riskpuppy

A few years ago I read a young adult novel about a girl in elementary school who only had one friend-- a boy, and they were both outcasts. The boy moved away suddenly, and everyone at the girl's school told her that he was dead. Her mother, knowing that he was actually alive, also said that he was dead. Years later, when the girl is in high school and has a pretty good life that includes a boyfriend, her old friend shows up again. He lives in conditions that aren't ideal (shares an apartment with some guys in the bad part of town), and at one point he even sleeps over at the girl's house. It turns her life upside-down to have him back after all that time of thinking he was dead.

I think that was a pretty accurate description, but it's been long enough since I read it that the details are fuzzy. I don't know, this may end up being an obscure book that no one has read. I would appreciate any help in figuring out the title or author of this book. I have no idea what to Google or where to look, so hopefully this sounds familiar to someone.

I never see Tropicana Strawberry Melon anymore. It's still listed as being a product on the PepsiCo website, but not on Tropicana's website. Do they still make it? If so, where is it usually sold now?

I have extremely pale skin and no foundation I can find is light enough. Most look a lot darker on me than they should, and they almost always look orange. I usually get comments on how much more tan I look with foundation on. I'd prefer to look at least close to as light as my skin really is. The same goes for concealer. My skin is also combination skin, and I hate to make the dry patches more obvious. Is there any good foundation or concealer I can find in a store that's reasonably priced?

Question 1:

I'm thirteen and my dentist says that I need to brush my gums better to avoid gum disease. This was a month ago. I've been brushing my gums especially well lately, mostly in the last two weeks, but they've been sore in places and there's been a little blood in the sink after brushing. I expected this (as my dentist said I should), but when should the soreness and slight bleeding end? And if I keep up my good brushing, how much does my risk for gum disease shrink? Is it at all possible that I already have gum disease?

My second question:

My teeth aren't that white, but they aren't exactly yellow. I regret not brushing them very well at all when I was younger, but now I brush them twice a day as well as I can. I want whiter teeth (all of my friends and peers have whiter teeth than me) but I don't want to go somewhere to get them whitened and Crest White Strips are too expensive. I'm already using a whitening toothbrush, and I tried whitening toothpaste but I couldn't stand the taste. How can I get whiter teeth?

I haven't gotten my period. I don't know how long I've had discharge. My boobs showed up around two years ago. Haven't asked my mom when her period was.

About a month ago in the middle of the day I got a pretty sharp pain in my stomach, pretty much a harsh cramp, but I checked my undies and nothing. Then, a few days ago, it happened again, and still nothing. Can something like a breakfast lacking nutrition or hard candy that I rarely eat cause this? Or is it some kind of sign my period is coming? Or is it something more serious? Could it be a lack of fiber or just gas (seriously)?

This pain has never occurred before and lasts about two hours or a little less. It's only happened those two times with that month in between.

Okay, so I made the two measurements, and my ribcage is 26 and a half inches without/before adding anything, and the "fullest part" measurement was 30 inches. So what does that make my bra size?

Okay, this is going to be a hard question, so I apologize in advance!

I like a boy. He's shy in a way. He is really friendly if you talk to him, but he never starts a conversation no matter what. When the two girls that sit in front and behind him talk to him, he's really friendly and talks to them and everything (but I think I can tell he doesn't like-like either of them, they're just friends). I sit to his left and we have never spoken except he made a very very very small comment when I was talking about Chuck Norris to the girl in front of him (it was a few months ago). The next few times I talked about Chuck Norris, he minded his own business. (I wish he would join the conversation!!!!!)

In class, I don't really know for sure because I just watch him, like, 24/7 out of the side of my eye but I think maybe he glances over at me or something every once in a while. Or he could be looking at the clock or something. And he talks to everyone around him basically except for me. I know he doesn't hate me, because I have never done anything that would affect him or his group of friends in any way. Also, I try my best to appear nice when I'm near him. I try to smile, but not at him, and talk to my friends and appear to be having fun.

