This past summer was “the best one yet”. I was free to do whatever I wanted. I spent my days lounging by the pool, hanging out with my friends, or putting in hours at my job. I felt a strong sense of deja vu as the first couple weeks of summer started to slip away, that is until I came in contact with the one and only, Mitch Carmody. He had smoothly “slid into my DM’s”. Based off what our generation considered “goals”, I found this impressive. Any other teenage girl would have agreed. Our relationship blossomed, and we ended up growing to be close. I had never felt like this before. There just seemed to be something so right about Mitch. Mitch’s true character did not shine through until I took him with my family to Smith Mountain Lake on vacation.

My family has been going to Smith Mountain lake on vacation for over ten years. We rent the same house every year. It feels like a second home to me. We rent a quaint log cabin style home with a charming feel. The house is nestled in a cove that gives you the perfect view of the lake. While standing on the dock, it feels like you can reach out to the mountains and be able to touch them. It is an escape from reality and everyday hassles. My brother and cousin have brought their girlfriends to the lake for the past several years, whereas I brought my best friend, Lauren. Lauren is great, but I had always looked forward to the year that I brought a guy with me. This past summer, I was excited to finally share the experience my brother and cousin have shared for the past few years. At the time, I thought that fate was working.

It was the last week of July. The family made their way up to Smith Mountain Lake. It is our favorite week of the entire year. I invited both Lauren and Mitch up to the lake. When we got there, we immediately headed down to the dock. We spent the day riding jet skis, floating in the water, and catching sun rays. Mitch made a great impression on my family members. Lauren, who was skeptical at first, was warming up to him. Mitch even started bonding with my brother and cousin. The men that always protected me lifted up their shields to let Mitchell into not only my life, but theirs as well. I never thought I would be able to say that I had seen the day. It felt like a movie. We all enjoyed the lake life until the sun went down. Everything was good, almost too good. Before this time, I believed that people got what they deserved.  I did not think twice about how smooth this trip was going.

That night, we were all hanging out in the basement. Mitch asked me to grab his phone that he left in a room upstairs. When I picked it up, I noticed that he had some texts. Out of curiosity, I opened his phone and started looking through his messages. Although I knew that it was wrong to invade someone’s personal privacy, I couldn’t help myself. To my surprise, he was having a conversation with his ex- girlfriend. In these texts, he was expressing his love for her and how much he wanted to be in her life. It was like a car wreck; I was mortified, but I could not stop reading. He explained to her that I meant nothing to him, and he was just using me to try to get over her. I debated whether I should confront him. I was so embarrassed that I did not want to tell anyone what was happening, but I knew I could not go through the whole week of vacation feeling miserable and knowing this secret. I confided what I found out to Lauren and my cousin’s girlfriend. With their advice, I made the conclusion to confront Mitch. I called him into my room, and I started explaining what I found. “I’m sorry Erin, it didn’t mean anything.” he said. It was the most pathetic excuse in the book. While trying to keep my composure, I said, “You are disrespectful, and you disgust me. You need to leave now.” I handed him his luggage that I had already packed up. I felt like a real life version of the song, “Leave”, by Jojo. He stormed out the house and drove off into the night. Instead of crying, I felt empowered.

I had always been passive aggressive before this situation. It always seemed that avoiding confrontation was the best option. I did not like starting fights, because I could never stand up for myself. Although this experience hurt me, Mitch taught me a valuable lesson. He taught me to not let someone walk all over me. Also, I learned to not let myself get caught up in a relationship. Instead of feeding into wanting someone to want me, I can stand tall and be happy with myself. Thanks to Mitch, I am more confident, and I could not be more thankful.