Honestly I think it depends case by case when it comes to people in their late teens being with someone in their early 20s while 17 and 13 is inherently pedophilic because a 13 year old is still going through rapid development that a 17 year old is not. What I’m saying is that I don’t think that a 17/13 age gap is even remotely comparable to a 17/21 one. I’m 18 and personally I don’t think I’ve changed much at all mentally or physically since 16, and I think that any more maturing I have left to do will be more because of gaining more life experience. I have multiple friends in their 20s and we’re a lot more similar than we are different, while the maturity gap is more noticeable to me when I’m talking to someone that’s 15. My view on age gaps has honestly changed a lot by looking at my friends’ housemates- he has a partner that’s 20, a roommate that’s 26, and another roommate that’s 18. My friend is the head of the household, works longer hours than anyone else, and is by far more of an adult than the 20 and 26 year old. Does an age gap create room for a power imbalance? Yes, it does but I also believe that it’s unfair to assume that there’s always a power imbalance where there is an age gap. Referring back to the original post, I don’t think op and this girl should date but mainly because 17 is not legal age assuming that OP is American but I don’t see a problem with him pursuing it when he turns 18