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Dear OC,

I don't know if this is considered a waste of your time and you may think that its very unimportant. Well anyways I'm in my tweens. I'm in middle school and I'm having some boy troubles. There is this guy I really like who is a year older then me and I've kinda been getting the hint that he likes me. He looks at me in class and does something funny or stupid then turns around to me to see if I'm looking. He ALWAYS says hi to me in the hallways and one time when we were in the auditorium for a pep rally (I'm one of the cheerleaders) I was walking past him when he said "Hi! i didnt know you were a cheerleader! You are awesome." He's been giving me little hints like that.

But then today I was in class and this girl comes up to me and says "Are you going out with somebody?" and I said no. Then she laughed and said, "Let me find you somebody," and she went over to where the boy I like was sitting.  She asked the boy I like if he liked me and he said no. Then she asked, "Do you think she's pretty?" I didn't hear what he said then because I was so embarrassed. Then I heard him say to her, "if I liked her I would have already asked her to go out with me. That's when my heart sank.

So please, I'm sorry if this is a waste of your time and you think its just silly boy troubles but i really like him and it really means a lot to me if you give me some advice. So do you think he likes me?

- unloveable :(

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Dear unloveable,

There were many things that struck me about your letter.  I have actually had some difficulty deciding where to start.  Should I answer your question, or should I answer all of my questions that were caused my your question.  For example:

Why are you reading this website? This website is not for kids.  There was a drawing of a penis on here once.  No, don't try to find it!!

Why can't you take some of that time spent worrying about boys and instead worry about the fact that you can barely communicate? I think I spent twice as much time deciphering and editing your letter to make it readable as you did typing it out.  Here's a sample:

i pretend like i dont see him but i see him in the corner of my eye. he ALWAYS says hi to me in the hallways and one time when we were in the auditorium for a prep rally (im one of the cheerleaders) i was walking past him when he said "hi $^%$^! i didnt know you were a cheerleader!" then i said "you didnt then laughed" and then he said"wow %&^%& you are awesome. you are just everything a cheerleader and all this stuff you are just awesome" then i laughed and said thank you.

You should write this boy some love notes just to practice your sentence structure.

And you are in your tweens, in middle school: why are you worried about boys? You are 11 or 12, right? Too soon! Turn off The Hills and step away from the TV! Put the Cosmogirl magazine down!  Keep this up and you're going to turn me into one of those crazy people that blames the media for the downfall of society.

(Well, unless you go to school in Hartford CT, then I guess its time to start a family.  You don't want to be the only girl without an ultrasound picture for show and tell!)

Okay, now I'll answer your question: yes, the boy likes you.  It is obvious to you, it is obvious to me, and it was obvious to the mean girl in class who decided to make sport of the situation.  But no, he will not say so. He will never, ever say so.  He was as embarrassed as you were, and now he can never, ever say he likes you because then it will be even more embarrassing.  Things will remain this way for some time.  You will be better off being a confident young woman instead of measuring your self worth based on the opinions of easily embarrassed teenage boys.  They are all very dumb.  Please make a note of it.