My girlfriend was pissy with me for a full week after my return from a vacation/job hunt. It turns out she was angry because I had stayed at the apartment of two girls without asking her permission. Those two girls were two of our mutual best friends. They had moved away recently, so neither of us had gotten to see them. And they were the ones who introduced us to each other a year earlier.

—N

Aftermath: 1 more week

On the day of our departure for a weekend trip, my boyfriend of a few months showed up over an hour late to pick me up, then proceeded to throw a fit over why he was late. It scared me a little. Apparently, he was really late due to stopping for a burger.

—Bethany

Aftermath: We went on the trip, although I seriously thought about ending it right then and there. On top of this, he got ketchup all over my blouse when he finally hugged me and apologized for his outburst. The relationship lasted another few months until he proposed and I said, “No.”

I let my friend set me up on a blind, double-date with her and her boyfriend. He showed up and immediately gave me a rolled up piece of fabric. I opened it up, and it was a calendar with his photo on the top and the words “World’s Greatest Lover.” I guess I was supposed to be excited by it, but I was extremely embarrassed, I had never even met this guy before.

— KS

Aftermath: I did go on the date, I threw out the calendar as soon as I got home. I never answered his calls and it took some time, but I’ve forgiven my friend.

While living abroad, I dated a guy from the local area. When it was time to return to the U.S. we split on good terms, partly because he said he just “wasn’t at that place in his life.” Then, two weeks later, Facebook told me he was in a relationship with a girl he had claimed was just a friend. A friend who lived a couple thousand miles away.

—Kate

Aftermath: She was pregnant less than two months later. And I thanked God it wasn’t me.

One of the most important things for me in all my relationships is to say “I love you” when we’re saying goodbye. It started because my parents always said “I love you” every night at bedtime. When my first boyfriend neglected to return the usual “I love you” before signing off AIM, it was over.

—Annie

Aftermath: Lasted a few weeks longer. Ironically, I ended up meeting his father and making a very good impression even though I already knew it was over.