Back last October, Jamie* thought she found true love, only to find that she was mistaken. “He got mad when I didn’t want to take a walk with him,” says Jamie. Joe* was hot-tempered, abusive, and a sex-addict. Jamie tried several times to break up with him only to feel guilt-tripped back in when Joe threatened to kill himself. Jamie would defend him, saying that he had a terrible home life. She would give Joe what he wanted: sex, gifts, money. Jamie was manipulated, hurt, and abused. It was a terrible relationship. “He almost got me pregnant several times,” says Jamie. Recently, Joe broke up with her, and she is happier now with a new boyfriend.

Relationships: a word you either dread, cherish, or even downright fear. Hopefully not like Jamie and Joe. Yet, having a boyfriend or girlfriend is a normal part of growing up, and usually everyone goes through their fair share of breakups. Sometimes, couples hardly last a week. What’s the reason for that? Were they just not compatible? Whenever a breakup happens, everyone wants to get the details on what happened.

Relationships are not always peaches and cream. That is why we have relationship goals to help us find the perfect partner that we want. Lack of respect and understanding of the other person can often land the relationship in trouble. “[It’s about] being able to hang out with the person at their house without it being awkward. [And] being comfortable with the parents, [and] not being ashamed that you’re with that person,” says Sofia Graham (10).

Being afraid of admitting that you are with a person can heavily damage the relationship. Overall, relationships are about respect, honesty, loyalty, and friendship. And if all that is applied, the chance of being happy with that person increases significantly.

*Real students who wished to remain anonymous