I’m The Girl Your Mother Warns You About

If I were to ask those that have known me and those that have loved me to describe me in one word they would say I’m reckless. Your best friend will call me a slut, but that’s only because we’ve fooled around before. Your close friends will remind you of the reputation I carry with me and your acquaintances will be impressed that you managed to land a girl like me. Your father won’t tell you, but deep inside he’s a little envious. He’ll see himself in you and I’ll remind him of that girl he rarely dares to think about. Your mother will make her disapproval for me known up front, but that is to be expected after all, I am the girl she’s warned you about your whole life.

When your mother pictured your future, she knew this day would come. The day when a girl like me would show up and take your life by storm. She knew a naïve; unsuspecting boy like you would be immediately enthralled with the excitement I would bring and the life I would show you. She knew you would overlook the girl that’s good for you, instead setting your sights on the wildcard. She was young once and she knows what I’m capable of. She only wants to love and protect you from the inevitable outcome our relationship will have. She may not have been the girl boys were warned about but she knows firsthand what it takes to clean up the mess I’ll leave behind. She was the one who mended your fathers broken heart when a girl just like me left him shattered and alone. She’s seen how long time can take to heal wounds like that and she knows the irreversible damage I can do to a boy like yours heart.

She doesn’t know what attracts nice boys like you or your father to girls like me. She doesn’t understand why the good girls only catch your eye once you’ve experienced such heartbreak. There’s probably some science to it but I can only guess it’s because girls like me are a little dangerous and very mysterious. People are strangely attracted to what they don’t know. Good girls are predictable and boring. Many have heard my name, passed on stories that probably hold no truth, and watched me from afar but no one really knows who I am. They can assume and talk all they want but the fact is very few get the chance that you’ve been given. I’ve extended a hand to you, offered you a glimpse in to the secretive life I lead. They, as well as you, will be disappointed to learn I’m nothing more than the girl your mother warned you about

All that really means is that I’m sometimes cold and often careless. Those I’ve hurt before you might even say what I do is cruel. I’ll stay one step ahead of you because I always win the game. Maybe that’s what makes what I do so awful. I play these games with boys who don’t even realize they’ve been called to play until long after I’m gone. I’ll demand you make a choice between what you love and me. You’ll choose me every time, and I know that. I will always expect more than I’d be willing to give. You will meet these demands because I’m unlike any girl you’ve ever met before. You will cater to my every want and you will provide everything I need and so much more. I won’t seem thankful and it will never seem like enough. I won’t acknowledge the effort you make. I will lack emotion and empathy. You won’t understand why I can’t drop my guard and let you in. You will never figure me out.

Eventually, you will grow wary of always giving everything you have and never receiving anything in return. I will recognize the signs and keep you holding on for a moment longer. I don’t need much time just enough to draw you back in so that I can leave. When I go I will leave behind an exhausted, aching, and defeated ghost that barely resembles who you used to be. I will have stolen the light from your eyes and the innocence in your soul with no remorse whatsoever. I’ll move on to the next without a second thought about what I’ve done or the beautiful person I’ve destroyed. It’s in my nature to leave. You won’t hate me but my name will always leave a bad taste in your mouth. You’ll always wonder what went wrong, stop asking yourself my dear because the truth is you’ll never know.

I not only leave you behind in my wake though, I leave behind a girl who has been standing patiently on the sidelines for her time to intervene, a girl that you failed to notice due to your infatuation with me. This girl has allowed you to confide in her, listened to you pour your heart out about me, and gone out of her way to bring you happiness. In spite of watching you love another she’s been here all along, waiting for you to give her the chance to love you. Let her, because she is the girl that your mother was and still is, the one who will take it upon herself to fix you. She will take care of you and always have your best interest at heart. She will want nothing but the opportunity to be present in your life and if you’re smart you’ll allow her to remedy your shattered heart. In time you will find she is the girl you’re meant to be with and I was merely always the girl your mother warned you about.