Letter to you, even though you may never read it…

To whom it may concern,

There are many things I once thought about you.

I often found myself wondering, “How could I have been chosen?” or “How come you aren’t better friends with other people?”

However, after almost 3 years of this “friendship” I am finally seeing it in the light. Whatever it was, we weren’t friends. You used me — abused me.

You s m i l e d, teased, flirted and yet you didn’t care for me. I was only a means to an end. Used for who I am. Used for my innocence. Used because I was trusting.

You were my friend. The one I turned to when I realized I had no one else. The one who was there for me even though I was probably a very difficult person to deal with.

I can’t help but feel like you truly loved me at least at one point.

I feel it in my soul. You did. You just might not admit it because that would be a weakness.

A weakness that you would feel would destroy your impenetrable shell.

Once you told me we would be best friends for ever – not in the cheesy way, but in the literal way.

There was nothing that could break our friendship, except perhaps…. you.

We talked constantly. We knew each other so painfully well that it truly is painful to have to forget all that.

But whatever our past was before those two years came upon us, it doesn’t matter. Because you obviously think it doesn’t count.

Yes, I loved you.

Yes, you were my best friend.

Yes, I was going to miss you when you left.

All of these things are true, but none of them were good reasons for what you did to me.

I wrote to you. I wrote letters that traveled to you by snail-mail. I wrote emails that traveled through cyberspace. I poured my heart and soul into our friendship. I anticipated hearing about how you were doing and being able to know that you were alright.

I missed you. Painfully. My heart literally hurt from how rarely we got to talk to each other.

And then you, out of the blue, cut me off. You barely gave a reason. You said we should “quit this cold turkey”, but what exactly were we quitting? Our friendship? At this point we had about 2 years to go off of. Yes I still loved you, but honestly? I’m never going to stop loving you. It’s kinda difficult to stop loving your first love.

“quit this cold turkey”

The moment you said that, the instant you did, the tears began to fall. I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t handle losing another close friend. Do you even realize how many friends I have lost via the same methods?

Too. Many. To. Count.

But not many of them quite as close to me as you once were.

I broke down. I was defeated – crushed. I bawled. Tears streamed down my face in public. After reading those words, I couldn’t help it. Victory was yours to claim and boy did you claim it. Not only did you say we should quite this cold turkey, but you forbade me from contacting you. You told me not to contact you until you had returned, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to go that long without contacting you.

I waited. A few months. I waited for three months. Then I sent you an email.

I updated you on my life like nothing had happened, however I put a disclaimer in the email stating that you didn’t have to respond – and sometimes I wish you hadn’t.

You emailed me back, you assured me that nothing had changed – that we were still friends, but really you were planning your attack.

I periodically emailed you with updates, telling you how my life is going, asking about yours and you would play along.

“Played” being the key word.

You faked everything. Is there even anything I might be able to give you the benefit of the doubt on? I don’t believe so.

I was having a hard time with my breakup and then going to college, did you truly care? No. You didn’t really even try. You said sorry and went on your merry way.

It came time for those 2 years to be up, I was excited. I would get to talk to you again. Maybe even have a phone call with you. But instead of contacting me, you contacted countless others who obviously were more important than me.

“one of the six girls I know that I would date” and yet you didn’t contact me. I think that was a lie. I call bull.

I had to message you. So I did. I said, “Hey”

You responded enthusiastically so I went on. I asked you how the past two years had been and you gave me one word — okay so you were not so enthusiastic on this response.

I shrugged it off.

I asked if you would like to try to hang out, and it all goes downhill from here.

You told me no. You made pitiful excuses.

“We’ll I’m not sure if I’ll have time. Holiday season and such.”

Really?! Anyone with a blind eye can see that this isn’t a solid reason.

And you say you’d like to hang out, but then you say that “cutting ties” is the best thing we can do right now.

Even when you found out that I’ll be in town longer than just the holiday season, you STILL said no. Was there anything I could have done or said that would have influenced you to say yes to me? Most likely not. You made up your mind the first time we met each other that summer of 2011 and yet you played me. Friends for 3 years and yet you hurt me to the point where my heart will always have a painful reminder of what you did to me.

You once told me this: “Don’t worry, I’m just holding your heart until the next guy comes.”

But you didn’t just hold it. You stomped on it. You ripped it up into little pieces. You trashed it. You threw it away. You ignored it.

Hold it? I think not.

There is very little you held on to. The moment you could, you dropped it. But not because it was hot, oh no. You dropped it because you were afraid of the truth. You were afraid that my feelings were actually real. You were terrified of having something real. And that is where our story ends. The last words you will send – not even speak – to me are “Thanks Karen.” No emotion or anything. Just that unfeeling, senseless, two words.

But never fear. Though I will still love you, I won’t be able to think of you in a good light again. The funny thing is that when I first started talking to you and we first became really good friends, my best friend tried to tell me you weren’t real – that you were a fake. A tool. A jerk. But did I listen? Obviously not. I thought the best of you, even when I shouldn’t have. But no worries, because I will not make that mistake again.

Whatever merits you may have had, will not work on me again. Nor will I try to contact you again. We had a friendship built on lies, just as I once had a relationship built on lies. I refuse to deal with lies any longer. You have ruined any and all possibilities for having me as a friend in your future, but that’s okay. I just assume you don’t actually want friends. You just want people that you can play until they’re broken and not fix them. You’ll leave them on the floor for other people to step on and use to their advantage with no regard for the individual. But it’s okay. Make no mistake, I definitely will be remembering all that has occurred. You do not and will not ever again have a clean slate in my book. Your page is filled with warnings and I pity anyone who falls into your trap, not you. It is them who should be warned to look out for you and your slimy little underhanded choices.

But that isn’t my job. I don’t have to worry about them. I just need to worry about fixing myself and in time, I may be able to look back at all we had and not cry – but that is not this time. I wonder when that may be, but it could be years before I can successfully not cry about you. But if I cry it isn’t because I lost you – it is because I know you lost sight of who you were and therefore harmed anyone who was in your little bubble.

You are filled with empty words and broken promises, I just hope you learn that these are your mistakes and that you work to the best of your ability to resolve them. Mend yourself. You are in no position to try to be with others in any sense of being with them – friends, neighbors, lovers, family, etc.

Check yourself, dearheart, before you wreck yourself for even more people.

Fare thee well!!

Karen Alyse