Thank you.

Thank you so much for everything you have done. If it weren't for you, I never would have had the chance to find my first love. I never would have experienced some of the greatest and most precious moments of my life if you had not preceded me. You are a crucial part in the story of my life, and I'm thankful.

You were the girl I envied from the day I found out you existed; the girl I was constantly jealous of. You were the girl who he never seemed to quit bragging about. You were his one and only, and you gave him up — and I couldn't even put into words how much strength that must have taken to give up something you've put so much energy, effort and commitment into. And I am so incredibly grateful, because after you did that, I got a chance to step up and attempt to fill your shoes (which I never really could).

You were the one who loved him just as much, maybe more than I did (and still do). You were the one who watched him fade away and allowed your heart to be broken, so that, eventually, a girl like me could find out what it meant to be loved by a boy like him. You were the one who gave up a relationship and watched the person you loved love someone else... and I'm sorry for that.

I'm sorry I was the one who had to take that away from you. I'm sorry you think I stole something of yours, and I will probably never be able to make up for it. I understand that. It was never my intention to take something (or someone) that wasn't rightfully mine. I wanted nothing more than someone to care for and, because of you, I got what I wanted.

I got to spend the most beautiful year of my young life with this boy that you loved before me. I got to watch him change because of loving you, and because of losing you. I got to see what he looked like when he spoke of his girlfriend, or, as he would say "If you look for her in a room full of people, she's always the most beautiful one." I'll never forget that.

It was at that moment that I realized how badly I wanted that. I wanted someone to care about me and love me the way he cared about and loved you. And, because of you and your strength, I got to experience it.

I understand if you still hate me. Trust me, I really do. But you still deserve to know that I have never defined your worth — you are perfectly deserving of love and affection, regardless of what happened a year ago. Regardless of what it may have felt like or seemed like or how it appeared to others you're the reason I got to fall in love. And I can't ever thank you enough.

But now, it seems I'm in the position you found yourself in all those months ago. I guess karma really does have a way of getting around to you. And as the girl who loved him after you, I must now learn what it feels like to be the girl who loved him before... her.

We've had our chance to find love in him, I guess. And I don't know about you, but I don't regret even a split second of it. I suppose, though, that now as I sit here with tear-soaked cheeks and a stuffy nose, I need to take some lessons from you in "getting over it." And as I learn how to start all over again and figure out what it means to move past this, I'm still thankful for you.

Sincerely,
The Girl Who Loved Him After You