In high school I had an unhealthy friendship with a girl. I think she had some undiagnosed mental health issues -- manic depression, cutting, etc. We were very close but occasionally she would decide that she hated me for something I did wrong and tell her other set of friends I was a huge asshole. Then we would have a long serious talk and I would apologize whether or not I did anything and things would get better, then repeat.

I guess I had sort of a savior complex and always wanted things to be "good" so I tried really hard to be a good friend and make her happy. Ironically, this led to my biggest mistake -- kissing her, convincing myself that I could be in a relationship with her, then backing out. Obviously this made things much worse, but somehow our friendship continued on the same rocky path.

Not being the type to abruptly end a friendship (and frankly, I was too worried she would slit her wrists, a fear which I realize now was overblown, but I was a teenager), I started looking forward to the day she left for college (she was a year ahead of me). I figured once she was gone we could wean ourselves off the friendship.

Not long after she left I was with a group of friends who were badmouthing her, and being the idiot impressionable teenager I was, I joined in. It got back to her, of course, and she sent me a couple really long letters chewing me out. Hating myself, but desperate to make this go away, I denied everything. We talked on the phone and half-heartedly reconciled.

And after that, pretty abruptly, we never spoke again.

I'm guessing she ended up not thinking very highly of me, but by then I realized our friendship was toxic, and exhausting for both of us, and I hated myself for the mistakes I made with her. And because of all of that, sometimes it's better just to cut ties and stop damaging each other. A huge lesson to learn for somebody who always tried to be a people-pleaser.