This article was originally published on RomanticFeed
It takes guts to ask someone out on a date or try something new, and these people took a chance. Unfortunately, it didn't go the way they wished. From speed dating mishaps to getting rejected by your significant other, these stories will have you feeling second-hand embarrassment for the people who experienced it. So grab your favorite comfort food to soothe those emotions and dive in.
"Ever Think Someone Is Cute Until You Get up Close? "
We all have a celebrity crush. For example, how about a young Paul Newman? In this story, someone saw a Newman look-alike, and she knew that she had to ask them out, and he accepted. However, the girl became confused when he seemed uncomfortable throughout the meal. She learned why after dinner when he leaned over and said, "Ever think someone is cute until you get up close and realize they just have a ton of freckles?"
What you did not know until right now is that our girl is covered, head to toe, in freckles. Did the dude not realize that she knew he was talking about her? We guess that was the point. Savage!
When You Ask a Girl Out and She Thinks It's Funny
Something that strikes fear in every person when asking someone else out is that they will reject you. It is a normal fear, and all we can hope for is that the person rejecting us will be kind. In this story, when the guy decided to take his chances and ask this girl out, she definitely rejected him, but rather than letting him down easy, she laughed in his face. After three full minutes of laughter, he left.
This happened in 1977, and the man involved thinks she might still be laughing.
At Least This Rejection Came With Some Cash
How often have we been subjugated to a cruel joke or found ourselves, unwittingly, at the butt of someone's harsh practical joke? Many times, especially in high school, just like this person. When her crush's friends discovered she was into his friend, they placed a bet she would say "yes" if her crush asked her out. Naturally, she said yes when the time came, but he broke up with her shortly after and gave her ten bucks.
She learned at the end of their short relationship that he had also known about the bet. That has got to sting for this girl. At least he gave her his bet's winnings.
If He Has to Ask His Mom First, Then Run
Everyone's parents, or, at least, most of our parents, were quite strict. With these types of parents, you got to be sure to get home before a certain time, take out the trash, and do your homework. Eventually, you develop a sixth sense of what your parent is going to allow and not allow. So when this girl asked out her crush, his line that "his mom wouldn't let him" doesn't seem so far-fetched.
However, if this was just a way to reject the girl, then the boy has some work to do because that might just be the lamest excuse in the book.
How to Ghost Someone in Person
We have all met that cool person online with who you exchange a few messages back and forth, but then they just stop responding. This is called ghosting, and it happens to the best of us all the time. Less often does it happen in person. Take this guy's story; he went up to this girl with a simple "Hi." Instead of responding to his greeting, she simply turned her chair around and ignored him until he left.
That must have been a really awkward experience for both of them. At least getting ghosted online means no one has to know, but this exchange was in front of everyone.
"He Drove off After Seeing Me"
Blind dates are filled with anxiety and nerves for everyone involved. Will they be a cool person? Will they be attractive? Will they be a complete psycho? These types of questions fill our heads. However, we usually attempt to first meet the person before attempting to answer these questions. Not this guy, though. On a blind date, she was waiting outside for him, and he drove by where she was standing and just continued onwards.
He simply texted her, "No." Later on, he attempted to apologize, but she was having none of that. We're proud of her for taking a stand and not accepting his meager apology.
Love Triangles Are Always a Bad Idea
Getting asked out by our crush is often a daydream. But not for this boy whose crush actually asked him out. Giddy with excitement, he responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes!" However, her response was a shocker. She said, "Great! My boyfriend is so mad I got a date before him." While this began with a boy's dream coming true, this story is unlikely to have your standard romantic ending.
Whatever is going on between her in her boyfriend that she is asking you out is a tell-tale example of a red flag. Run!
Speed Dating Gone Terribly Wrong
Girls and guys often both complain about how there aren't many options out there for dating or even marriage. This statement seems slightly absurd considering how many people live on this planet, but after this story, we understand it a bit more. A guy attending a speed dating event discovered he was the only gentleman for the fourteen women sitting on the other side of him. Sounds like fun, right? Wrong. Every single one of them rejected him.
Maybe it isn't that there aren't any more fish in the sea, but maybe people need to come down off their pedestals. Or maybe this guy was just really the worst.
When She Thinks 6 Feet Isn't Tall Enough
People involved in the world of online dating are no strangers to some persons' "height requirements." It's not uncommon for someone to have that listed on their dating bio. But sometimes, people wait to see someone in person before stating their requirements. Sadly, this man arrived at a coffee shop for a first date only to be immediately told that he was too short for her tastes. A bit rude but not absurd. However, that is until you learn he was six feet tall (or 1.8m).
