Dear Dina,

I really like my best friend, and he knows it because his other friend told him. I didn’t want to make it awkward for us, so I decided to talk to him about it.

I said that I didn’t want my feelings to get in the middle of our friendship because being best friends with him was way more important. He was really nice about it, said that he understood, and said we could still be friends. He also said that he didn’t like me as more than a friend, because I was too much like a sister. I told him that that made sense and I thought that anyway.

I really like him still, and we were still going to go to prom. But, he told my other best friend that it would be weird to go to prom with me now. So I told him if he didn’t want to go with me I understood. I think he felt bad, but I told him not to because I would rather have it less weird than go to prom with him.

So now we’re not going to prom and it has been kind of awkward. He is still trying to be my friend but it hurts. Finally, to put the end to my awful five days, I found out that he asked my other best friend to find out if someone else liked him in my class because he still wanted to go to prom. I was extremely mad when I found that out and really hurt.

If it was going to be weird if I liked him, then why not with someone else? Also, he already knew I liked him before I told him, and he agreed to go to prom with me.

He is totally confusing me, and my heart is getting broken more and more each day. Please help!

Sincerely,

Sad and Confused

Dear Sad and Confused,

I’m sorry to hear you have had a tough time with your best friend. It’s definitely a good thing that you talked to him about it in the first place.

I understand where he is coming from, but I also understand how hard it can be to like your best friend and not have them like you back. It was very nice of you to tell him he didn’t have to go to prom with you even though you really wanted to go with him.

Have you talked to him since you found out he was trying to find another person to take to the prom? Does he know how hurt that made you feel? If you don’t feel like talking to him about it because you feel it might make it more awkward, try going to prom with someone else. Go and have a good time. Show him you are a strong person, and try to act like your normal self around him at the prom.

He already knows that you like him, so if you just keep being yourself and acting natural, there is no telling whether he’ll develop feelings for you or not.

As hard as it might sound, try to not think about it so much. When you least expect it, something good could happen. Best of luck!

Sincerely,

Dina

___

Dear Dina,

I’ve been with this boy for about three months now. Everything seemed to going fine. I really liked him and he really liked me.

Last weekend, when I was visiting my cousin in another state, she introduced me to a friend of hers. Her friend and I really hit it off. He even took me out on a little date. At the end of the date, he kissed me goodbye.

I feel really guilty because I have a boyfriend already, but I did really enjoy the date. I don’t know if I should tell my boyfriend or even if I should break up with him altogether and try for this other guy.

What should I do?

Sincerely,

Undecided

Dear Undecided,

Cheating tends to lead to drama in relationships and can sometimes be the cause of their endings. What you need to do is think about what happened. If you really like your boyfriend, then maybe you should mention it to him. Just tell him that when you went to visit your cousin, her friend joined you when you went to the movies. Tell him you felt guilty about it because you knew you already had a boyfriend. Just let him know that you really like him and that situations like that won’t happen in the future because it made you feel really bad.

However, if you think you’d rather be with the other boy, then you need to tell your current boyfriend that the relationship isn’t really working out and that you would rather be friends for awhile. Don’t tell him it is because of someone else.

Think about it and see which one you would rather be with. Good luck!

Sincerely,

Dina

___

Dina Perazone, a 2006 graduate of Roxbury Central School, just finished her freshman year at the State University College at Geneseo. You can send your questions to Dina by mail c/o The Daily Star, P.O. Box 250, Oneonta, NY 13820 or by sending e-mail to punkrockrrr13@hotmail.com.