Losing a high school sweetheart happens to people of all identities, as it can happen to anyone. You meet someone so amazing that you need to keep them around. They become your best friend and you don't want to be anywhere that they're not. You talk about everything together and you help each other out with all of your endeavors. Even if it wasn't the healthiest or best relationship, you stuck it out with them for the love you shared and built up a strong foundation. That foundation, however, is one of the things that makes the break-up so devastating.
For those of you who have lost that hometown love due to college, distance, or any other reason, you need to know that it gets better. Your world may feel like it's falling apart, but you are your own galaxy and life will always prevail here. They were not your everything, and something will happen one day to help you realize that.
Without them, you are still you; you will not lose yourself because of the loss of a love. You're in a time of change and discovery, and you might even find a better version of yourself at the end of it all. You'll be someone who looks back on these days and smiles, as you will know what joys are ahead of yourself at that time.
You don't even need to be hopeful yet. It took me a while to realize this wasn't the end of my chance at love. At one point, you will realize that someone has the capacity to love you, meaning someone else can do it, and they will do it better than your ex ever could.
In college, or even just in the job market, you'll be able to meet hundreds of new people every week. You're going to meet friends from all over, and some of these people may get closer to you than anyone in high school ever could. Among these people, though, you'll find the one that comes next.
With your high school sweetheart, you started dating and became best friends through your love, but this time, you will play it slow. You will get to know them and befriend them first, and from there, your love only grows. All the ways your previous partner treated you, whether good or bad, are blown away by the amount of care this person has for you.
You may not find this person right away. You may go through several partners, experimenting your likes and dislikes, learning what you need and where your own flaws are. You will discover a lot, but no matter if you find the end game right away or ten people down the line, there is a better future ahead of the dark days you reside in now.
To the person who lost their high school sweetheart, from someone who lost and learned from their high school sweetheart, things will suck for awhile, but you'll be better off without them when you finally move on.
