Refined by Fire

We all remember the first time we were dumped. Mine happened when I was 16. I was a dating a boy I met while I was working at my first job. And by "dating," I mean engaging in day-long text conversations about absolutely nothing, and occasional meet-ups where we would talk in-person about absolutely nothing. Though we had zero things in common, I liked him because he liked me. He chose me, which made me feel desired-- and that feeling became my drug of choice. About a couple months into the relationship, he began texting me less and less. Soon I noticed that I was the only one initiating the conversations and that stung. He would take hours to reply. I would play this self-destructive game where I would turn my phone on silent and vow not to look at it for the next 45 minutes or so. When it was time (which felt like an eternity), I would flip open my phone and stare at the generic, landscape wallpaper-- blank and with no text message notifications. My heart would crumple an