Karen Savoy / Sputnik Photography

The following submission has been modified for readability.

First date horror — My friend set me up on a mall date with one of her friends. I went to the mall with this girl, we talked, went to the food court and because we were young and in high school, we walked around a lot and window-shopped. Turns out that I was just there and was automatically friend zoned without knowing it. At the end of it all, the girl said, “Yeah so I’m seeing this boy and we’re dating.” FML.

The dreaded friend zone! This is a hard one to navigate because you came into that date thinking it was a date. I wonder what she thought it was because if your friend set it up, one would assume they told her it was sort of a date. It is funny to look back at high school dates because they were so limited with resources and time! I am so sorry you got friend zoned but think of it as a rite of passage. It happens to everyone at least once!

This article was originally published in print Volume 23, Issue 8 on Thursday, April 4.