"First of all," Kathy said, holding up a finger, "his self-worth issues aren't your problem. They're his. And while that sounds cold, holding yourself hostage to his self-esteem is bad for you both. He doesn't learn and you get resentful. You can still try to be his friend to help with those issues, but you don't have to be his girlfriend."

Again, probably something Nina would have to discover for herself. God knew Kathy would have had to at her age.

"But also? It sounds like you have a lot of stuff that's really bothering you," Kathy pointed out. "And this is the kind of stuff that really makes talking so important. Because right now? He probably doesn't know that you're bothered by any of this. So he has no motivation to change. And if he does know and he knows that it's bothering you this badly and still isn't changing? Then that's a pretty big sign right there."