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Dating (93 found)
Note: These stories are from Represent and its sister publication, YCteen, which is written by New York City public high school students.
The author meets a gang leader on a dating website and is drawn into the gang. The boyfriend cheats on her and then turns on her, and she gets locked up. (full text)
The music of Kamaal's favorite R&B artist, Musiq Soulchild, connects him with his father, his better self, and a cool, smart girl. (full text)
As her boyfriend spirals into depression, Imani longs to be free. But will she have the strength to say goodbye? (full text)
Samantha falls in love with "Joseph" despite warning signs of his alcoholism. Even after she realizes he's a full-blown addict, she keeps trying to help him. (full text)
The author falls in love at age 14. When the boy breaks up with her, she sleeps with other guys to regain the feeling of being loved. (full text)
A psychotherapist describes what a balanced and healthy relationship looks like. (full text)
The writer won’t stay with her boyfriend if he stays in the Latin Kings. (full text)
Anne, who lives in a group home, meets Cliff and they soon fall in love. But Anne can't tell Cliff her living situation, nor that her mother is a racist. (full text)
Artiqua's teenage dream of boyfriends, partying, and staying out late will never become a reality, so long as her mother has anything to say about it. (full text)
In junior high, the writer bet a friend that she would still be a virgin in her senior year of high school. She tells the story of how she won the bet. (full text)
Sue’s boyfriend tells her that if she were a “real” Korean girl, she would listen to him when he told her what to do. (full text)
When Lucia's sister Julia is 16, she falls in love too fast and ends up pregnant. Only later does she learn her boyfriend's shocking secret.
Eric is not willing to commit to someone until he feels they have a connection that’s not just physical.
Cynthia and her sister Natalie have different strategies for protecting themselves in relationships.
The writer is beginning to realize that her boyfriend is abusive, but she can’t bring herself to leave him.
Fred was sexually abused as a child and has trust issues that interfere in his dating life. He is afraid to commit to one girl, but he decides on a new path after a girl he’s dating cheats on him.
The writer bonds with a girl named Katy, who helps him get his life under control.
Erica feels used by her boyfriend, and decides she deserves something better.
A therapist discusses how emotional baggage from the past can affect relationships.
When her boyfriend becomes aggressive, the writer starts to reevaluate their relationship.
The writer describes the long, painful process of trying to disentangle herself from an abusive boyfriend.
Oumar and Nina, who are both in foster care, grow very close because their biological parents are dead and they don’t have close relatives. They become as tight as family as they care for each other’s needs.
The writer is only 12 when she starts going out with Tony, 19. Eventually he becomes so abusive that she seeks an order of protection.
Danielle starts dating Mike, who doesn't reveal much about himself and says he attends a boarding school. She eventually finds out he lives in a group home. Danielle, who is not ashamed of living in a foster home, feels hurt by Mike's deception and breaks up with him.
Latonya urges a friend and all young women in abusive relationships to have the self-worth and self-confidence to get out.
Lenny meets a girl he likes, but is ashamed to tell her he lives in a group home. When she finds out the truth, the relationship ends. Lenny meets a new girl who doesn't care he's in foster care, but he still hides his identity from others.
Shameek gets kicked out of her foster home for being a lesbian.
After a series of unhealthy relationships, the author meets a girl who challenges his negative views of women and teaches him what partnership means. (full text)
Rosie’s first boyfriend smokes weed and ditches her to be with his friends. She finally breaks up with him, but the experience taught her a lot. (full text)
The author, who has never had a boyfriend, develops a flirtation with a classmate, but struggles to open up to him about her expectations and boundaries. (full text)
Mitzi’s friend Veronica is dating a guy who constantly accuses her of cheating and even threatens violence. Although Mitzi convinces Veronica to get help from supportive adults, Veronica eventually returns to her boyfriend. (full text)
Kelly breaks down a study showing that, when girls outnumber guys in HS, girls compete for guys and are more willing to have sex rather than hold out for a relationship. Her advice to girls: don't play into the trend. (full text)
Noticing that she has no desire to date boys (or girls), Nesshell starts a club for "asexual women" with some like-minded friends. She argues that all girls, asexual or not, should consider refraining from dating during high school. (full text)
Kenya, a tomboy who loves basketball, has always had a lot of guy friends—but things get complicated when she starts dating.
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In these interviews with their parents, YCteen writers get a variety of advice, including pleas to look for partners who are kind, to wait until they're 40 to marry, and to think of heartache as a learning experience.
In this interview, activist Christopher Watson explains how males should be held accountable for preventing dating and sexual violence.
The author examines the definition of date rape and explains why so many people–both girls and guys—hesitate to use the term.
In this sidebar, couples are encouraged to discuss and agree to a list of "relationship rights."
The writer falls for a "bad boy" in hopes that she can change him. As the relationship intensifies, he becomes increasingly possessive and their constant fighting turns physical. It's not until after she breaks up with him that she realizes she was in a truly abusive relationship.
Ebony is ecstatic when she falls in love with a Nigerian boy, but as the relationship gets serious she realizes that he's breaking his family's and his culture's rules by dating an American.
Results of a survey in which teens responded to questions about their thoughts and beliefs on love, sex, and relationships.
When Renea discovers that her boyfriend's father cheats on his wife, she gets scared that her boyfriend will be unfaithful, too. She wonders whether children are destined to repeat the same relationship mistakes of their parents.