Six feet tall is actually pretty tall, but it gets even more absurd when you learn that she was barely making it past 5'3'' (1.5m). Guess she's looking for a giant.
He Was Sending Some Seriously Mixed Messages
Ever regretted a random hook-up? Well, when this person was in high school, they made out with some dude from school at a party. Afterward, he went and bragged about it to the entire school. Taking the hint, she asked him out in his DMs on Twitter. But rather than taking the win, the dude decided to delete the message. "This was back when if you deleted a message on DM it deleted it for both of you. He didn't respond, just deleted it," she explained.
Most people would be upset at hearing that someone was bragging about them. She handled it gracefully, deciding he must have been into her. We guess that wasn't the case.
When You Choose a House Together but Then He Moves in With Someone Else
Moving in with your significant other is a big deal in a romantic relationship. It is often the next big step in any relationship and brings on a whole new set of joys and challenges. For example, you are going to learn a lot more about your boyfriend's or girlfriend's life living with them. Such as this woman who almost moved in with her boyfriend of 10 years only to learn he was engaged to someone else.
Not only was he engaged, but he then proceeded to get married to this other woman. He also moved into the couple's dream house with her. That had to be a shocker.
Body-Shaming Is so Last Decade
Some friends are always trying to set us up with someone. Take this little girl who wanted to set her best friend up with someone from her class. Not only that, but this little girl also had a crush on the guy. What a kind person! When she approached him about the possibility, he said that it depended if her friend looked like her because he didn't want to date a girl he thought was fat. Damn, that is cold.
In this story, our sweet girl Sarah learned two very important lessons. One, only true men can handle girls with curves. Two, she has horrible taste in boys, apparently.
He Rejected Her so She Married His Best Friend
Passing notes or scribbling in your journal in school is how we passed the time in our boring classes. Writing your crush's name with some cutie hearts is a staple of any childhood experience. In this story, she was doing exactly that, but when the teacher approached, she swiftly tore up the page and stuffed it into the desk. Later on, the crush's best friend taped the note together and uncovered her secret crush.
Getting ahead of this mess, the girl approached her crush about it. He flat-out rejected her. It was really too bad for him because she ended up marrying his best friend.
When Getting Turned Down Actually Saves Your Life
While receiving a rejection can be difficult at the moment, sometimes you later breathe a sigh of relief that you were rejected. Take, for example, this girl who invited her long-time crush over for dinner at her new place. However, he arrived with a date. Nearly a decade later, she learned from her former crush's brother that he was in prison for beating his wife until she nearly kicked the bucket.
There is dodging a bullet metaphorically, and then there is dodging a bullet Matrix-style. This girl is like Neo in the Matrix, who dodged an onslaught of bullets in slow motion.
Flowers Are Supposed to Have Romantic Notes, Not This
When relationships begin to deteriorate, there are usually some warning signs. Such as more arguments breaking out or, perhaps, the other person is spending less time with their significant other. However, this person did not get any of those warning signs. When driving home from work, she talked with her boyfriend and planned their dinner together. When she arrived, she saw a vase of flowers with a note on it that she was to move out.
We guess the boyfriend was one to avoid confrontation. It's wild that he would talk about their dinner plans knowing what she was going to find out when she got home.
One Step Beyond Friend-Zoning
Relationships take time and effort to grow and flourish into something amazing. In this story, the girl was asked out by a super charming guy, and they began their relationship's journey. Did all of the dinner dates, went to events together, and then the big one: Thanksgiving with his family. However, when it came time for him to introduce her to his pals, he introduced her as the "girl I wish was my sister." Guess there was some miscommunication.
That had to be a shocker to the girl. Honestly, is there any rejection worse than when they pull out the old "love you like a sister/brother" card?
A Very Unhappy 21st Birthday
College is stressful between exams, presentations, and relationships. For example, in this story, a girl had two presentations and her 21st birthday on the exact same day. Thank the heavens that she had a kind and caring boyfriend who was taking care of all her birthday celebrations for her. Just kidding. At 4 am, before the day started, he broke up with her, canceled her birthday party, and asked her to move out.
College is stressful enough, but this takes the cake. The icing on this cake is that she had to move out because he was the one who needed space.
