What is the cliché? Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Something else might be beyond that, but unlike the pop-culture Rom-Coms of our day, not much ever transpires after the loss. Usually after the loss, you move on. She’s not coming back. Once someone has decided they don’t want to be with you, or prefers to be with someone else, honestly, moving on is the best thing you can do for yourself.
But once in a while, it’s tough to let go. And once in a while you convince yourself that fighting for her will fix it. In those moments, it is essential that you have a friend that will slap you back to reality, and even more essential that you listen to that friend.
Before there was Hailey, there were many others. For Billy it didn’t begin with a lot of self-reflection, and exploration. No, it began with shedding who he thought he once was, and taking on a relationship that he wanted to be all about him.