Holly Riordan

You don’t deserve a one-word text. You don’t deserve a smile. You don’t deserve to be a passing thought in my mind, let alone a reoccurring one I can’t get out of my head. 

All that matters is your own opinion, your own happiness, your own sense of self.

The reason you think you’re single isn’t the same reason you’re actually single.

I have pretended to be adventurous. I have pretended to be up for anything. I have pretended it was no big deal when plans were set an hour before I was meant to leave the house even though it made me a nervous wreck.

When you’re with the wrong person, they might bring you down. They might make you question whether you have what it takes to succeed. They might encourage you to give up on your dreams. They might warn you to play it safe. They might stifle you. 

You’re strong for leaving him, even if you’ve cried every night since you’ve left him. 

There’s a difference between inviting someone to hang out and begging someone to hang out after they’ve already canceled on you the last three times you set plans.

Removing them from your world isn’t a one-time decision. It’s a decision you have to make over and over again every single holiday, every single birthday, every single day. 

You see him break down in tears and completely forget about your own tears.

It takes time to build a loving, trusting relationship.

You might think you’re tearing down his walls a little more every time you sleep with him, but all you’re doing is hurting yourself. 

Angry exes would airdrop nude photos of the girls who dumped them. Jocks would airdrop pictures of penises in the locker room. Boys would airdrop photos taken from the second story, looking down girls’ shirts.

You’re afraid he’s going to leave you over one of your screwups. You’re afraid the smallest argument is going to escalate into a breakup. You’re afraid any type of confrontation is going to be the death of your relationship. 

If you assumed this other person was out of your league, then you probably didn’t spend too much time chasing after them. You probably admitted defeat pretty early on. You probably didn’t give yourself a fighting chance to get together with them.

Bring up everything they’ve ever done wrong.

Get annoyed with her the one time she doesn’t rush to your side. 

Sometimes, your worst moments put your priorities into perspective. Sometimes, your worst moments make you realize you need to make a change. Sometimes, your worst moments are turning points that can launch you in another direction. 

People look at you more like a background character in a film than an actual, flesh and blood human being. They don’t think you have emotions. They don’t think you have a personality. They don’t think you have an opinion.