He Takes You Out to Dinner Just to Mention His Girlfriend
We are not alone in feeling that our emotions are often unrequited. This woman dubs herself "The Queen of Unrequited Love" and tells the story of a time she was at dinner with a man when things suddenly took a turn. The man said during the meal that he wished all the other girls were like her. He then began to share details about his new girlfriend and how his girlfriend wasn't as cool as her.
We can easily empathize with the woman in this story. The guy really needs to learn to read a room and recognize that the girl across from you might be the one.
When Your Mom Agrees With the Bullies
We all have our own stories of when we were bullied in school, but they usually ended differently than this. In this story, the girl told her mom she was getting bullied by a group of kids at her school. Normally, parents would jump to our defense, but not this mom. She responded to her child's heartbreaking news by saying, "Well, if I was your age, I wouldn't be your friend either."
First off, the child is going to need some burn ointment after that one. Secondly, that child is going to be in need of serious therapy. Do not take this woman's parenting advice.
He Did a Couple's Costume... With Another Girl
This one was filled with foreshadowing. In this story, a women's boyfriend wanted to go to a couple's costume party with another girl. He claimed that it wasn't what it appeared. However, they eventually broke up, and he married the same girl he went to the costume party with. Now can the opposite genders be platonic friends? Some say no, and others say yes. No matter how you feel, this story sends up some massive red flags.
We have to commend the guy's boldness for assuming that his actual girlfriend would consent to him attending with anyone but her. The fact that they didn't break up on the spot seems outrageous.
This Is What Happens When People Watch Too Many Rom-Coms
Putting several years into a relationship is a big deal, especially in this era with our extremely short attention. In this story, a girlfriend of three years breaks up with her long-term boyfriend because her bestie from high school moved back into town. She called her boyfriend over, gave him all his stuff, and announced they were finished. She proceeded to have her bestie move in with her, but their relationship only lasted three months.
Wow, she gave up on a three-year relationship for the imaginary perfect boyfriend. Too bad the perfect boyfriend never got a job and expected her to pay for everything.
Getting Dumped Over Text... After 2 Years Together
Break-ups seem to happen at the worst of times. Take this situation where when his girlfriend of two years found out that her mother had two years to live, he decided that her reaction was too extreme, so he broke up with her. She drove three hours to speak with him, but he refused to talk to her. On her drive back, she totaled her car, and he told her never to contact him again.
This seems like it was intended as a soap opera storyline and not a real-life event, but it was something that actually happened. Honestly, everything about this story sounds utterly horrifying.
Take Caution When Approaching Girls at the Club
Eye rolls can be annoying, but they also convey so much meaning in such a tiny, insignificant gesture. Take this encounter, for example. A man approached two girls who were talking at a bar and asked them what was up with them. Both girls glanced his way and did an eye roll before continuing with their conversation as if nothing had happened. He took it with grace by saying, "Okay girls, bye," and walking away.
It would be polite for them to acknowledge his question, but at the same time, there are a lot of weirdos out there. Him taking it with grace probably surprised them.
Taking the Musician Boy Stereotype to Another Level
Secrets are probably common in many relationships. However, these secrets are usually about where your secret stash of candy is, unlike this guy. In this story, a guy broke up with his girlfriend because she couldn't quite understand his "secret band" where he played his guitar with his feet. Was this a foot fetish thing or something else? This story leaves us with many unanswered questions, and our mind is going places.
The guy in this story knew that his secret-foot-guitar-playing band had to come before his girlfriend. The lesson here is not to let anything get in the way of your dreams.
The Mom Was in on It!
Some of the worst rejections aren't from potential romantic partners but from our peers. This girl was invited over for a slumber party in middle school. However, when the parents came home, they announced there wasn't going to be a slumber party and drove everyone home. Later on, this girl discovered that the rest of the girls returned to commence with the slumber party, and the mother only dropped her off back home.
This kind of spiteful action is no surprise from middle school girls, but the fact that the mom was in on it does make this entire sequence of events despicable.
A Brutal College Rejection
Part of applying to jobs and to other institutions means that you better be prepared and willing to accept some rejection letters. Usually, rejection letters have similar contents. "We're sorry we couldn't accept you" and the such. However, in this story, someone who applied to Johns Hopkins had their rejection letter say, "We read many talented writers this application cycle. Unfortunately, you were not one of them." That was a savage rejection.
The rejection letter concluded with, "We hope you made other plans." Who knew Johns Hopkins was such a sassy institution? Their rejection letters are giving us second-degree burns.
