Don't Be a Ghost

Any of these alternatives are better than leaving them on read...

- By Erin Sargent

It’s Sunday night homework hour, and your phone buzzes with a text from… your crush? Nope, it’s that person who just wishes you two were more than friends. And, maybe, at one point, you wished that, too. But you can’t control who you like—and, tbh, you’re simply not feeling it.

After struggling with how to reply, you put your phone down and go back to your HW. Because suddenly writing 1,200 words on climate change solutions seems way easier than stringing together a straightforward sentence to sweetly let them know you aren’t interested.

Whether you’re squaring on Snapchat or leaving them on read on iMessage (or, eek, ignoring IRL), ghosting is when you stop responding to someone and hope they get the hint. And though it seems simpler to avoid confrontation, in an age of constant connection, ghosting leads to more confusion than clarity.

Plus, when you ghost, hurt feelings abound—and neither you nor your admirer gets the chance to express your emotions and grow from the experience.

“A couple of years ago, I got ghosted by a girl I really liked, someone I honestly believed I was going to date,” says Brent G., 16. “I was really upset about it. I spent so much time wondering what happened, trying to figure out what I did wrong.”

Have no fear: We’re here to help you draft the pitch-perfect response to *any* potential non-bae. Because the only ghosts this season should be the ones in your next Halloween movie marathon.

THE CLASSROOM CUTIE