To you.

Thank you for giving for that period of time the love that filled my heart to the brim; for all the surprises you've planned just because; for waiting patiently for me to overcome my little barriers; for all the assurance and telling me you're worried for me because of the stupidest things that always happened. Perhaps I jumped the gun by bringing it to a halt; perhaps we both knew deep inside that no amount of love could overcome that number of vast differences that existed; or maybe, just maybe, we could have salvaged the situation. But nevertheless, I'd rather you let the pretty memories remain before any major conflicts could start, than allow the ugly disputes to plague you for a long time to come. Maybe there wasn't/isn't any pretty memory to speak of, because your impression of me has probably been marred by the last thing that I'd done to hurt you. But please do know that I wasn't having it easy either, perhaps it just wasn't in me then to handle things like that. Things that followed subsequently, words that spread like wildfire from school to school, even to the class, the shock that shook me when I found out what's been said of me, the nights I spent wondering if they really came from you or if they somehow got twisted on their way to someone else-- even if they successfully made me crumble, I still thank you; even if they made me build an even stronger barrier, I still thank you. Because you helped me see the truest people that shone in times like these. Because you helped me cherish even more the very few that I could trust with my deepest secrets. A new chapter has begun for both of us ever since, and I can only say, maybe you indirectly helped me to grow up. I've never believed in friends after a separation, and the whole 'keep-in-contact' thing has been all but a farce, so I can only hope that you will grow to find someone who'll appreciate and treasure you like a precious gem much, much more than I did.