Right before she moves to New York from her native Panama, 13-year-old Madeline falls in love with Barry. They try to keep the relationship going, but the distance and Madeline's trouble expressing herself prove to be too much. It's not until she returns to Panama for a visit that she discovers the secret to lasting long-distance romance.
Boys don't know as much as they think about girls, says Brittany. She thinks relationships would work better if boys were honest about their feelings, listened better, and worried less about being macho.
Percy clarifies some of the points he thinks women misunderstand about male behavior.
Arguing that teen boys are all but incapable of fidelity, Philippe suggests that teen girls should let go of romantic ideals and play the field as well.
As a person of mixed race, Brittany has never considered interracial relationships a big deal. She interviews peers who have been involved in interracial relationships to learn more about the practical pros and cons.
The writer is attracted to Ray and goes out on a date with him. Soon after, the writer finds out that Ray is HIV-positive.
The author is not allowed to date, but she rebels against her mother's rules. When her mom reads her diary and finds out that she's had boyfriends, they have a devastating fight.
As a child, David had a severe crush on Mishland, a girl at his elementary school. He never saw her after she moved to another part of Haiti and he emigrated to the U.S. As a teenager, he realizes that Mishland represents a simpler life he has left behind forever.
When Jerrica starts dressing like her older sisters, she starts attracting boys like they do, too. But she also learns to be wary about all the male attention.
When Leneli, who is Filipina, dates Jeremy, who is black, they turn heads.
As a shy boy without a clue, Juelz is unsure if he’ll ever be able to approach girls.
Rosheed, whose dad is a womanizer, is cynical and cautious about relationships—until he meets someone special.
The writer questions his sexuality when he falls in love with a boy at his school.
Jennifer falls in love too easily and winds up getting hurt by guys she doesn't really know. She eventually realizes the need to go slow in relationships.
Nethaniel has felt the temptation to have sex, but fear of the consequences, as well as his religious beliefs, help him decide to wait until marriage.
When Christian falls in loves, he learns that a serious relationship is much more satisfying than playing around.
The writer is turned off by the immaturity of guys her own age and starts going out with older boys. But when she dates someone six years older, he turns out to be suspicious and controlling, the relationship ends, and the writer blames the age gap.
The writer has a penchant for going out with older guys. Right now she's involved with Bobby, who, at 25, is eight years her senior. She freely admits that she likes being controlled and told what to do.
Abanty respects her parents and accepts their rules about not dating—but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
The writer has a very close friendship with a girl named Zarah and longs to become physically involved with her. But he also worries about ruining their friendship and Zarah's many relationships with both sexes. He realizes he wants Zarah to be someone she clearly is not.
Cheryl shares how her cousin, Renee, got into (and out of) a harrowing relationship.
The writer, 14, acknowledges that people will read her story and think she's too young to be sexually active. But she feels having sex with her boyfriend is the right thing to do and brought them closer, and she has no regrets.
Savita’s values and her friends’ experiences have taught her to be cautious about sex.
Tired of relationships that revolve around the guy, Faleisha decides to figure out what she wants from a boyfriend and how to go about getting it.
Her parents tell her marriage is the key to happiness, but Clariza wants to keep her freedom.
Most parents are trying to protect their daughters and keep them out of trouble, but some of their rules are hard to follow.
Nicole questions whether becoming sexually active should be considered one of the "milestones" of womanhood. She thinks too many girls have sex for the wrong reasons, losing sight of their own best interests.
Shaniece explores the issue of teen girls having sex with older guys, and concludes that these relationships can be risky for girls.
At first, the writer’s boyfriend makes her feel happy and secure. Then he gets violently angry if she refuses to do what he says. When he hits her she thinks that’s the price for keeping him, but she eventually realizes she shouldn’t put up with that kind of treatment.
Artiqua, who’s black, is pressured to break off her relationship with Johnny, a Puerto Rican.
Rance makes some negative assumptions about the beautiful girl he sees hanging out with the neighborhood players. But when he finally talks to her, he sees that he’s misjudged her.
When the guy she loves starts dating her best friend, Magda thinks her life is over.
After they have been dating for about a year, the author's boyfriend Roger starts pressuring her to have sex. Even though she's terrified about losing her virginity and maybe getting pregnant, she decides to "go along with the program." But is she really ready?
Troy feels intimidated by a girl who approaches him and “takes control” on the street.
Latrice used to think that if you didn’t have a boyfriend there was something wrong with you. Now she’s older and wiser.
The author is caught in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend, lives in fear and isolation, and can't find a way out.
The writer’s strict parents crack down when they discover she’s been disobeying them to date boys.
Irma finds that many teens are perfectly happy not dating and don’t feel they’re missing anything.
The writer learns the hard way that sex doesn’t automatically lead to love and commitment.
Because of her past, Seandrea is out of touch with her feelings and doesn’t feel comfortable in relationships.
Paula says you shouldn't hide being in foster care because most people are understanding. She says it's especially important to tell the truth to a boyfriend or girlfriend, because relationships are based on mutual respect and trust.
When a new kid arrives in her group home, Angi is shocked to discover that "he" is really Marisol, a lesbian. They form a close friendship, and soon something happens that Angi never expected—she falls in love with a girl.
Quiet, shy Danny is tired of his friends' flirting techniques and feels clueless about approaching girls. So he buys a book, "101 Ways to Flirt," and the tips enable him to get over his anxiety and make a fool of himself.
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