Flashback -- Your foot was just stepped on by a nine-year-old boy with messy hair, scraped up knees from playing rough and tough. He cuts in front of you at the entrance of a candy store. His eyes are glowing and mouth watering; He is in his own little dream world. He pulls out all the rattling change in his pocket to buy all the candy he can afford. Fast forward ten years to today, this boy is now a young handsome man among many at your college campus welcome week. They are now in a man's world of candy.

Ladies, you are the candy, And instead of stepping on your foot, they stomp on your heart.

This is what we call tools.

Unfortunately, a tool knows how to turn on his magic and act as Mr. Perfect. He makes you believe that you are the exception. You start to fall for him, open up, and let your guard down. If he makes a rude move, he convinces you to give him another chance. You give him that chance and then gain more feelings for him. But when he drops you the second time, it is more painful hitting bottom than it was the first time. He had you fooled to believe he was different.

How can you tell a tool apart from the real deal? Well, sadly it is hard to. They have mastered a way to draw you in and make you think you’re the only girl he wants to be with.

So girlfriend to girlfriend here, let's talk about how you know if you're with the tool or the real deal.

It is good to know his reputation. If people say he is a tool and only cares about getting with girls, even if he says he changed…chances are he still is a tool and looking for that hookup. Unless he can prove to you that he has changed by being open and honest about who he was and what made him change.

Is he Mr. Sneaky Sneaky? See how he is about hiding his phone, messages, snapchats, pics, etc. When texting him, if some of his lines are too good to be true, chances are, it probably is. He has either set you up or knows the perfect response to your line. A tool usually texts you when he is lonely, drunk, or horny. Not first thing in the morning, throughout the day, and last thing at night. And if not that, because people are busy, the real deal would call you to check in or because he simply wanted to hear your voice. Conversations should be more than basic and general questions. If he isn't a tool, he would want to get to know you on a deep level, learn about you and what makes you, you.

Dates are everything. It is the time you find out if there is a spark and connection. Dates can make or break it with someone. Was your date with him typical or something special, and unique? Did he spend time thinking about you, what you like and what would make you happy? If he asks you to come back to his house after your first casual cup of coffee he is more interested in getting in your pants than getting to know you. A tool won't treat you like the lady you are. He isn't going to "waste gas money" to come get you or take you home at the end of the night. Instead, he will ask you to meet him somewhere.

If a tool cancels a date on you, he will have a lame reason or story that doesn't add up. If you're not buying it, he will come up with as many different excuses and lies needed to make himself look innocent and the nice guy. But, truth is, he is just being a tool. He may be out with another girl or getting drunk with his buddies watching the game on TV. His apologies will usually just be "sorry" and not too much more. Instead, he should openly admit what he did, empathize with you, and tell you what he is going to do and change so that it never happens again.

A tool is bound to ghost you. He starts out by texting you over and over again and gets you to finally say yes, I will go out with you. You end up going and you slowly start to fall for him. You feel appreciated and start to open up and let your guard down. Until one day... he becomes busy. He isn't texting you as much anymore. The texts and snapchats, become less, and less until there is nothing. Then the anticipated moment where you unexpectedly run into him happens. You see him in the cafeteria at the soda machine and before you have the chance to say something, he will run from you and act like he doesn't see you or even know you.

You thought you were the only one, someone special, that you stood out to him in ways that no other girl did. But truth is, It is the thrill of the chase, and when the chase is done and he will move on to the next flavor of the day just like the nine-year-old boy in the candy store.

So guard your heart and put yourself high on the top shelf for the right guy. Don't end up as the crumbled candy wrapper in the trash.