The art of rejection is one that has been developed over centuries, and is something that will continue to be explored for eternity. Everybody at one point in his or her life will need an excuse not to go out, to avoid having sex, to escape something horribly awkward and/or life altering, or simply to get out of a sticky situation. Additionally, if this logic is to be trusted, everybody will be rejected at some point in his or her life. This phenomenon stretches from a full on break-up, to rebuffing somebody on the dance floor, to rolling out of bed before the other person wakes up.
Lies and excuses in this realm are not as easy as “the dog ate my vagina” (although were that to happen, it would be a stellar excuse). Thought and planning has to go into it, otherwise you’ll get stuck in a whirlpool of lies.
“Just get it over with,” says junior Danny Hughes. “Don’t wallow in the ‘what ifs.’ If you’re going to reject me just do it so I don’t waste my time.”
People tend to get caught up in what the best way to go about rejecting someone without hurting them, when the fact of the matter is that by leading someone on, you end up hurting them more.
“It’s like ripping a band-aid off,” says Hughes. “Don’t be one of those people that holds somebody in limbo.”
It’s incredibly unfair to let somebody think that there are mutual feelings, when there are clearly not. The further the relationship goes and the more physical the relationship get, the more difficult it will be to call the whole thing off.
Bottom line: it’s hard to reject somebody. There are very few people on this Earth who enjoy causing other people pain. It’s almost as difficult to break up with someone as it is to be broken up with, and it’s always a struggle to give up that nookie.
“You just know that it’s going to make things awkward,” says senior Pamela Knopp.
Rejection doesn’t have to be an art form. As long as you are direct, respectful, and specific when you do the dreaded deed, recovery will prevail.
