A love letter to myself (and all the single girls out there)

This year, I’m my own Valentine. And not only is that OK—it’s kind of amazing, tbh.

- By Bailey Bujnosek

I’ve never been on a date. Nope, not a single one. It’s not that I don’t want to (because I do!). It’s just that, so far, no one’s asked me. And yes, I know it’s 2024 and I could ask someone out myself. I just haven’t gotten up the courage to do so.

Let’s rewind a few years. There I was, just a week into 10th grade, already crushing hard on a guy in my English lit class.

I tried to pay attention to Pride and Prejudice, but I couldn’t help but glance at my new crush a few times. When class ended, I wanted to talk to him, but he left before I could work up the nerve. I told myself it would be best to wait, anyway. Heck, I didn’t even know if he was single.

After asking around, I found out that he was…at least, back when I’d first spotted him. Sadly, a few weeks later, I saw him holding hands in the hallway with another girl from our class. I was devastated.

But that boy made me realize I wanted a crush. Actually, I wanted a relationship. I figured by the new year I’d like another guy. And plenty of my friends were still single, too, which helped me feel better about my solo status.

But the rest of the school year came and went without anyone asking me to a dance through some elaborate proposal—or even texting to ask if I wanted to go get coffee.

Junior year? Same deal. As prom approached, more and more of my classmates got dates. I felt stuck on the sidelines while everyone else’s lives were moving blissfully ahead. Why didn’t anyone tell me high school romance wasn’t always like TV and the movies?

In elementary and middle school, I’d envisioned having my first boyfriend, like dreamy Austin from