"My online boyfriend wasn't real".(Real-Life Reads: THE COSMO POST)

Michelle Satterlee, 21, thought she had found her soul mate. But it all turned out to be a cruel hoax.

I was starting my freshman year at the University of California at Davis when I received a MySpace message from a cute guy named Jason. He was my age, lived an hour away, and said he knew an old friend of mine who had suggested we get to know each other. I don't typically read messages from strangers, but there was something about Jason that seemed genuine.

Still, I wanted to make sure he was legit. I hadn't seen or spoken to our mutual friend, Kara (not her real name), in a few years, but nevertheless, I e-mailed her to ask what she thought of the guy. She promised me that he was great. So I wrote to Jason on and off that school year ... but it wasn't anything serious.

That changed during the summer. I wasn't as busy as I had been at school, so I spent hours chatting with Jason online. His parents were divorced like mine, we both played basketball in high school, and he was really into art, which is my major. I'd never talked to a guy who understood me like he did--not to mention, he looked great in his photos. I was falling for him fast.

By the time my sophomore year started, we were writing to each other on MySpace and Facebook and texting each other constantly, but I was dying to talk to him and hear his voice. Every time I suggested it, however, he was too busy. And when we'd arrange to meet, he wouldn't show up. I was disappointed and angry, but he always apologized and had a good explanation. It sounds bizarre now, but I was too head over heels to think rationally.

When I told my friends about Jason, they were happy for me--until they found out we'd never spoken. They told me to cut off contact, and in my gut, I knew they were right. But l couldn't shake the feeling that he was perfect for me. So I hid our relationship, skipping parties and slacking on schoolwork so I could spend time with him online. If I did go out with friends, he would ask me why I didn't want to chat and grill me about other guys. I always reassured Jason that I was interested only in him. I was too emotionally dependent on him to risk ...