Break ups and rebounds

Over the summer all my friends broke up with their boyfriends. For the first time since junior high none of us are in relationships. There's one friend that I have that we shall call Sarah for the blog. Sarah and her boyfriend had only been together for five or six months when they broke up. The reason for the break-up? He had interest in another girl. Really this is not an abnormality in high school relationships. But just because it isn't unusual doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt. When we went to the football game on Friday, Sarah's ex-boyfriend was there with his new girlfriend. They were standing in the row behind us. I was nervous about how Sarah was going to handle this. She was fine at first and then she left the bleachers in a hurry. If Sarah wants you to follow, she'll just tell you to come with her. This time she didn't say anything before she left. There's points in life where you've got to let people be alone, but there are times when you need to be there for people. Sarah looked all composed when she left. But when I found her on the grass by the parking lot, she was crying. People are like chips. The packaging can look completely perfect, everything put together. But when you open the package, the chips are broken. Now don't get me wrong. Sarah was not in love with this boy. She cared about him, she was attracted to him, but she was not in love. And she knows that. But she is hurt. She says it hurts to see him move on so quickly. He has moved on to another girl while she is alone. There's a part of her that wants her ex to see her in a happy, better relationship. This is a totally normal part of breaking up. This is where the "rebound phase" comes into play. I have never been in a relationship like my friends have so I may be biased but I do see things a little more clearly can they do after their break ups. A rebound phase is temporary relief from the problem. But after the rebound is over you'll end feeling worse than before. The thing with high school relationships is that you have to learn how to love yourself before you can love another person. Learn to be on your own before you become involved in a relationship. Sarah is learning that now. It'll be interesting to watch her grow over the next few weeks since the breakup. So for the week there's a little lesson in relationships. Little known, everything to learn.