DR. WALLACE: My girlfriend and I got into a huge argument while having a snack after a movie date. We got so loud that the manager asked us to leave. She told me to take her home immediately and that she never wanted to see me again. When I told her that she can't boss me around she called her dad and told him that I wouldn't take her home and that made me mad. I left her in front of the restaurant and told her that I hated her and drove away.

Now that I have had time to think about it, I realize that I was a jerk and that I shouldn't have said that I hate her because I really love her. I've texted several times asking her to forgive me, but she hasn't answered back.

What should I do? I really do love this girl and I know she loves me, too. Dr. Wallace, please help me. I'm one miserable human being. — Nameless, Rock Island, Ill.

NAMELESS: Send your girlfriend a bouquet of flowers (the best you can afford). The note attached should simply read, "I'm sorry. I love you very much." Follow up with a phone call or a text message a day later.

Meanwhile, resolve to think next time before you blurt out something in anger. The words, "I hate you" will shake a person to the core. It might take a long time before this girl gets over her hurt feelings, if she ever does.

YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE THE LEAD

DR. WALLACE: I've got an unusual situation and I don't know how to solve my problem. Greg and I are both 15 and in the 10th grade. I really like him and I know he likes me because he calls me at least twice a week after school.

What's strange is that at school he doesn't ever come over to me to talk. If he wanted to, he could see me between classes, during lunch break or before or after school. But he doesn't initiate any conversation.

I asked him last night why he doesn't talk to me at school and he said he's very shy and would like to talk to me at school, but can't gather up the courage. It is easier for him to talk to me on the phone. Do you have any suggestions for me to get him talking face-to-face at school? — Nameless, Jackson, Tenn.

NAMELESS: Greg can't be all that shy because he is able to talk to you on the phone and let you know he has interest and would like to get to know you. He just needs a little help extending his friendliness toward you in public.

Since he won't do it on his own, you'll have to take the lead. The next time he calls, tell him you would like to have lunch with him at school — and that you will make the lunch yourself for both of you. Have him meet you at a designated area to eat the lunch. In all likelihood, that will break the ice.

In any new adventure, just getting started is usually the most difficult part. It shouldn't take long before you are regular lunch pals, and maybe a lot more.

HARMFUL EFFECTS ON THE BODY

DR. WALLACE: Why do you say that smoking a marijuana cigarette is more harmful to the body than smoking a regular tobacco cigarette? I read somewhere that tobacco and marijuana are equal when it comes to harmful effects on the body. Please explain. — Brad, Richmond, Va.

BRAD: A study completed by the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine compared lung functions of tobacco smokers and marijuana smokers. When measuring potential body harm, the study concluded that smoking 5 marijuana cigarettes in a week's time, is equal to smoking 112 tobacco cigarettes in the same time frame (16 per day for a week). The reason is that marijuana smokers inhale more deeply and hold the smoke in their lungs much longer.

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. Email 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.