By Daniel Dimitrov
Students in Ms. Haley’s classes recently completed a project titled “Humans of Burgas,” inspired by the Humans of New York photojournalist social media page of Brandon Stanton. For this assignment, students photographed and interviewed individuals from Burgas to share their stories. This interview was carried out by 8G student Daniel Dimitrov:
This is what Siana, a classmate of mine whom I didn’t know well before the interview, decided to tell. Why, you may ask? She wants more people to be aware and learn how to prevent relationships with toxic people. The advice that she gave me about this story is to “Learn more about people, keep your boundaries intact, and be true to yourself.”
Daniel: “Is there a time when a friend got into a relationship with the wrong person?”
Siana: “I’d known Marian since high school—a kind guy, always quick with a joke, but terrible at confrontation. The girl, let’s call her Milena, had been pursuing him relentlessly for months. Each time he gently declined, she’d respond with excuses: ‘You just don’t know me well enough yet,’ or ‘Give me one chance to change your mind.’
At first, it seemed harmless. But soon, the texts grew more frequent—late-night calls, “accidental” run-ins at his gym, even showing up uninvited to his birthday gathering. Marian hated hurting people’s feelings, so he’d soften his rejections. But Milena mistook his politeness for hope.
One evening, Marian called me and told me she was outside his apartment. “What do I do?” I reminded him, “You don’t owe her a relationship just because she’s persistent.” We role-played conversations where he’d be firm yet kind. Still, she’d twist his words: ‘You’re scared of commitment,’ she’d say, or ‘You’ll regret this.’
It wasn’t until Marian snapped—”This isn’t romantic; it’s stressful!”—that she finally backed off. Later, we analyzed why this happened. Milena wasn’t a villain; she was someone who’d tied her self-worth to winning approval. Maybe she’d been rejected before and saw Marian as a chance to prove she was lovable. But love shouldn’t feel like a negotiation.”