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People Divulge What Happened To Their High School Sweetheart

For the teenagers deep in the throes of a high school romance, the rest of the world fades away.


Stocked with those underdeveloped adolescent brains, teenagers in love are certain that their love will last forever. No parents, no geographies, no accidents, no external circumstances could possibly interrupt a love so powerful.

Of course, that isn't always the truth. In fact, it rarely is.

Usually high school romances, in the grand scheme of things, are remembered as simply that: a first love that didn't work out.

But there is no doubt that the relationship, as preliminary as it was, held a deep impact on both people. The experiences of that time set the tone for future intimacy. The memories linger.

Which is why so many Redditors had no difficulty giving informed responses to a post asking about the status of high school sweethearts. For a years-old love, it certainly appears top of mind when you read through these.

GavinThePenguin asked, "What happened to your highschool sweetheart?"

Civility

"She is married to what looks to be a pretty great guy, and she is working at her dream job, so presumably she is pretty happy."

"And I'm happy for her."

-- nrdxp

Early Tragedy 

"She was living in a group home when we dated freshman year. She aged out at 18, and fell right off the radar."

"Turned out she went to live at a homeless encampment and didn't survive the winter."

-- Washjockey

Consistent Displays of Character

"Mine contacted me when he heard I was getting married. Turns out he was married at the time with 3 kids but he would leave his wife for me now that I was 'ready to be married'..."

"...hmmmm so marriage is just a process of interchangeable parts?"

"He reached out again some 30 years later. I connected to see if he had grown up. Nope, still a di**, on his 3rd wife but willing to have sex with me if I was open to it!"

"No thanks!"

-- honorthecrones

No Love Lost

"He cheated on me with my cousin on Christmas eve in our house. Broke up with him. Few months later he started to date my step mom."

"Last I heard he works at a cook at a bar and is a deadbeat dad that hasn't seen his kid in 7 years."

-- Zombie_Queen_51

Beating the Odds

"She recently got engaged to some loser that she's too good for. We're also buying a house together!" -- AlliRmbrIsDrtSkyDrt

"Such a sweet twist. Congratulations 🎈" -- pttrusha

Not All First Loves Don't Last

"She's in the other room watching Jurassic Park with our daughter." -- A-Grey-World

"That is life goals. You should be watching JP too!!!!" -- Kevrack_Invades

"Sick bastard. WHY DIDN'T YOU JOIN THEM WATCHING THAT MASTERPIECE" -- nicknameedan

A Mature Outlook

"She dropped off my radar for 15 years. Then we happened to cross paths when I decided to attend a community gathering and walk for Pokemon Go of all things."

"We exchanged hello's and caught up for a few minutes, but she didn't have time to talk. Turns out she was beyond busy, because she was the one who organized the event."

"I don't think I'm a proud point in her life, and she didn't seem that excited to see me, so I just let her do her thing and stay out of her way."

"Our time together is supposed to be in the past, and that's where I'll keep it. I had a good time at the event, though, so I'm glad she put it together."

-- QuarantineTitans

Full Circle 

"He broke up with me amicably after 8 months when we were 16. We went to different universities, 5 years and 2 degrees each later, I traveled through his city for a job interview."

"I went for a drink or three with him after the interview - it was as if we'd seen each other yesterday. He walked me to the train, just in time - but I hopped off to kiss him before hopping back on as the train departed."

"5 years later we're in the process of buying our first house and are engaged. ❤️"

-- purplegeog

Patterns

"She's getting married soon to the guy she dated immediately after me. Similar to the girlfriend after her. I haven't dated all that much actually, but so far 2/3 actual relationships have found their spouses after me."

"Number 3 still has the chance. Not sure how I feel about this, but hey. Tired of being single? Break up with me. 66% chance you'll find them after."

-- TheGreatAeritus

The Past Is Always Here

"She broke up with me over a text message 2 months after highschool ended. 10 years later I was at a friends wedding rehearsal at the same venue my ex was getting married at that day."

"The world shrinks a little bit each day."

