Sometimes it isn't that someone has changed, but that now you see them for who they really are. It can be disappointing to realize that someone whom you held in high esteem -- whether an old friend or relatively new girlfriend -- isn't as you imagined. Maybe you've noticed a pattern of lies, throwing cold water on the rosy impression you'd built of them in your mind. Perhaps they'd hidden the fact that they have a massive heap of debt, a never-before-mentioned ex who continues reaching out to them, or aspirations of moving to Europe in a year. Do some people change for the worst over time? In some instances, yes. It's possible they could grow complacent, envious, or flat-out bitter in the relationship, and things like alcohol and stress at work may be culprits -- though they're certainly not valid reasons for bad behavior. But in other cases, they manage to put up a front -- rather effectively, I might add -- that may persist for years. The p...

I actually experienced this firsthand in the 5th grade. The apple of my eye -- the girl whom I'd pined over since meeting her three years earlier -- was ensnared by, of all people, my best friend. If that's not the ultimate form of betrayal, I don't know what is. I was partly to blame in that I was so shy to make a move that the girl likely ran out of patience. She tried dropping hints as often as she could: staring at me in class, asking me whether I had a date for the dance, giving me cutesy cards on Valentine's Day. She even told me one day that I was #2 on her list of guys she liked the most. When #1 transferred to another school in the 3rd grade, I was suddenly well positioned to win her heart. Unfortunately, however, I never had the guts to ask her to be my girlfriend. Still, she could have hooked up with anyone who wasn't my friend, let alone my closest buddy. I don't know if it was payback for giving her false hope, or whether she did it in hope...

My wife and I have been friends with Dan since high school. When she and I hooked up in 2005, it seemed only natural to invite him along on many of our outings. He was single at the time and remained so until just this year. I figure that my wife and I spared Dan plenty of Friday and Saturday nights by himself. Even though being the third wheel isn't always fun, it sure beats not having anyone to interact with, right? Dan finally entered into a relationship about 3 months ago, and it's as though he has fallen off the map completely. He's hardly active on Facebook and doesn't deign to call or text me, even occasionally. The Dan from before is no longer. I'm trying not to take it personally and reason that maybe he'll come around again once the honeymoon stage he and his new girlfriend are in tapers off. To be frank, I feel a little cheated -- almost as if he's stolen something from me. What that something is I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe i...

Many men take issue with the fact that certain women become overly possessive in relationships -- not the relationships the men themselves are in, but those of their friends . To be quite frank, I have to side with these frustrated men on this one. A lot of men do, indeed, become "whipped" -- they get into relationships and vanish without a trace shortly thereafter. This ends up seriously diluting the guy's friendships. I've seen this transpire with a handful of guys I went to high school with, and I'm still attempting to wrap my head around it. Trying to make plans with them is an exercise in futility. They don't turn you down outright, but tend to flake out at the last minute, which I find to be even worse. I've come to the conclusion that the guys most likely to exhibit this kind of behavior: Are newbies in the world of dating, and it happens to be their first real relationship Because it's their first relationship, they don't want to ...

We all have friends who do this, or perhaps you're guilty of having done it yourself. Some people have the unpleasant habit of abandoning their friends once they enter into a relationship. In fact, two of my high school buddies ditched our circle of friends once they hooked up with their now wives. And one of my closest friends only recently began dating a girl at work and has since fallen off the map. I take immense pride in the fact that even when my now-wife and I were in the so-called "honeymoon phase," we still made time for friends, whether mutual or otherwise. This same love-struck friend who is now too busy to even give me a call was often the third wheel on outings with my wife and I. Isn't it funny how some people can change so drastically? Moreover, certain people become so consumed with their new relationship that they lose sight of the fact that they have others in their life who also care about and wish to communicate -- at least occasionally -- wi...