Hey, Cherie! by Cherie Bennett

Hey, Cherie!

My problem is simple. My boyfriend won't get the message. His name is Franklin, and we went out from the beginning of the summer until we went back to school. By the way, I am 15. He is not my first boyfriend, but I think I pretty much was his first real girlfriend. Before I go any further, I want to say that he is not a stalker and I am not afraid, but he is not getting the message that I want to break up with him, even though I have been clear about it.

Going on with my story, Franklin and I met at the start of the summer at the local mall where I was working at a shop, which is owned by a friend of my parents. We hung out and I liked him; he is a really fine guy. I mean, very fine! But as the summer went on, I realized that I was pretty bored with Franklin. So at the end of the summer, I said it would be good for us to split up before we went back to school. He disagreed, but I still said it was over.

Now we are back in high school, and while he does not go to my school, he calls me all the time. I hear that he is telling everyone at his school that I am still his girlfriend, which I am not. It is annoying and I am getting sick of the phone calls. I wondered if you have any advice for me.

— Done With Franklin

Hey, Done!

I do have advice for you. All of this is based on one important, crucial, gigantic, monstrous assumption: that Franklin is not dangerous and not a stalker. I am going to take your word on that, and if that's the case, you're facing what peeps have faced since love was invented.

That is, you're done and he's not — a common high school-type occurrence.

So, here is what to do. Talk to your network of friends and make it clear that you and Franklin are done. Let him know one way or the other — a voice mail is good — that you're going to be blocking his e-mails and his number for incoming calls until you are confident that he accepts the fact that you are no longer a couple.

Resist the urge to go super public with this, Done. You don't need to put it on your MySpace or your Facebook page or text everyone you know. Again, assuming that Franklin has his head securely attached to his shoulders, he's going to back off when he realizes that you are firm. His heart is aching, I am sure. Stand firm, be kind, and I think you'll be OK. Now, if you start to feel stalked? Talk to your parents and then talk to the police.

Hey, Cherie!

How old do you think you should be to get your teeth whitened? I am a 13-year-old guy (fooled you!) who has kind of yellowy teeth. I would like to get them whitened, but my parents don't want to pay for it and there is no way I can afford it.

— Yellow Mouth

Hey, Yellow!

How old? It depends on the meaning of "yellow." If you're a few shades less white than Tom Cruise, be patient. If your teeth approximate a double yellow stripe on the highway, maybe sooner. In any case, there are some good products on the market that don't cost the hundreds of dollars that you'd spend in the dentist's chair. Why not start with those?

Cherie Bennett is a best-selling author of books for teens and young adults. Visit her website at www.cheriebennett.com. To find out more about Cherie Bennett and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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