TEEN QUESTION/PROBLEM:
i just got out of a bad relationship with a guy we DIDNT ever date but we were more than friends if you know what i mean well it all lasted about 2 years the first year everyhting was amazing and somewhere in the mist of all of this i fell in love with him and he was my everyhting my world my life even thow he hurt me time after time i loved him and for some crazy reason i have yet to figure out i kept going back to him well about after a year when we started fighting ALOTT like 3 fights a week he started hit me like punching and slapping me across the face well since hes mr. i never do anything wrong no one will beileve you everybody loves me act OF COURSE he said i lied until he slipped one day well he would always say he was sorry and would beg me to stay well of course how could i leave i loved him i stayed until i finally just couldnt stay NO MORE i was sick of crying and sick of being sad i just left and since we go to the same school and have 2 classes together its kinda hard to not run into him but i just smile and act like nothing he did hurt me but when inside it kills me i really dont know how i smile but i just do i hate ppl knowing im sad i mean i am the girl who is always happy in front of ppl and when im sad everyone makes it a big deal so i just hold EVERYTHING in like nothing bothers me my mom claims i just dont have any emotion but only if she really knew anyways i found someone else as soon as after i ended everything with him and im just not happy with this guy and im considering breaking up with the new guy just because i wanna be single and just to heal and find who i am and do all the things i missed out on before because even thow me and the guy NEVER dated he controlled everything i did and didnt do and i just need to heal and i feel bad for leading the guy on but we just jumped into this to fast and i dont even know how to heal from this or how to move on i say i have moved on but i really havent i just act like i have what should i do?

TEEN LINE WROTE:
Hey!

I'm so thankful that you decided to contact TEEN LINE. I'm also very sorry to hear about your previous relationship, but I'm EXTREMELY happy to hear that you are no longer in it because it sounds like you weren't safe with this guy. You said he began hitting and slapping you, was he hitting you with a fist? If so, that is considered physical abuse. That's not ok and makes me very worried about you. I'm proud of you that you made the decision to not give him any more chances because in situations like this it usually tends to get worse. I'm sorry you had to go through that. Of course that had a huge impact on you and seeing him everyday in those two classes must be really difficult. It sounds like you're feeling alone. But holding everything in is not going to make things easier for you.

You mentioned your mom feeling like you have no emotion. Do you and your mom have a good relationship? Maybe you could talk to her about how you're really feeling. Or if not, maybe you could talk to a friend or family member or school counselor? As for your relationship with this new guy, it sounds like you're feeling very confused about it. And it makes perfect sense that you're unable to be happy with him because you haven't moved passed what you went through with the first guy. Maybe you and the guy you are with now could just decide to be friends. That way you could spend more time doing the things you want like you said. Getting involved in some new things you're i nterested in like clubs at school or sports could be a great option.

I'm going to give you the number of Break The Cycle which offers intervention and counseling for people who have experienced dating violence. You can call them at (310) 286-3366 or Toll FREE at (888) 988-8336 or visit them on the web at www.breakthecycle.org.
Please give us a call at (310)855-4673 so that we can talk about this a little more. We are open from 6-10 PM every night of the week. Hope this helps and good luck.

TEEN LINE