Q - Dear Annabelle, For the past year I have had and still have a crush on a girl in my class. I told her a few months ago that I did fancy her. She seemed to like it. However recently I told my best friend about it and now most of the school knows about it. They have all been saying things to us both. I don't talk a lot to people and I am not sure how to proceed. Can you help please? Thank you. A - Gary, Well, at 16, youāre not that far from an earlier age where all the kids were so excited about being Īolderā that they teased about sex and relationships. As in, (at about 10), ćGary and Nancy, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-Gä.............you know, that sort of stuff. Now, at 16, itās not too early to learn to keep things to yourself........people, even best friends, gossip. You see, a REALLY good friend, wouldnāt say anything, but, at this age, real Īpowerā is so hard to come by, that any information is used as Īpowerā in an attempt to rise in the pecking order.. Learn to keep your own counsel. Thatās part of maturity. REAL power is in keeping your private life PRIVATE. Just ask the guy who runs OUR country! - Annabelle Q - Dear Annabelle, Thank you for your help. 1 other thing I would like you to help me with is I don't know what to say to her. I don't talk very much to people even to my best of friends who I've known since first school. I would like to know what she thinks. Some people are saying she just wants to be friends while others are saying she wants to go out with me. I just don't know what to say to her. A - Gary, Dear Gary.....Well, if I were sixteen, Iād sure like to be asked to a good movie and a banana split! Chocolate is usually really good Ībaitā. By the way, 16 is a good time to learn the acronym for easy conversation.........it goes like this: **H.E.L.P** ĪHā Ask her about her hobbies, what she does for fun, you know, stuff like that. ĪEā Ask her about her education...school......what classes she likes/doesnāt like,... that sort of thing. Help her with a difficult class or ask her to help YOU! (Strangely enough, you can make friends by asking someone to help you with something). ĪLā Ask her about her Īlifestyleā..........what she likes to do when she just Īhangs outā with friends and stuff. Does she go to church or synagogue? ĪPā Ask her about her plans for the future, and such. What would she like to do when she grows up, does she have a long list or a short list of things-to-do in life? (By the way, the most desirable people have a real ENTHUSIASM for life.......and young MEN who are excited about all the wonderful things theyāre going to do in the world are....get this.......REALLY desirable to young women ;) Good luck.......and remember, life can be wonderfully fun. Itās a serious business, of course, but laughing is definitely allowed. - Annabelle