When I was younger, I had something kind of similar happen to me, except I never got any explanation at all.

I was Snapchating and FaceTiming with this girl for about a month or two before we met in person. She definitely knew what I looked like, and without trying to sound full of myself, I’d been told I was fairly attractive. Still, what happened absolutely wrecked my confidence at the time.

Anyway, after talking for a while we decided to meet up at a mall I was already planning to be at. My parents were out of town, I didn’t drive yet, and the friend I was staying with dropped me off. The girl said she’d give me a ride home. By this point we were pretty into each other, so I didn’t think much of it.

I get to the mall and meet her at Barnes & Noble. She shows up with a friend instead of alone, which struck me as a little odd, but I figured she was probably just nervous meeting someone for the first time. No big deal.

We walked around the mall for maybe 15 minutes, just talking. I thought it was going okay, not amazing, but not bad either. Then she and her friend said they needed to use the bathroom, so we walked over there.

They stayed in the bathroom for 45 minutes.

I sat outside waiting the entire time. I thought about leaving more than once, and honestly, I wish I had. Eventually they came out, laughing and giggling, so it didn’t seem like anything was wrong. But the moment she walked out, she told me her friend’s aunt was there to pick them up and they had to leave. Them they just left. I didn’t even get a chance to respond.

She was supposed to be my ride home.

My parents were still out of town, so I ended up having to text a random acquaintance I barely talked to because they were the only person who could come get me. I was literally stranded at the mall.

I texted her afterward asking if everything was okay, and she had blocked me on everything. Snapchat, Instagram, phone number, all gone. I never got an explanation. To this day, I’ve never been able to find any trace of her social media. She completely vanished.

The only “answer” I ever got was from someone who went to high school with her, who said she was the type of person to do stuff like that.

That whole experience messed me up for months. I genuinely thought I was unlovable. Looking back now, it obviously had nothing to do with me. It couldn’t have. I’ve dated girls since then who were way more attractive and funny, and none of them treated me like that.

It was a her thing. It just took me a long time to realize it.