He usually spends his time after lunch indoors, and I take advantage of the warm weather and spend it outdoors. The last two or three days he has come outside. I don't know if it's because of his friends or what. So I walk near them and stand near them when possible, but still don't say a word.

More about me, I am EXTREMELY horribly insanely shy. I avoid contact with boys at all cost; they make me really nervous. Especially him. I also have zero self confidence and don't know how to build it up right before math class. (Did I mention we only have math together?) We are in seventh grade. I know I'm too young to have a boyfriend, but I think it would be cool if we could be friends for now or something like that.

Do you think there's any chance that he likes me? Sorry this was so long! Please help!

I like a shy boy who only talks to people when they start the conversation, but when he talks he is really friendly. He has a really good group of friends that are respectable and funny. We only have math class together. He's only said about four words to me total, and I have only said one to him.

When he looks me in the eyes I get INCREDIBLY nervous. I really really like him. I am even more shy than he is and I have no self confidence. I'm really good at pretending I don't like any boys at all. I am in 7th grade (I know I am young) and I think it would be cool if we could be friends for now.

Please understand that I am extremely shy and cannot just suddenly start to talk to him, how will I do that?! And please understand that he makes me super extremely nervous. And I can't just get over my shyness just like that.

Pleeeeaaaasssseeeee help me!

I am SOOOO extremely shy!!!! I really really like this boy... He's also pretty shy, like he wouldn't be talking to his friends really loud or go up to a person and say hi, but he's very friendly when YOU talk to HIM, like he doesn't talk until someone else talks to him. He has friends that are girls, so I know he's comfortable around girls. His friends (besides girls) are a funny, nice group of people that I would love to also be friends with. But I am so shy, I don't even look at boys in the eyes and I have NO CLUE how to build my confidence, I've tried exercise but that doesn't work. My friends aren't good at boosting it either. More about my shyness, if he looks at me I get really really really nervous and immediately look away. The only time he has ever said a word to me was when I was talking to the girl that sits in front of him about Chuck Norris and he said, like, four words. The next times I brought up Chuck Norris to see if he would comment, it didn't work. Also, I avoid contact with boys at all cost (part of shyness, I have nothing against boys they just make me really nervous). PLEASE HELP ME!

By the way I have math class with him and that's it. And I know that he's kind of interested in computers from what I can tell...

Oh, and make suggestions appropriate for a 7th grader...

Okay, so my best friend in the world and I are in sort of a painful situation. I am a cuss-word-phobic kind of person, and she hangs out with lots of people who cuss and just admitted to me that SHE cusses. She said it's part of who she is as a person, and I told her before that I wouldn't be hanging out with the cussing people next year, which offended her and I apologized. I felt so bad and was so astonished that she cussed that I offered to just leave her alone next year and not bother her; just be a loner. I'm really afraid of her answer and I need some really good advice.

None of what we said to each other was in a rude way; we were being super cautious about the way we said everything we did. I don't know if she's okay with me or hates me. She's the only friend I have and I am not able to get over my hatred of cuss words.

What should I do now?

I want a boyfriend. How do I get one without seeming eager?

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going to Middle School! But I am finding it hard to find the right purse. It needs to be cheap (under ten bucks) but cute. Where are these cool, cheap purses found? Help Me!

I'm only eleven so don't think I'm, like, an old hag who is fat.

If it weren't for my stick-out, cereal bowl stomach I'd be satisfied. Because of how fat it is, I can't find any decent clothes besides loose logo T-shirts that look like garbage. Everything else makes me feel like I'm a super fat weirdo. All other clothes make my stomach stick out way more than I though it would. It's like they expect you to have a flat stomach rather than my round fat one. Sorry if you're getting bad images. ;)

How do I decrease my stomach's Mount Everest on it's side size?

