The 12 Things I Learned After Being Dumped

1. It hurts.

2. You will drink yourself into oblivion wondering why you didn't buy her those shoes that one time she wanted them, or kiss her longer like her lips were the only thing keeping you afloat.

3. You will cry for days missing the feeling of her fingertips caressing your body like you were the last real treasure.

4. You weren't.

5. The days will be long. Longer than you're favorite book on a rainy day. Longer than the note she left on the bedside table of the goodbye she gave you.

6. She lied.

6. She didn't love you.

7. You'll lose count. Count of the scars on your wrist. Count of the times you'll text her begging her to give you your heart back because the one she left you with is tearing you to pieces. This can't be your heart. You can't live with this heart.

8. She won't answer your texts.

9. You'll see a girl on the street that reminds you of her. She has the same hair and skin, but she is not her. Your drunken love making will not satisfy the void you feel in your chest. She will not make you feel whole.

10. The shirt she gave you will stop smelling like her and you'll stop wrapping yourself in it, but you'll never completely forget the scent of her shampoo or the taste of her lips. These memories will fade, but scribbling over a mistake never truly made it go away.

11. You'll meet someone new, but they'll never quite compare.

12. You'll wake up one morning and the thought of her will hit you in the chest like a fist against a wall. But you'll survive because she wasn't your only true love. Love doesn't happen just once.