Date: April 28, 2025
Author: Riley M. Thompson
I didn’t think I’d ever see her again.
It’s been two years since I graduated from secondary school, and I thought I was done with all the drama. The constant emotional rollercoaster that she put me through, the toxic friendship that I should’ve walked away from a lot sooner—it all seemed like a distant memory. But then, today, as I was cycling to college, I saw her.
At first, I didn’t recognize her right away. I mean, it’s been a couple of years, and people change. She was standing at the traffic lights, waiting to cross the road, and she didn’t see me. It was surreal. The whole scene felt like a bad flashback from my teenage years that I had buried somewhere deep in my mind.
I remember so clearly the way she manipulated me. At the time, I didn’t understand what was going on. It wasn’t like she was outright mean or cruel to me; it was subtler than that. She used to get me to chase after her for years, emotionally tugging me in different directions—making me feel special one minute, then ignoring me the next. She’d be cold, then warm, and I kept trying to convince myself that it was me, not her. I thought it was just a phase.
But eventually, I found out from one of our mutual friends that she admitted to using me. She said she’d make me jealous for fun. She’d start arguments over the smallest things just to keep me on edge, to keep me emotionally invested. I remember so many nights I spent just trying to figure out what I did wrong, why things felt off between us. She’d scream at me for something trivial, and when I tried to talk about it, tried to make sense of it all, she’d turn it back on me—make me feel like I was the problem.
Looking back now, I can see just how unhealthy it was. I can’t believe I let it go on for so long. I kept hoping it would get better, that she’d come around, but she never did.
And today, when I saw her standing there at those traffic lights, it hit me all over again. It was like no time had passed. She looked exactly the same—like nothing had ever changed. She was just standing there, and it felt like she was still the same person who had led me on for so long.
I almost went up to her, but then I realized—I didn’t need closure. I didn’t need any explanation from her. What’s done is done, and I don’t owe her anything. It felt good to finally let go of the idea that I needed her to apologize, or that I needed her to acknowledge the hurt she caused me. It’s been a while since I’ve thought about her, and I can honestly say that I never want anything to do with her again.
Seeing her today, acting like nothing happened, made me realize how far I’ve come since then. I’ve grown, I’ve learned, and I’ve built healthier relationships. I don’t want to be stuck in the past, letting someone’s emotional manipulation define me. I’m done.
