Valentine’s Day is lingering around the corner and some of us will spend these couple days stressing on whether our special someone will surprise us, or disappoint us. What we all fear is being heartbroken or forced to think about what could have been. To prevent an emotional tragedy, here are some ways to spot the predacious heartbreaker before you become their next victim!

The most common action of a heartbreaker is the ‘catching of their prey’. Luring their prey with sweet adjectives, an excessive amount of kindness is an attempt to fool their victims. A person is made to believe every inch of sweetness they are fed, making them feel special. The heartbreaker makes the victim feel comfortable, and builds a false trust between them and their prey.

“People can go to the extremes to make you believe that you are special, it’s sad because it has destroyed many people,” sophomore Karla Arengal said.

Ever heard the cliché saying: “not getting a message is a message?” Do you find yourself checking your phone every 5 seconds in hopes of getting that text or phone call? If you are constantly waiting on a person’s text message and do not receive a text back after days, the feeling clearly isn’t mutual.

Avoid people who do not find at least two minutes out of the day to send you a message. This person clearly is not interested and you will only end up getting hurt. Of course there are exceptions to this whether the person was experiencing problems at home or anything confidential, but if a person is into you they will at least keep in frequent contact.

Last, being ignored is a lucid example of what a heartbreaker does. This could go as far as  being stood up or even ignored when seen. Going out of your way to see a person and not seeing the same efforts being put forth  is your queue to find someone else!

“I don’t think anyone should find themselves being stood up consistently, that just goes on to show that the person can’t make time for you,” freshman Nayel Amor said.

Never catch yourself being mentally or emotionally strained over a heartbreaker. Spot these things and remember to be cautious. A heartbreaker will stop at nothing to catch its next victim so make sure you are not next!