Really want something new? Skip the hypochondriac-like medication, bizarre household remedies, and unusual diets. Deal with the pimples in a non-obsessive way (that is, don't scratch at, pick, or pop them) and - take a deep breath now - start exercising a lot. Ever wondered why all the "pretty" and "cool" people at school seem to have less acne than the geeks and nerds? Well, because all those football players were running around butting heads and the cheerleaders doing flips. Exercise in general is always healthy, and when it comes to your skin, it can definitely help ease acne. Be careful, though, and avoid nylon clothes when working out (or in general - they aren't good for acne-prone skin).

There is a small chance that your acne will be provoked by exercise, but generally you've nothing to lose. Why not?

It sounds like he definitely is interested in at least getting to know you better. Chances are he also knows that you're probably scoping him out if you manage to catch him looking at you often enough (takes one to know one, eh?)

It sounds like he's a fairly cool kid and not laying it on thick and heavy, so my advice is to thank your lucky stars and ask a mutual friend (if you have one; if not just get closer to one of his female friends, perhaps even the other one he talks to - don't consider her "competition" yet; after all, it's not like he's got his tongue in either of your mouthes or anything) to arrange a situation in which the two of you, with some other people, are hanging out. You can find out more about him, what he's like outside of school, and perhaps do some flirting. If things go poorly, just step out. If things go well, then you can pare down the group until it's just the two of you going out and ta da - you've just made a smooth transition into dating :)

No.

Quite frankly, if you have to ask this question of anyone, the answer is no. The answer should only be yes when YOU (being of a calm and collected mind) can think through it for yourself and come to that conclusion, honestly and in good conscience.

Just to let you know, I'm personally a great fan of commuter relationships. They're definitely not for everybody, though; they have pitfalls that most people can fall into easily. Sounds like you might be in one of them.

First, if you ever find yourself having to "control" feelings, something's wrong. Feelings should not (and in most cases CAN not) be controlled - only behavior. It sounds like you're just being vexed because you want to be with him very badly, and are probably just thinking about it too much.

Be careful that when the two of you spend time apart, you aren't idealizing him. It's very, very easy to have rose-tinted glasses when you're thinking about someone you haven't seen in a while; over time somehow their faults that were evident the last time you meet suddenly cease to be important so long as you can just see them again soon. So while the two of you are "fixing" your lives, I wouldn't by any means stifle or cut off contact with the boy - you need it to keep both of you honest and realistic. Moreover, learning to restrain yourself in contact with him should help you curb whatever aspects of your needs you think might smother him.

Ach, I was afraid of that. Does she live with her mother or father? (I'm guessing mother, so I'll run on that assumption)

In that case I would definitely turn to the school counselor and beg him/her to put pressure on the girl's family, perhaps call them in for a talk or something. Tell the mother that you are not the best person to be trying to reason with her daughter; the two of you haven't been friends for some time now and anyway your words seem not to be working so well. Don't outright tell the mother that this is HER job to talk to her daughter, but when you talk to her, make it very clear that you leave the ball in her court and with the impression that she is the only person who can do anything. It's not terribly nice, but she needs to confront it, and if she's the kind of person to be out partying all the time, she'll probably never do that unless practically forced to.

I can only imagine that the girl has had a hard life; that's why a lot of people turn to drugs as a release. Sadly, it's going to be very difficult to convince her that this is an unwise lifestyle, because from the looks of things, she really doesn't have many people that she can honestly talk to about her problems (noncommital mother, absent father, and friends that are probably all drug abusive as well). Somehow she's going to have to be convinced to put her faith in people again and start talking about things instead of smoking/shooting them away. It sounds like you would be excellent for this, but again, you are not close to her at the moment, and so your direct involvement, especially like this, would come off as a kind of savior complex, which she would reject immediately. I suggest you try to "convert" one of her friends and then the two of you make the initiative to sit down with her sometime and have a long talk (though not in a deathly serious way that would put her on guard - just invite her over to one of your houses for pizza and a night of chick flicks or something). Remember that you don't want to come off being too grave because then you don't seem honest, and you definitely are honest and want to seem honest in order to get through this. Hope for the best!

