Nobody wants to be fooled twice. Nobody wants to be a hollaback girl or guy.

And I really get it. Some people don’t deserve to be trusted. If your partner abused you, or treated you terribly, or betrayed your trust over and over, you shouldn’t give them another chance.

But I’m not talking about the really, really bad relationships. I’m talking about the ones that just petered out, or ended because of a difference in opinion. Those ones where the timing was off.  I’m a sucker for giving them another go.

If you’ve got the chance to try things again, here’s why I think you should.

At Our Age, People Do Change

We’re often told that people will never change. A tiger and his stripes, a leopard and his spots, a Ross and his “we were on a break”, etc. While this is probably true for fully grown adults who refuse to learn from their mistakes, the same doesn’t really apply to us.

All we do in our early 20s is change. It’s what makes this decade so exciting! Our opinions, likes, dislikes and preference for pizza toppings changes on an almost weekly basis.

If you dated someone in high school and it didn’t work out, there’s no conceivable reason as to why you shouldn’t give it another go now. The reasons that you broke up then have completely changed. You are different people.

They could be really sorry, they could have learned their lesson. They could have finally admitted that The Bachelorette is a show worth watching! So much could have happened!

Clean Slates Are Overrated

Dating someone you’ve already dated gives you a comfortable sense of history and familiarity. You’re not starting fresh, you’re starting knees deep in a dirty, muddled mess of knowledge. You’re in the thick of it.

And while this could seem like a bad thing, you can totally use it to your advantage. You know what makes this person tick; what makes them happy or sad. You know when their mum’s birthday is! (I hope.) You can take the things that you already know and get way deeper, way quicker.

It’s like skipping over the awkward bits and getting to the sweats on the couch phase.

You Won’t Know Unless You Give It Another Go

(Yes I am particularly proud of that rhyme I just made up, thanks for asking.)

If you have nagging feelings for someone that just won’t subside – whether it’s just jealousy, nostalgia or straight up rage – it’s worth exploring. You could find that your “love” for this person ended up being nothing more than infatuation. You could find your jealousy came from a place of loneliness.

Or, as the romantic in me predicts, it could be true love all along :’)

You’ll learn a lot about yourself, and your ability to trust people, by jumping in and trying again. Having a lot of trust in someone isn’t a flaw. It’s an awesome thing to practice, and it’ll make you a better, more caring person.

Just a thought! Don’t mind me. *sips tea*

(Lead image: Friends/NBC)