How To Respond When Your Ex Texts You 'Happy Birthday' (Quiz)

I just turned 26. Happy birthday to me! My day was going swimmingly when, all of a sudden, my phone buzzed. I looked down to see it was my ex texting me.

Yes, it was my ex with whom things didn't exactly end on great terms. He sent me a "happy birthday" message.

I sat there trying to process it for a solid five minutes. I re-read the words over and over, as if re-reading them would change their meaning. Then, I decided I had to make a move.

But which move would be best? I had to consult my girl squad.

The thing about girl squads is, as reliable as they can be, each individual woman has her own opinion about what to do in situations like this.

Some girlfriends told me not to respond at all, some told me to reply with a passive aggressive, one-word answer and some told me to wait a day and then decide.

I decided to respond, but it ended up opening Pandora's Box (uh oh). We had a long conversation which inevitably ended in an unanswered text message (on my end). Basically, I found myself in a situation I really didn't want to be in, all because my ex texted me.

It's so hard to decide what to do because on the one hand, it's kind of flattering when someone remembers your birthday (and wasn't reminded by Facebook, mind you).

But on the other hand, you don't want to end up like me, who's currently looking at a text back-and-forth that should have ended with me not answering him.

Now he has the upper hand, and I feel outright dumb. Maybe I should have listened to my girlfriends.

Let's make sure you don't make the same mistake, shall we? What should you do when your ex texts you "happy birthday?" Take this quiz to find out.