Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler
photo: Splash News

In today's "love's not real" news, Austin Butler and Vanessa Hudgens just split up. 

These two really seemed like ride-or-dies, so it's especially heartbreaking for fans who have watched them since the beginning. It seems all of our favorite couples have been breaking up. I guess with the start of the new year, it's time for a change. 

While it's so sad that these two are no longer together, there are still a few inspiring celeb couples to keep your spirits up. I'd suggest a "breakover" to Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler. It works wonders. 

This heartbreak is too dang real. 

Us Weekly first reported that the fan-favorite couple have called it quits after nine years of dating. A source revealed to the magazine that "Vanessa and Austin are officially broken up, and Vanessa has been telling those close to her about their breakup." 

Now that fans have heard, they're feeling the heartbreak too. One person shared a few images of the exes when they were together and tweeted, "No one look at me for the rest of forever cause I’ll be drowning in my tears Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler broke up after 9 years together."

So this Twitter user definitely checked my cynical self. I guess love doesn't have to be forever for it to have been real. 

While many people are feeling the loss of this longtime couple, many people are checking those who are tossing love out the window. 

Someone wrote, "Stop putting so many expectations on love!!! You can spend a chunk of time together and it be exactly what you need during that time. And sometimes it’s time to move on after a while! Doesn’t mean the love wasn’t real. The idea that true love is forever is so limiting." 

I guess the love still could have been real for those nine years, even if it didn't work out in the end. 

So... now we're just all going to stay single forever, right??

What's the point of dating for nine years if it's not going to work out? Many fans are feeling the cynicism after this disheartening news. Butler and Hudgens have been quiet on their social media accounts and haven't shared photos together since October 2019. 

In the midst of this truly disheartening news, some fans are able to find the humor. 

Many High School Musical fans are reminiscing about a simpler time when Hudgens dated her HSM costar Zac Efron. Perhaps this news will send Efron back to his first love. "Zac Efron on his way to Vanessa Hudgens' house after hearing she's broke up with Austin Butler," one person tweeted, along with the video for "Bet on It."

Who's going to inspire us for Halloween now? Their costumes were always on point. 

We'll miss their Halloween content. Hudgens' caption from A Nightmare Before Christmas might spark tears. She wrote, "And sit together, now and forever. For it is plain, as anyone can see. We're simply meant to be." 

*SOBS*