HER HEART IS BROKEN

Dear Jellybean,

About two months ago,i got my heart broken by the one guy, who i thought would never break my heart. He was everything to me. Tall, blone, athletic, great personality, and so sweet and caring. Well, he broke my heart. Then about a week ago i found out he had been cheating on me for half of a year that we dated. I told him i hated him and he told me he hated me. His current girlfriend texts me just to give me updates that i don't even want to know about him. I tell my friends that i hate him. I tell my family the relationship was a joke. But i feel like im lying to everyone! The truth was, i was going to give up my virginity to him, after i told myself to stay abstinent until marriage. I want to forgive him, ya know, and i still wanna be in his arms. I feel like im wearing a mask. What should I do?
-Heartbroken in Texas

Dear Heartbroken in Texas,

You are one lucky young woman. Yes - lucky - because you narrowly escaped from a terrible fate! You know the pain that you feel now? Imagine it magnified by about 100, and you'll get an idea of how you would be feeling if you'd made the colossal mistake of having sex with that guy who was cheating on you for all those months.

I know it hurts to be rejected by someone, and it's tempting to pretend the bad stuff never happened, because you miss the good parts. But I'm telling you, it's a darn good thing that guy is not in your life anymore, because he has proven who he really is: A slimy snake who has less respect for you than something he'd find on the bottom of his shoe.

Stop getting down on yourself for "wearing a mask", and realize you're going through the normal feelings of someone whose heart has been stomped on. But instead of trying to forgive him, forgive YOURSELF for the mistake of dating him, and MOVE ON with your life. DEMAND that the next guy you date treat you better, and DUMP any guy who doesn't! You are a special treasure, a one of a kind gem, and you deserve to be treated as such - the right guy WILL treat you that way.

For tips on how to get over the hurt and move on, you may find helpful the article on this site called Getting Over A Bad Breakup. Read it, live its advice, and look forward with an open heart, but also the expectation that your love has to be EARNED, through respect with a capital R.