DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend and I are virgins and we plan to stay that way until we get married next year, but we are finding it more and more difficult not to have sex. I know this sounds corny, but I'd appreciate a few kind words telling us to hang in there and wait until we are married. It will mean a lot to us to see it printed in your column. — Nameless, Michigan City, Ind.

NAMELESS: Hang in there! You will be glad you did. Please read the following letter from someone who waited and was happy she did:

DR. WALLACE: I'm 19 and my husband is 20. We've been married two months. He works for his father's construction company and I'm employed as a waitress. Together we are financially stable and plan to buy a home in a few years. After we purchase our home, I will quit my job and start a family. We plan to have two children. That way we should be able to afford a college education for them, an opportunity my husband and I never had.

I'm writing to tell your teen readers how great my husband and I felt the day we were married. We had overcome temptation and were virgins on our wedding day. We dated for four years and decided to wait until we were married before having sex. It was a wonderful decision. Many of my girlfriends were sexually active and they constantly told me there were more minuses than pluses with a sexual relationship.

Two of my close friends gave in to their boyfriends' demands to prove their love, only to break up with these guys a few months later. They both suffered great emotional pain. Jim and I never had to worry about me getting pregnant.

Girls, don't be fooled into thinking that everybody is "doing it." I had 11 close friends and five of them were sexually active. Of the girls who were sexually active, only one said she was happy that she was not a virgin. — Jill, Lakeland, Fla.

SMILE AND SAY "SEE YOU LATER"

DR. WALLACE: Sherry, Laura, and I are best friends and have been for a very long time and I love them both dearly. The problem is that they seem to be closer friends and I'm sort of being left out.

I'm aware of the reason. Both Sherry and Laura are dating two guys who are best friends and I'm not dating anyone. This is the first romance for both of them and they are very excited about it. Whenever the three of us are together (usually at lunch), they dominate the conversation with talk about their boyfriends. When I ask a question, they always say, "Kim, you just wouldn't understand." All three of us used to pass notes to each other in English, but now they only write notes to each other. I'm left out.

I know that they are not intentionally shunning me, but I feel that I don't have much in common with them these days. I feel lost and alone and need your advice. I'm just not ready to get involved with boys yet. Oh, by the way, all of us are 15. — Nameless, Portsmouth, Maine.

NAMELESS: It's great that you understand the reason why your close friends are spending less time with you. Once girls start dating, it's perfectly natural for them to make boys a major topic of conversation.

You should think about making friends with girls who have more in common with you. One way to do this is to get active in some school activities. Not only are these often wonderful learning experiences, but they will also give you the opportunity to make new friends. Continue to be friends with Sherry and Laura, but when you feel uncomfortable around them, smile and say, "See you later."

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.