on and on but really I just want to thank you for picking me up and piecing together a very broken girl. I will always be thankful for you.
So here it is—now 2:30 a.m. and I’m in my dorm room in my second semester of college, you’re back home, and everything is different. But not necessarily bad. I can’t wait to see where your success will lead you, because after it's all said and done I still believe in you, even if I didn’t show it as much as I should have.
I am no longer bitter that we did not work out, and, in fact, I am glad we didn’t. I hope one day, down the road, we can look back and laugh at our memories together as friends, and until then I wish you nothing but the best. I hope your next chapter of happiness will bring you the kind of joy and love you brought me. I hope you make her laugh as much as you made me, I hope you take her out and look at the stars with her, and most importantly I hope she makes you the happiest you’ve ever been. Because a guy like you deserves it.
Thank you for loving a broken girl more than she deserved at times, and for never ceasing to believe in me. I will forever be grateful for the part you played in my life. Our story, and you, will forever be dear to my heart.
Sincerely,
The girl who wishes you all the happiness and success in the world
