DEAR ABBY: I am 13, in the eighth grade, and have been reading your column faithfully for two years.
I have become good friends with a freshman boy I will call "Tad." We were in a play together last year. He now plays in the high school band. Here is where the problem lies: The rest of my friends in the band don't like Tad. When I ask them why, their exact words are, "He's a fag" and "He's just weird."
Yes, he is quite weird, which is the reason I am drawn to him. My friends think I am absolutely nuts! Recently I revealed to one of them that I have a slight crush on Tad. She looked at me as if I were some kind of disgusting beast. I know I should ignore their comments, but I have the feeling there is something more I should do. What do you think? -- ODD DUCK IN SOUTH TEXAS
DEAR ODD DUCK: I think you have done enough already by defending Tad to your friends. Not every teen would be as brave or resolute and would knuckle under to peer pressure. Some of the most interesting and worthwhile people in the world are those who didn't fit into the mold when they were your age. Don't let anyone else choose your friends for you.