-- blast201

Convenient History

Without planning it, we ended up in the same college. He studies Med and I Biology, so we help each other sometimes."

"The advantages of having dated the top student."

-- MoonCat15

A Mature Trajectory

"She broke up with me which I don't blame her for. I was on the wrong track, selling weed and had no goals. That set off a dark period for me but eventually I moved out of town, started my own business, and haven't looked back."

"We reconnected a few weeks before the high school reunion actually two years ago. She's doing quite well! And has a great husband."

"We caught up and wished each other the best, shoot a message every now and then. I wish I knew how to be just a normal friend with women when I was a teenager LOL."

-- burrsient

Measuring Up

"She broke up with me after we graduated and is now engaged to the super wealthy dude she broke up with me for and living in Italy."

"Needless to say, she's doing better for herself than I am lol"

-- furious_platypus

Nothing But Good Thoughts

"Graduated HS in 2002, we lost touch but reconnected ( just text not in person) a couple years ago. He got his masters in ecology, moved to Alaska for a bit, now lives in the North East."

"He was the kindest guy. I wish nothing but the best for him always."

-- theWildBore

What Could Have Been

"Stayed with her 6 years. She died of breast cancer last year at 37 married with 3 kids to a different man."

"It was one of my biggest regrets in life not marrying her, but part of me is glad that I wasn't with her when she died, left alone, with three children."

"I still never had children to this day."

-- CaptainPatterson

Dodged a Bullet

"Best friend in High School. I had a massive crush on her. She was pentacostal, but never seemed too uptight. We never dated, and I was happy just hanging out with her. Caught up with her on Facebook, like, 20 years later."

".....she's full on islamaphobic, homophobic, Trump-supporting, racist, uptight Karen now. Really sad to see, because she was such a sweet and caring girl in high school. :( "

-- tygs42

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Two identical goats stare into the camera while standing in a field.
Photo by Jørgen Håland

When discussing love and relationships, the motto is usually less is more.

But what if there is more of one partner?

Being involved with identical twins can be quite the experience.

Can you really tell them apart?

Is everything identical?

If you're attracted to one, aren't you automatically attracted to the other?

So many questions.

Now we need some answers.

Redditor nicknamesofdaveryder wanted to hear about love and the twin experience, so they asked:

"Redditors who married someone with an identical twin sibling, why are you glad you're not with the other twin instead?"

I've never met a lot of twins, let alone gotten involved with a pair.

I have questions.

Hopefully I get some answers.

Saved

Comedy Central Wink GIF by Drunk HistoryGiphy

"My late husband's twin was a non-functioning alcoholic and my husband wasn’t. My husband says joining the navy was what saved him from going down that road."

iteachag5

Falling Asleep

"Story time! I am an identical twin (we still look so much alike!) and one night I spent the night at her house. She and I fell asleep in the same bed because we were up late talking, etc. Her husband slept on the couch. The next morning my twin went to take a shower and her husband laid down on the bed with me (thinking it was her of course). I jokingly said 'Hey sailor, looking for a little variety?' He shot off the bed and said 'If I was looking for variety, do you think I'd choose you??'"

tanyagal2

The Good Guy And The Other One

"I didn't marry him but I dated an identical twin. His twin's girlfriend and I used to joke around that she got the evil twin. He was just a selfish, messed-up person. One of the benefits of breaking up with my boyfriend was no longer having his twin in my life. Plus, his ex gf and I are still great friends! The good guy was just the lesser evil. She wanted to get as far away from that family as I did. The best thing to come out of those relationships was our friendship."

super-ro

Love Wins

"My dad's an identical twin. People have a hard time distinguishing them, but to my mom and me, they look like two completely different people because of the way they walk/talk/etc. Obviously, my mom only fell in love with this one person. When you love someone it's actually pretty easy to tell identical twins apart."

michaelsgavin

Issues

Threaten Ashley Olsen GIFGiphy

"The other twin has the same personality as I do. We argue readily and are super competitive with each other. We butt heads on a lot of issues."

why_not_send_a_nude

Personality clashes aren't just a twin thing.

