DR. WALLACE: My best friend and I got into a horrible disagreement over a boy. She blamed me for trying to steal her boyfriend away from her, but that wasn't the case. She saw me give him a hug, but it was totally innocent.

I hate to see people abuse their bodies by smoking. I had been trying to get Jeff to quit smoking and the hug came at a party when he informed me that he had quit smoking. I was excited for him and when I hugged him, I told him that I was sure that Cindy (my best friend) would be just as happy as I was. Then Cindy came up to me and told me I was a back-stabber and that our friendship was ancient history. I told her that she was a jealous idiot and it escalated from there. To be honest, I almost slugged her when she called me a nasty name.

When I got home, I told my mother what had happened and she advised me to stop being friends with Cindy immediately. I totally agreed at the time, but after having a week to think about things, I felt I should talk to Cindy and see if we can patch our differences. I'd like your opinion. My mom will agree if you think a patch job is in order. —- Kelly, Knoxville, Tenn.

KELLY: A patch job is certainly in order. By now Cindy has been told by her boyfriend that your hug was completely innocent and has had time to regret her temper tantrum. Call Cindy and start the healing process.

I'M REALLY NOT BEAUTIFUL

DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend says he loves me, and that I'm the only girl he has ever loved, but he also says nasty things about me and when we are out with friends, he treats me like dirt. I do like Jose and there are moments when he is sweet.

What should I do? I'm really not beautiful, so it's not easy for me to find boyfriends. — Maria, El Paso, Tex.

MARIA: Your boyfriend is an immature jerk who needs to be put in his place. Tell him that you will no longer tolerate being treated with disrespect. If this is a problem for him, he can take a hike immediately.

Maria, you are definitely suffering from a lousy self-image, not to mention a lack of self-esteem. You're listening to Jose too much. Start telling yourself that you're beautiful — because you are. Beauty radiates from within. But to help it along (if necessary), change your hairstyle or makeup. Start smiling, and make new friends. When the new you begins to shine, watch out, world!

SAVE YOUR PAY

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and just got a part-time job. I work four hours on Friday evening and seven hours on Saturday. My parents want me to put a certain portion of my salary in the bank. I agree I should save some money regularly, but we don't see eye to eye on how much. I won't prejudice you by telling you what our different percentages are. My parents and I agree that what you say will be the percentage I will save. Please remember that a 16-year-old guy has lots of ways to spend hard-earned money. — Todd, Niles, Mich.

TODD: I'm well aware that teens have plenty of reasons to part with their money, so I'll be lenient on you — save a minimum of 20 percent of your net pay.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.