We’ve all been there: You’re either the protagonist in a doomed tale of cringey romance or the hero in a saga to finally go on a date with your crush. Love really makes life feel like a movie, although sometimes it’s a rom-com and other times it’s a horror. Let’s see what the Life Section has to say about love stories, both good and bad.
Mikayla Murphy, Campus Correspondent, she/her/hers
This is my time to shine.
Arguably the worst relationship story I have is the three-year-long on-and-off relationship I was in throughout high school. It started as us fake dating, which I feel makes it even worse. It then became an on-and-off relationship and towards the end, it turned into a weird tension-filled friendship where we weren’t just friends but not actually together.
Whoever said that your first WLW relationship is the worst thing you’ll ever experience was right, because this relationship feels like it took years off my life. High school Mikayla was going through it, but at least that mess has ended since coming to college.
Some other bad relationship stories I have are when two of my friends got cheated on at the same time. Their partners got with each other, and now I was in three triangles throughout my junior year of high school — one of which was with said on-and-off relationship.
On the bright side, I’m in a much happier and healthier relationship now. My goals for 2025 included “no more situationships” and “make better choices” so I think I’m doing pretty good at achieving them.
James Fitzpatrick, Associate Life Editor, he/him/his
I was going to write a whole article on why it’s crazy that I’m helping oversee anything Valentine’s Day-related, let alone an entire newspaper edition for the University of Connecticut, but I’ll truncate whatever melancholy I have here instead.
Social anxiety has plagued me since the dawn of time, so working up the courage to ask anyone out has been a challenge. It’s happened once or twice but didn’t result in anything fruitful. I’ve also had a gnarly sweating problem that I’ve just been able to remedy, so I’ve always been hesitant about holding hands and physical touch as a whole.
I’ve had my share of one-sided friendships with manipulative people but none compared to one I had a few years ago. The first month of knowing her, all was well, until it wasn’t. The hatred towards everyone and everything, including herself, was persistent no matter the day or what we were doing. Whether chilling at her place or across the country at Universal Studios Orlando, the glass wasn’t half-full or half-empty. It was shattered on the floor and we were both rolling in the shards of misery.
Though there was a chance to take it to the next level, I soon realized I would’ve been dragged down the same hole she was wallowing in, so I restrained myself. And after the second expensive Universal trip and umpteenth visit to Six Flags New England, I Superman’d my way out of that and never looked back.
Am I the asshole for ditching someone I was that close to for almost half a year? Maybe, but I’m the only one who knows the full context behind this weird friendship-situationship hybrid, and I believe I was justified in saying goodbye and ghosting. Thanks for listening to my TED Talk, and above all else, don’t bring me to an amusement park. They’re only amusing for so long.
Benjamin Lassy, Life Editor, he/him/his
Oh boy, relationship stories. I’ve really only had one relationship in my life, which had its expected ups and downs and an unfortunate ending. Yet, most of my relationship stories come from relationships that never came to be: I’m sort of a chronic introvert when it comes to emotions.
First, in middle school — the funniest era for any relationship — I had a crush on a girl in my class. It was an innocent crush and having no social skills or a chance at a real relationship, I remember our eighth grade summer reading giving me a gift in disguise that was hidden so well I didn’t see it.
Out of a long list of books we could pick from for summer reading, she and I picked the same book. Better yet, we were the only two who picked the book. While the book title has escaped my memory, I do remember it being about a sinking ship … how telling.
We were in the book review class for the first week of class together, and though we only met in that room once or twice, it was the perfect time to shoot my shot. We did have a similar energy and vibe, but nope, middle school Ben decided to cower in fear at the thought and not pick up on any cues or even really consider that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
Does that count as a fail? I mean, it’s middle school, so what can you do?
Another big fail for me came from an earnest attempt to flatter a girl through my beautiful songwriting skills. If you consider rubbing your ears with sandpaper beautiful, that is.
I sang about love like a pre-pubescent rooster who can’t quite crow. She was kind enough to hold back the laughter, but wow, I am not doing that again, and I encourage anyone who is thinking of serenading a partner to attempt to serenade an actual audience first. If the audience claps, maybe, just maybe, you’re good enough to play to your loved one. Though, I admit, maybe there’s something sweet about being so naively vulnerable.