It's a human thing.

We can't help ourselves.

Different People

Triplets GIF by RuPaul's Drag RaceGiphy

"I work with a guy who married an identical triplet, one of the triplets also works with us. I asked him one day if it was weird working with someone who looked just like his wife. He got a little pissed and basically said they are all very different people and he doesn't see much of his wife in her."

LeafMeAlone_99

He's Evil

"We’re not married but known each other since we were 12 and have been together 3 and a half years. His twin is a massive di**head who tried to break us up multiple times, was madly in love with me in his own words, and after 2 years of pursuing me declared I was a terrible person and put him through hell. Because I didn’t break up with his TWIN BROTHER to date him."

xMollyP

Life Choices

"My husband and his twin brother look very different to me, although they are identical and get mistaken for one another all the time. They couldn’t be more different in terms of personality. They have different values and life goals, hobbies, one is introverted and the other is extroverted. If they were two people who didn’t look alike, I would automatically not be attracted to my brother-in-law simply because we are not remotely compatible personality-wise."

"Also they have very different styles. I do not find the way my husband’s twin dresses/grooms his hair attractive. It’s so wild to me when people can’t tell them apart because they couldn’t be more different in my eyes."

lanieeeeeeee

Opposites

"Well, my wife and I have been together for 30 years. She has a 'mirror' twin. Even now, if you don’t know them well or interact frequently you will not be able to tell them apart. They are complete opposites. I married the extrovert, she has never met a stranger, will try anything at least once, and can find a positive aspect in almost everything she encounters, they are also best friends, my wife drags her sister along all the time."

"Once she’s out she enjoys our activities. I love my SIL, all three of them, but so glad I married the one like me. The mirror part even goes for looks, when I see my wife’s reflection I see my SIL, it’s weird sometimes. Also, attitude and personality are everything, I have never been 'attracted' to her twin."

redbonecouchhound

The Look

Sexy Damon Wayans Jr GIF by Global TVGiphy

"I used to date an identical twin. Although I found his brother objectively handsome, I wasn't attracted to him at all. It was cool to directly experience how attraction goes far beyond just the looks."

Liatessa

I've never been intrigued by twins, and now I never will be.

confused man in blue t-shirt

Sander Sammy on Unsplash

My Father was considered a genius.

At 16 he graduated high school as Valedictorian, joined the United States Navy as soon as he turned 17 then was promptly recruited by Admiral Hyman Rickover's team converting the Navy from diesel to nuclear power.

He served as a nuclear and electrical engineer on naval vessels after the conversion project ended, then as a reactor inspector for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after retiring from the Navy.

He also needed a full time babysitter in order to survive. Things like paying bills, buying groceries, feeding himself all escaped him. He lacked any semblance of common sense.

Really smart people doing very unsmart things isn't uncommon.

And sometimes a person is labeled a genius who's really an idiot with good brand marketing.

Keep reading...Show less

Corporations don't get big overnight.

A lot of tough decisions, big wins, and sometimes even bigger losses, go into their growth.

But sometimes companies make mistakes that the public simply cannot let slide, and it can be hard to imagine how the company could stay afloat after the backlash.

Redditor Astro_Shogun asked:

"What decision by a company received the most amount of backlash from the public?"

Dang It, Photobucket

"When Photobucket decided to take the whole internet hostage by asking for 400 dollars a year for what was previously a free image storage solution. The move broke years of forum posting and erased a significant portion of the web collective knowledge."

- denpo

"Yup. And now they're holding almost all of my son's childhood photos (some of which I managed to save in other places) hostage."

- KnockMeYourLobes

"Browse any forum thread from the early 2000s and practically all the images are gone because everyone used Photobucket back then. It will be the same way with Reddit whenever Imgur goes under."

- NothingOld7527

So Salesy

"JCPenny doing away with sales and trying to present itself as a more upscale store. Sales immediately plummeted, and they reversed course quickly."

- flyingcircusdog

Cheap Jewelry

"Gerald Ratner said the reason his jewelry company could sell stuff so cheap was because the products were crap. It destroyed the company overnight."

