DR. WALLACE: I'm a fairly popular high school student. I've dated several guys, but I've always had a crush on a boy who is a great athlete and a super good-looking guy. He sits next to me in my English Literature class and we have become pretty good friends since school started.

He asked me out a couple of days ago and I told him I'd think about it. Of course, it didn't take but overnight to think about it. He is on the football team and he had a game on Friday, but we planned to go out on Saturday. The date started out nicely, but during the evening the subject got around to sex and he told me all the girls he has had sex with. I was pretty shocked because I know some of the girls he named. Then he asked me to tell him all the guys I had sex with. He caught me off guard, so I said I really didn't want to mention any names, but I had been intimate with a few guys. I honestly don't know why I said that, but I guess I wanted him to think I was "desirable." The truth is that I'm still a virgin.

He then told me that he never had sex on the first date, but that I should be ready for sex on the next one. He even showed me a condom and said I wouldn't have any worries. Now at school every day he wants to know when our next date will be, but I keep stalling him. What should I do? — Nameless, Rock Island, Ill.

NAMELESS: You must stop playing this guy's game — and I'm not talking about football! You are nothing but another potential conquest for him. If you keep going along with this nonsense, there's only one possible outcome: He wins; you lose.

The next time Romeo pesters you about that next date, tell him the truth; that you are still a virgin and absolutely, positively, not interested in having sex with him.

If he still wants to take you out, you can choose to go out with him or not, but if I were you, I'd be very wary. If you do go out with him and he becomes sexually aggressive or continues to brag about his sexual conquests, tell him to take you home, and make this date with him your last date with him.

MOM SAYS I NEED TEN HOURS OF SLEEP

DR. WALLACE: I'm well aware that teens have growing and maturing bodies and that much of the growth takes place when the teen is sleeping, so getting enough rest is very important.

However, my mom is convinced that I need a minimum of ten hours of sleep every night. I disagree. If I were to stay in bed for 10 hours, I would only sleep for eight and stare at the ceiling for two.

Will you please inform my mom that I can function perfectly with eight hours of sleep each night. — Nameless, Dallas, Tex.

NAMELESS: The amount of sleep a body requires differs from person to person. For some teens, eight hours of sleep is sufficient, while others need additional rest. The key is getting the amount of rest your body requires on a regular basis. For example, if you get six hours of sleep on a Friday night, you can't sleep for 10 hours on Saturday night to make up the two lost hours. Sleep, unlike body fat, cannot be stored.

In your situation, a minimum of eight hours of sleep per night might well be sufficient. Only you can decide this.

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.