I had a crush on this girl in my class

In 2010, aged 20, he expected romance, but his girlfriend met him once or twice weekly, leaving him isolated before school. His placement score put him in the second-highest class, where Taiwanese friends provided outings, belonging, and less anxiety. He never confessed his crush; a decade later, lost contact fuels sadness, social paranoia, and feeling life has stalled.

Nostalgia reveals a lasting shift from easy social belonging toward guarded isolation and self- perceived stagnation.