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a while, but as our relationship deteriorated, I started to notice their enforcement becoming more lax. Photos of Twenty-Six with a bevy of girls began popping up on social media, and he had gone from a man preaching the value of privacy to a man who not only obliged photo requests during dinner, but went so far as to offer them. The more attention we got, the more I began to question what he loved most: the fame or me. My wish for him to have a spotlight had backfired and I questioned if his new status as a “celebrity” had changed him, or if this was the person behind that megawatt smile all along.
    I guess I’ll find out now that our breakup news is out. In an attempt to avoid reality, I’ve decided to stay away from the Internet and all forms of social media, but as the moments pass, I suspect the announcement has officially gone public because my phone has begun blowing up! One after another, the texts and calls pour in. I’m actually worried it might catch on fire. Some of the calls and texts are from friends, others from acquaintances so distant I don’t have so much as their names stored in my phone. All of them asking if the rumors are true, how I’m doing, what happened, and who dumped whom. My closest family members and friends already know, but now it feels as though the entire world knows too. I can’t find the courage or energy to respond to the texts. What would I even say? I feel so incredibly embarrassed right now that I just want to get back into bed, curl into a ball, and hide under the fluffy down comforter.
    As much as I wish this entire breakup could be handled privately, I know it can’t. I forfeited that luxury by getting to do all of the amazing things I did. And now I must pay the price, and that means I must get ready for some judgments and criticism. You’d think by now I’d be used to the insults strangers seem to constantly hurl my way, but I’m not. You can’t even fathom the things people in this world are willing to say, or should I say type and post on the Internet. I get it, “I signed up for it,” but I didn’t know that signing up for a reality show would essentially be like getting naked, tying myself to a tree, and being pummeled with cheap shots and jabs while not being able to let out so much as a squeal. They shouldn’t bother me, but they do. I can’t help it. And now, with this announcement, I feel tied right back up to that tree, too weak to break free.
    And despite the publicity of this breakup, the truth is I feel the same things anyone does when it comes to this type of news. With every breakup, notable or not, comes the same common realizations:
    It’s real now.
    There’s something about your breakup going public that makes it feel so much more real. Whether it’s telling your friends and family, having to change your relationship status to “single” on Facebook, or in my case putting out a press release, the fact that it’s over doesn’t seem to hit you until someone other than you and your ex know about it. There’s no more hiding the fact that you are now—say it with me—“S-I-N-G-L-E.” And as much as it sucks that people now know about your new status, try to think of it as both a relief and a way to hold you accountable. It’s a relief because now that everyone knows, you don’t have to personally break the news to your entire list of contacts. They already know! Plus, it means you’ve gotten through the second hardest part of a breakup, which is the actual breakup conversation. Your recovery marathon has begun! Sure, you’ll endure a few miles of pain and anger followed by a second wind of reflection and revenge, but by the end, you’ll cross the finish line a brand-new person. Plus, don’t they say half the battle is just showing up?
    Secondly, the “publicity” of your breakup will serve as a way to hold you accountable. You’ve gotten out of a relationship that clearly wasn’t right for you, but despite knowing that, it’s