The end of a suffocating relationship

My girlfriend Clara was always a proud girl who only cared about looking good in front of others. We dated for two years. I was blinded by the belief that I was lucky that a girl as pretty and elegant as her decided to date a simple, geeky guy like me. I overlooked a lot of her selfish and, honestly, childish behavior. If she subtly made fun of the way I dressed or commented on how weird my friends were, I just ignored her, defending her to others by making excuses and downplaying it, that she didn't mean any harm and that deep down, she was a sweet and fun girl.

I was so blinded by my love for her that I stopped doing many of the things I liked just to keep her calm. No more talking about comics or manga, no more movies she considered weird or geeky. I stopped hanging out with many of my friends and spent most of my time with Clara and her friends, with whom I honestly didn't have much in common. Social gatherings were boring and tedious, with Clara and her friends talking about the latest trends on social media.

This routine nearly drove me crazy until, at one of those gatherings, Clara introduced me to her sister Elena, two years older than her and a programming student. Clara wasn't very close to her sister; she often said that their two-year age difference didn't allow them to get along, so she didn't know much about her. That day, Clara organized a get-together with friends at her house. Her parents were away, and Elena was temporarily living with them due to problems with her apartment, so she practically felt forced to invite Elena to the party.

At first, I stood in the corner watching everyone else have fun and discuss the latest social media gossip. At one point during the party, I noticed Elena standing in the corner, looking just as bored as me, if not more so. I approached her to try to strike up a friendly conversation. I wanted to get along with my girlfriend's sister.

When I started talking to her, I felt like we connected immediately. She was an amazing girl, funny, sarcastic, and just as geeky as me, if not a little bit more. She talked about the comics she liked, the cosplays she'd done, and what excited her most: the Dungeons and Dragons game she was playing with her college friends. We spent practically the entire meeting together talking about our likes and hobbies. For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel ashamed of who I really was. When Clara saw us talking, she immediately approached us with a barely contained look of anger.

- Hi Elena, I see you and Samuel are getting to know each other. I hope you didn't spend the whole party talking about your childish fantasies.

To this comment, so common to me, Elena just rolled her eyes and, looking angrily at Clara, replied.

- The only one who's childish here is still you, Clara. I thought that entering university would make you mature a little, but I see that's asking too much of you.

With that he gave me a soft smile and walked away without looking at Clara.

- Elena never changes, you'd think that being older she'd have better taste.

"I think she's a nice girl. It was fun hanging out together." I replied without looking at her.

After this comment, Clara started yelling about how if hanging out with her weird sister was more fun than spending time with her and her friends, maybe I should rethink my priorities. That I should be grateful for having a beautiful girlfriend like her and not be lonely and sad like Elena.

She continued yelling and talking nonsense, hurling increasingly harsh insults at her own sister. I think it was at that moment, when I saw her face red with anger, as if she were a little girl denied candy or a treat, that I realized Clara wasn't actually a sweet, misunderstood girl. She was just a spoiled brat, incapable of respecting the tastes of others. I wondered if I really wanted to be with someone like her. I wanted to hide my tastes just to please this spoiled brat who didn't respect her sister or me.

When she took a break from her speech, in a calmer voice than I expected, I told her that if that was what she thought of her own sister, maybe she was the one who should reconsider her way of thinking, that I was fed up with having to put up with her tantrums and disrespect. I was happier in those minutes with her sister than I had been in months of my relationship with her.

Clara just looked at me in surprise. I'd never spoken to her like that before, always letting her comments slide. But that day, I'd had enough. I'd rather remain a geeky bachelor than be in a relationship with a spoiled brat. I told her firmly.

- Clara, I'm done with your childish attitude. Go and find someone else who can put up with you.

I left, leaving her in the middle of her boring party. A few days later, I met up with Elena and her friends for my first game of Dungeons and Dragons.