DEAR ABBY: I'm a 12-year-old boy who is friends with a girl I'll call "Jenny." She is beautiful, and I want to ask her to the school dance, but there's a problem. My best friend, "Matthew," also likes her.
Truthfully, I think I have a better shot at getting her to go with me because I know she doesn't like Matthew. But if she goes to the dance with me, my friendship with Matthew will be wrecked. What do I do? -- J.D. IN FLORIDA
DEAR J.D.: It's a school dance -- why not go stag? That way you can ask anyone you want to dance, and if Jenny likes you better than Matthew, she may choose to spend more time with you than with him.