As a 16 year old, most places won't let you wait tables (they either hold out for 18 or 21 even so you can serve liquor), but you should be able to find a place or two that will allow you to apply for busing tables.

Grocery stores are a standby, but it's mostly retail unless you're male, in which case you may find yourself doing gruntwork in the back room, and anyway the pay isn't good at all.

If you live in a subdivision or other fancy schmansy housind district, see if the district clubhouse (or golf course) has any open spots - it'll be close to home and probably a relatively easy job.

Good summer jobs are lifeguarding and being a camp counselor. Both require some training and general interest in your job, but they are good, steady, secure jobs and pay well, too.

First off, it sounds like you're an excellent friend for (A) letting him chase after who he wants, even if it was your frien and (B) being considerate enough not to be TOO overeager to comfort him after she rejected him.

The cheerleader is another problem entirely. If you trust your friend a lot and know that he's got good morals, you can always let him deal with her on his own (or with just a few words of caution) and have it be a test of his chastity; would you really want a guy who's quick prey for a horny cheerleader, anyway? On the other hand, if you're really worried or this chick is some kind of incredibly seductive vixen, I would pull him aside one day and mention to him that the girl is after him and she's not good news and that, as a friend, you just want to look out for him and make sure he doesn't do anything careless or get in over his head.

Watch how he deals with things and think long and hard about how you really feel about him; if you still have feelings for him and think he's worth dating, just steel yourself up for it and mention it to him one day - under the most normal circumstances possible (it sounds like the boy doesn't need any further drama, and drama is in general something I despise anyway).

First, I see a tiny problem here. Unless it's a friendship (and I'm guessing it's not), what kind of a relationship are you in that the guy's going to be "scared," or worse, "leave," if emotion gets expressed?

It sounds like already you're giving the guy a bit too much freedom if you're letting him get away with not treating your relationship seriously enough to be ready to deal with something like this. So before you go dropping the bomb, take a while to work on things with the two of you and get your relationship to the point where it's a serious issue - where the two of you are both admittedly in it for the goal of finding love. If he doesn't want to do that, then there's definitely no way he's deserving of your love (and probably doesn't feel the same way about you) and you should consider letting him go.

Do you like it when he bites your lip? There's a chance, after all, that he may be trying to give you the idea. Kissing takes two, and since talking in the midst of it is generally pretty hard, you have to guage your partner's interest and mood by their reaction and their kissing.

For example, if you've been kissing a boy without much tongue and suddenly he goes for it, he obviously wants to play with tongue; if you're cool, go ahead and do likewise.

So if he's nibbling on your lip (nibbling, I assume, because downright biting sounds a bit hard and unromantic), try nibbling on him a bit back. You don't really have much to lose, and if you're careful and pay attention to his reaction, you can figure out if he likes it or not. If he does, great! If not, oh well - everybody makes mistakes, especially with kissing; there's no way to read a person's mind, so you just have to try reading the lips.

First of all, I would not try to work my way into her life or befriend her again. The two of you grew apart, which is completely natural. Trying to suddenly become her friend again once you find out that she's in trouble makes you look pedantic and patronizing.

On the other hand, you probably can't go to her friends, because it's likely that, if she is quite into drug usage now, her friends will be similarly engaged.

Therefore the friendship route is out. What this leaves you with, for the most part, is telling someone who has some control over her life - her parents, most likely. When you can secure some concrete evidence and/or multiple people who will attest to your old friend's bad habits (parents aren't that likely to put lots of trust in a random kid saying "Your daughter's on drugs. Bye."), gather them together and make a strong case before her parents.

Hey, I'm Mark. I'm 18, smart, a mild smoker, usually quiet, romantic, old-fashioned, unemotional, gay, and a FY college student. I know Latin and Greek. In the summers (when I'm not hanging out with friends having crazy unhealthy amounts of fun) I've been a camp counselor for... five years now. This summer will be my sixth. I don't enjoy preaching to people, but I do enjoy giving people advice and generally helping them out, and I've been told that I'm good with it, so when I found this site, I thought I'd give it a whirl. Thanks to all who appreciate it :)

(And yes, I know that picture makes me look like a blithering idiot. Live with it. It's the only picture I have of me smiling :P)

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