My mom complains about how I say no to every shirt she has me try on, but it's because my stomach stands out more than a pink blob on a black wall. I'm flat then my stomach makes it like BOOM and then it's flat again. I feel like crying sometimes because of how bad I look.

Once again, how do I lessen my stomach's hugeness to a satisfactory smaller, flatter one?

A boy I like is friendly to a couple of girls in particular. How do I tell which one he really likes? He said he likes a girl but didn't say which one since he doesn't trust me that far.

I know that girls drop hints to tell if they like a guy, but do guys? There is a friend of mine that I really like. How can I tell if he likes me back? Whenever people ask him, he says no. People tease him about things like "he lost his phone number can he have yours" and say to him "I didn't know you were engaged to her" if he has a ring on.

*How can I tell whether he likes me or just wants to be friends?*

P.S. Nobody has ever liked me before, I dress terribley un-fashionable. Oh, and I am in fifth grade. I know, I know, I'm young. But have you ever heard of young love?

I've been on Yahoo! Answers and Safari keeps "unexpectedly quitting" on me! Why does it do this and how do I stop it? I already reported it to Apple. What's YOUR take on it?

I'm trying to host a four girl it's-the-end-of-elementary-school party. At first it was a sleepover. A plain old sleepover.

Then every one said that they can't sleep over, they could just stay until ten or something because they have conflicts like religion, not being aloud to, and parents not being home. Also, another girl made a party that I'm invited to and probably the other girls I invited are most likely invited to came up on the same day at the same time only you're supposed to stay until 10:30. That ruins my party completely. I'm not gonna make my friends choose.

I'm eleven years old and so are my friends. I've also decided to make my party before hers since nobody can sleepover anyway.

So now I'm trying to think up a party that would beat an out-door movie in their backyard with everyone sitting on towels and eating snacks that they provide.

What would the best girls party ever be? And this time read the whole question and don't ask me my age! I already told you!

I'm trying to host a four girl it's-the-end-of-school-and-then-we're-Middle-Schoolers party. At first it was a sleepover. A plain old sleepover.

Then every one said that they can't sleep over, they could just stay until ten or something because they have conflicts like religion, not being aloud to, and parents not being home. Also, another girl made a party that I'm invited to and probably the other girls I invited are most likely invited to came up on the same day at the same time only you're supposed to stay until 10:30. That ruins my party completely. I'm not gonna make my friends choose.

I'm eleven years old and so are my friends. I've also decided to make my party before hers since nobody can sleepover anyway.

So now I'm trying to think up a party that would beat an out-door movie in their backyard with everyone sitting on towels and eating snacks that they provide.

What would the best girls party ever be?

There is a boy I really like. He was my friend last year. This year I found out I really like him. He would never admit it if he liked me back. To other people he's dorky. There's a rumor that he said he likes my friend. He does harmless insults to me (probably just for extra attention). Next year, though, he won't be at my middle school and then not at my high school. There are a number of things I've thought of doing.

1) Invite him to my house to play the Wii with him this summer and become his friend.

2) I need to know what to write in his year book.

3) I'm really shy and would never tell him in person that I like him.

4) I thought of mailing him or telling him online after school's out that I like him so I'd never have to face him.

5) Now you tell me what I should do to either tell him I like him or become his friend even though we won't be at the same school. Also what to write in his yearbook that is deep and meaningful but not too hinting.

There's a boy I like and I'm not sure if he likes me (I SO want to know!!!) or if he hates me or if he's just a friend. So he's kind of a dork, but one who gets bad grades. He has practically no friends. Everyone says he likes me but people once said that he said he likes my friend, not me. He also insults me, my dying dog, girls in general, and my idol. I like him so I go up to talk to him a lot, but I'm not sure if he catches on. He goes up to me too, sometimes has lunch next to me (while sitting by his friend on the other side). I don't get it. If he likes me I want to know and I want him to know I like him back. But I won't make the first move and he'd never admit it. Also, we used to be a group of friends together with one other person who doesn't matter right now.