Middle Schoolers Can Be Absolute Savages
Does anybody remember their middle school crush or crushes? We sure do. We all had that special person that our little six or seventh grader mind was enamored with throughout the day. These relationships often culminated in some giggles and lasted for a week before your tragic breakup. This girl had that same crush on this guy in her Catholic school. However, instead of the usual story, he came up and told her that nobody liked her.
Everyone who saw the exchange began to laugh at her. We are starting to tear up for the girl in this story. Middle Schoolers can be quite the little devils, can't they?
He Couldn't at Least Wait Until She Was Out of the Hospital?
If we remember correctly, the wedding vows go, "I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health." In this social media post, this person shares that in a time of great sickness, their husband came to their bedside to tell them that they would be leaving them for someone else. That seems to go directly against that very vow. However, it wasn't actually them.
This person was talking from the viewpoint of Rudy Giuliani. The same Rudy Giuliani who left his wife of 18 years because he loved someone else while his wife had cancer.
Well, That's One Kind of Peer Pressure
Usually, when we get asked out, then that means that there will be a date, but not this time. In this story, they never even made it to their first date because the guy rescinded his request for a date shortly after asking her out. Why? According to her, his friend didn't think she was attractive enough for him. Since the guy's friend made fun of him, he decided not to go out with her on their first date.
We aren't sure who the bigger jerk is in this story. Is it the friend for making fun of his pal over this, or is it the dude for taking it all back?
Sign the Petition
Our experiences of getting bullied are not something to reminisce about. Like this person who ate lunch every day with the same group. Pretty normal in school to have some standard lunch buddies. However, what is not normal is how these girls decided to kick their friend from their lunch group. They all wrote and signed a petition banning their ex-friend from their lunch table. This story is already pretty ridiculous, and these girls went a step further.
The group read out the petition to their former friend in front of everyone. Yes, everyone. Like we all have had falling-outs, but these girls are just next-level ridiculous.
This Will Make You Question Yourself
We simply cannot be experts on everything in life, but we often excel in the few chosen topics that we are passionate about or have studied. However, we do believe everyone is an expert on themselves. So it was odd when Jo Sharp wrote a paper and then was rejected for not knowing Jo Sharp's work well enough. We don't know about you, but we are going to go on a limb and say he is an expert.
Let us be honest. This is giving us an existential crisis over here. Maybe we actually don't know ourselves as well as we think we do. Who am I? Who are you?
When You Are Not Qualified Enough
Getting rejected from jobs can sting, especially when it is a job that requires little to no experience or expertise to complete the job's tasks. Take this story where a person got rejected from the Trolley Collector job at Safeway, a chain grocery store. Safeway's reasoning? This person simply wasn't qualified enough for the job. As the person states, they were getting a degree at the time, and it wasn't in the trolley collection field.
Who knew that one had to be so specialized to get into such a high-end career path. Seriously, it's got to string getting rejected from a minimum wage job such as this.
The Homeless People Gave Him Better Treats - Who Can Blame Him?
Cats are weird creatures that some percentage of the world seems to enjoy having as pets. Many cat owners often talk about how their cats are actually the homeowners, and they are allowed to live there at the cat's desire. Apparently, this person's cat felt like a change of scenery and decided to start hanging out with the homeless people encampment across the street. The cat's humans believed the feline's new friends had better treats.
Cats are, once again, weird creatures. Oftentimes their behaviors make absolutely no sense. However, we must accept them as our superiors and just go along with the decisions they make.
When You Find Out Nobody Likes You
We have all seen at least one movie scene where a fight erupts at school. Usually, in Hollywood movies, the kids are surrounded by their peers as they cheer on the fighting until a teacher comes to intercede. Something similar happened in this story. Kids get in a fight and get surrounded by their peers, but no one cheers on the fight. Why? Turns out no one liked either of them enough to cheer for them.
That is some savage high schoolers for you. Also, what a rejection! It's got to hurt that no one likes you enough to even cheer for you in a fistfight on the playground.
Getting Rejected by Your Best Friend Hits Different
Our friends moving away from us is a sad occurrence. Take this sweet eight-year-old who was so upset when her BFF moved over 200 hundred miles away. They thought it was the end of their friendship until one year later when her BFF came to visit. When she heard that her friend was in town, she immediately went over. However, when she arrived, her friend coldly greeted her, and she knew that their friendship wasn't truly for forever.
Honestly, what a horrible way to find out that the person truly wasn't your BFF. They come all the way to town and don't even make time to see you.