- simplemtbman

Front Wheel Drive

"Ford, in the '80s, tried to replace the aging Fox body Mustang with a front-wheel drive, Mazda-based car. This was pre-internet, but car people got UPSET and deluged Ford with a letter expressing their anger."

"Ford backtracked, kept the Fox body around, and released the vehicle that was going to be the new Mustang as the Probe. It lasted two generations, but the Mustang soldiers on."

- StillN0tATony

Online Only

"Microsoft got roasted when they announced Kinect and always-online were required for the Xbox One. Took all the momentum they had from the 360 era and put them miles behind Sony."

- Jerry_Williams89

Childhood: Destroyed

"Sonic having human teeth."

- LightDash

"I just immediately pictured teeth in a Sonic milkshake and had a horrified reaction before my brain caught up to you meaning the character."

- Rolizas

Questionable Upgrades

"Very recently, T-Mobile. A company that 10 years ago called itself the Uncarrier by making a series of pro-consumer changes to its plans and the previous CEO built almost a sort of cult of fans of the company. Then T-Mobile acquired Sprint and got a new CEO."

"A couple of weeks ago, T-Mobile internal documentation revealed it was going to automatically upgrade customers on old grandfathered plans up to new plans, which were more expensive. Customers would have to call in to opt out of the change. 'They weren’t raising customers’ rates, they were moving them to better plans.'"

"Well, major tech news got ahold of that, and then even some local news stations, and T-Mobile quietly 'clarified' a week later via internal communications that only one percent of their customers would be affected."

- artimaticus8

Coming Together in Hate

"Anyone remember the Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad when she solved police brutality?"

- vernon3

"Those moments are precious. There are a few things these days that bring everyone on the Internet together. That was one of those things. We all hated the Pepsi ad that solved police brutality."

"That ad had it all. Pandering, ignorance, arrogance, and talking down to their audience."

- notwoutmyprob

"And a Kardashian."

- Kitchen_action

With Every Purchase

"I couple of years back a local Detroit area car dealership decided the best way to celebrate MLK day was to give away free car alarms with every purchase."

"Nobody liked that."

- graveybrains

A Sale Gone Too Well

"Hoover UK offering two free flights to America if you spend £100 on their products. They anticipated that people would spend a lot more than the minimum required which would cover the approximately £600 value of the tickets."

"When the company was deluged with purchases around the £100 mark, they reneged on the offer, which prompted a very expensive lawsuit. The fallout was so bad that the UK division of the firm was sold to a rival company."

- Live-Dance-2641

New Drink, Who Dis?

"New Coke."

- PeggyWithPhatA**

"After the relations disaster, the public clamored for the decision to be reversed, and Coca-Cola released 'Coke Classic.'"

"Coke Classic soon had an even higher market share than Coke did before the public relations fiasco, and a new theory made the rounds: that Coca-Cola deliberately made these decisions, simply to gain publicity, and increase market share."

"The reaction from Coca-Cola’s executives was, 'We aren’t that smart, and we aren’t that stupid.'"

- Malthus1

A Tweet Turned Sexist

"Burger King stating that 'Women Belong in the Kitchen.' What they were TRYING to say was that they wanted more diversity. People didn't see it that way, and in the end, they had to issue an apology."

- zerbey

The Downfall of an Incredible Publication

"Here’s one there should be a public outcry about."

"Disney bought National Geographic and controls everything it does. This is the last year the iconic magazine will be available. I’m incensed."

- redheadMInerd2

(The writer of this article is equally incensed.)

Predicting the Future

"I feel like whatever YouTube is cooking up lately will be the next one."

- Just_Aioli_1233

"Tech companies sure know how to kill off highly popular and profitable apps, super quick. It’s interesting to watch it happen in real-time. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, all losing tons of followers and destroying their own stock."

- Eleanor_of_Accutane

It's easy to see how all of these mistakes resulted in huge backlash, sometimes at the total expense and downfall of the business.

But some of these mistakes were made by companies that are still huge today, and to a certain extent, that's kind of surprising.