Let the games begin

Games. We've all played them. Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all set a trap, planted a seed or fought back eye-for-an-eye style in the world of relationships.

We all want to claim we are better than that. But if he didn't return a call or text for two days, she waits two days to get back to him. And if he felt jealous seeing her talk to another guy, he flirts with another girl in front of her to make her feel what he felt. That's just the reality we live in. Dating makes us vulnerable -- and we hate it. So when our feelings get hurt or we get annoyed, we want to even the score. It's human nature.



One of the biggest games I think guys in particular play is the thrill of the chase. Yes, there is a certain level of ego stroking that occurs when a girl fawns all over a guy's muscles and cheesy one-liners. But there is another form of ego boost found in winning a girl over -- the pride that comes from turning a girl who told him to drop dead into a mushy pawn to be played. But once she has fallen for his tricks and thinks he walks on water, the guy inevitably moves on because the catch isn't nearly as fun as the chase. In other words, he finds a new target to stalk and hunt.

Guys say that girls love to play games and can't help themselves, but I have seen more guys play this game than any handful of girls who "bump into" her latest crush with a macho-dressed gay guy to make her crush jealous.

And I, for one, am sick of it. I am so sick of having a guy basically stalk me, blowing up my phone and Facebook, only to disappear without a trace the moment I start a conversation for a change. Guys accuse girls of being suspicious and untrusting -- always saying they aren't like the exes we've had -- but then blow them off once the chase has lost its thrill. How are we supposed to trust them???

After being blown off more times than I care to count, I always assume a guy who approaches me is playing some sort of game. If I say that to him, he gets offended, says he isn't like the guys I've known before and is going to prove me wrong, then disappears a few days later. If I believe he isn't working an angle, I get blindsided when I find out I should have trusted my gut. I am so sick of these mind games. What happened to saying what you mean and meaning what you say? I do it, why can't everyone else? Is that SUCH a hard concept? If it is, I'm screwed ... and not in a good way.