Hot Take: I Lowkey Like It When My Boy Gets Dumped

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Before everyone jumps down my throat and calls me a scumbag piece of shit, allow me to explain. I’m not a monster, I’m just a little selfish. Being in your mid-twenties is a strange time. Some of your boys are getting married, others are having kids, and the rest of us are just trying to keep our heads above water, navigating jobs, relationships, and whatever else life throws at us. Time becomes harder to find, schedules never align, and every friendship you still have at this age starts to mean a little more. It’s no longer just about convenience, its about availability.

So when one of my boys is in a long term relationship like, eight years deep, I root for that relationship. I don’t want to see it fall apart. That’s someone who’s been there, who’s put in real time and work, and if it ends, I know it’s going to hurt. I care about him, and I want what’s best for him. No part of me wants to see him go through that level of heartbreak.

But, and this is where it gets a little hairy, if one of my boys is just a few months into a casual relationship or fling, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little fist bump of excitement deep down when it ends. I don’t celebrate it outwardly, and I’m absolutely there for him emotionally. I’ll listen, I’ll empathize, and when he’s venting or hurting, I’m genuine. I’m not pretending to care, I really do.

But I also know what comes next. I know that, just like an NFL player coming back from an injury, he’s about to go off. He’s got something to prove, a little chip on his shoulder, and suddenly we’re back in the game. He’s hitting the gym harder, he’s out more, he’s bringing energy we haven’t seen in a while. And as his best friend, maybe even the head coach of this little squad, I’m fired up. I want my best players on the field, and now I’ve got one back, hungry and ready to put up numbers. 

Is it kind of messed up? Yeah, probably. I won’t deny that there’s a selfish side to it. But am I completely wrong for feeling this way? I really don’t think so. It’s not that I want my friends to be heartbroken or lonely, I don’t. I want them to be happy. But part of that happiness, at least for now, still comes from the brotherhood we’ve built. And when we get those rare stretches where the team is back together, fully locked in, it feels like the magic is still there.

Maybe I’m not a monster. Maybe I’m just a guy who misses his friends.