DR. WALLACE: I'm a freshman in high school, and my best friend is actually a girl who I've known since I was in the second grade.

Her family and our family are very close because our parents know each other well, and each family has four kids, so we've done many things together over the years, including occasional vacations.

My problem is that some of my new classmates at my high school are teasing me mercilessly about this girl and always insinuating that I have a girlfriend and asking me constantly what it's like to be "dating her." They see me talking to her in the hallways or hanging out with her at lunchtime occasionally and then naturally assume we're a couple, even though I've explained several times that I've known her for many years and she's a close friend. What can I do to convince these "slow learners" what the actual truth is? — She's Only My Close Friend, via email

SHE'S ONLY MY CLOSE FRIEND: My advice is to smile and simply say that you've explained the situation already. If the teasing and name comments continue, don't feel the need to explain anything further.

These people are likely jealous or socially awkward when it comes to talking to girls themselves. Therefore, they could be teasing you simply to try to bring you down to their level, so don't take the bait! You are now ahead of the curve regarding your social skills and friendship qualities, so take comfort in that and just laugh to yourself silently at how immature these people truly are.

WE MEET AFTER SCHOOL AS A SOCIAL (AND STUDY) GROUP

DR. WALLACE: School has resumed in my area, and as a 16-year-old I don't feel like I should have to go home immediately after school. Well over half my close friends usually meet at our local mall, which is very close to our high school.

We hang out there, have a cold drink of iced tea or Gatorade and get caught up on all the news. Sometimes we even discuss subjects we study, studying and class, but I'll admit that we don't do that every day. But the days when we do have particularly difficult class assignments, it's pretty valuable to talk with eight to 10 friends to get their perspectives. It's helped me a lot already in a couple of classes.

My parents think I'm spending too much time at the mall when I should be home studying. We only hang out at the mall for about an hour to an hour and a half after school, and then we all head home well before dinnertime.

How can I convince my parents that this is a valuable time for us on many levels, and that we're not doing any harm? — We Enjoy Socializing and Learning Together, via email

WE ENJOY SOCIALIZING AND LEARNING TOGETHER: The quickest way I can think of for you to potentially have success is to mentally go through the list of all your friends that you spend time with in this manner, and see which ones your parents may already be familiar with. Hopefully they might have met some of the parents from this group, and if so, you should absolutely encourage your parents to call some of the other parents to discuss this matter.

You should also put your best foot forward and explain that you not only use the time for socializing with each other but that you work on various difficult school assignments, lectures and projects via a group interaction ensuring ideas and thoughts together.

Another element that might be helpful to you is to volunteer a hard curfew, meaning that she'll be home at a specific time after school. Perhaps you might not be able to stay as long as some of the other kids, but if you are able to promise that you'll be home at a time suitable with your parents, you may be able to find a compromise that works for your family.

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.

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