Dear Dina,

My best friend just stole my boyfriend! I had recently noticed that they had been talking more and hanging out more, but I didn’t think anything was really going on between them.

I found out, though, when I went to the mall yesterday and saw them together. My boyfriend had said he was going fishing with his friend when he really was on a date with my best friend.

I don’t know what to do. Can you help me?

Sincerely,

Crushed

Dear Crushed,

It sounds like you need to find a new boyfriend and a new best friend. The person who you thought was your best friend is obviously not worthy of the title. If she was your best friend, she wouldn’t have treated you that way.

She might still have had feelings for your boyfriend, but she wouldn’t have done things behind your back, let alone take your boyfriend.

You need to make sure your friends respect you and are sincere in their feelings toward you.

As for your boyfriend, he obviously isn’t too committed if he goes after your best friend. That was pretty low on his part, too.

Try your best to move on and meet new people. You’ll find a new boyfriend, and you’ll now know who your true friends are. Good luck!

Sincerely,

Dina

___

Dear Dina,

Last weekend, I was house-sitting for my grandparents while they went on vacation. I had a few friends over and we got a little crazy.

I ended up knocking over a ceramic figure that was on a shelf. It broke, and I hid the pieces in the garbage. I rearranged the shelf a little to make up for the empty space.

My grandparents have not noticed, but I feel really guilty when I am around them.

What should I do? Should I tell them what happened?

Sincerely,

Feeling Guilty

Dear Feeling Guilty,

Yes, you should tell them. Not only is it the right thing to do, but you will also feel better once they know.

You won’t feel so guilty. Just tell them that it was an accident and that you would offer to find them another ceramic figure if it’s possible.

If that doesn’t work, you could say that you would make it up by doing odd jobs for them. Just tell them you are sorry and that you learned your lesson.

I’m sure they will understand. They will see that you truly are sorry by offering them something to compensate for the broken figurine.

Best of luck!

Sincerely,

Dina

___

Dear Dina,

I found out the other day that my best friend is going to college all the way in California. She never told me that she even applied to schools out there.

I got very angry and haven’t spoken to her in two days. I thought she was going to go to a college by mine so that we could still be best friends.

I’m mad that she never told me about it in the first place. I want to talk to her again but I don’t know what to say. What should I do?

Sincerely,

Unsure

Dear Unsure,

I agree, your friend should have told you that she was applying to schools out in California. But I also understand her perspective too.

The reason she didn’t tell you about them first is probably because she didn’t want you to get mad right away. She obviously wasn’t completely sure she would get accepted so she didn’t want you to get mad about nothing. I’m sure it’s shocking right now, though, since you didn’t know anything about it.

What you need to do is tell her all that. Tell your best friend exactly how you feel. She’ll tell you why she did it this way and maybe that will help you feel better about the situation. Don’t worry, though, because you can still remain best friends. You will be able to communicate with her daily, and I’m sure you will be able to see each other from time to time. Just tell her how you feel and she will understand.

Sincerely,

Dina

___

Dina Perazone, a 2006 graduate of Roxbury Central School, recently completed 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.