After a couple of years, I had a casual, friendly dinner with Aleene. We caught up on old times and cleared the air on mistaken hatred that had surfaced when she was dating Sean.

The dinner sparked some hope for me. With our high school days behind us, she and I might have been able to start over and do things the right way.

This feeling of hope was inspirational ... and fleeting.

That night, while Sean was riding his motorcycle home, he was broadsided by drag racers. He was airbone for 40 feet. When he landed, he slid for another 60. His leg was shredded to nearly nothing.

I put aside our differences and visited him in the hospital. This was one of those things that nobody deserves. Our ex-girlfriend was not happy with my visit. I lost hope of rekindling an old flame.