Dear Harlan,\nI made homecoming court for the first time this year. Now a few people hate me for it and talk about me like crazy. Recently, I've been hearing rumors about me and how I'm ugly and didn't deserve to win homecoming. I'm already a sensitive person, and when I hear these terrible things about me, it hurts really bad. I can't get the comments out of my head.\nSad Homecoming
Dear Sad,\nFirst, you're not ugly. It's your friends who are ugly. I'm not even talking about their physical appearance, but their behavior. It's beyond hurtful; it's disgusting and disappointing. For some reason, they feel rejected because of your success (so sad for them). This isn't about you. It's about them feeling threatened by your success. When insecure people feel uncomfortable, they often attack. The worse you feel the less threatened they feel (again, sad). Rather than fight back and supply them with more fuel for more attacks, tell them you're hurt and disappointed. By not fighting, the attention will be turned back on them. Then they can look at themselves in the mirror and realize they're truly the ugly ones.
Dear Harlan,\nI'm living with my dad and stepmother. My dad is a truck driver, and he's never home. My stepmom is always yelling at me and telling my dad that I'm doing things. Like whenever I stay after school for educational purposes, she claims that I'm at some boy's house. She thinks that I'm promiscuous and that it's only a matter of time before I get pregnant. The funny thing is that I'm still a virgin, and I haven't had a boyfriend since the eighth grade. I feel as if I'm doing so much to please my parents, yet they don't seem to see that. It gets worse. My stepmom didn't pick me up from school, so I got a ride from a friend and came home around 6 p.m. She gets mad, calls my dad and blows up the situation to something it wasn't. She starts yelling at me, and I blocked my ears with my fingers. Now I'm living in their house with no support. My dad called me and told me that I'm on my own. I don't have a car, no money for schooling and no support for the future. When I turn 18 I'll be kicked out. Please give me advice on what to do before I turn 18 with no place to go or sleep. What can I do?\nAbandoned in High School
Dear Abandoned,\nYou have support; you just don't have it at home. With your dad on the road and your stepmom on another planet, you need to turn to people who can support and help you emotionally. Look to people at school -- a coach, a teacher, a guidance counselor, the faculty sponsor of a group or organization. You can also turn to a parent of a friend or relative you trust. And the next step? That would be college -- 100 percent that's your answer. That's what most 18-year-olds do. Whether it's a two- or four-year school, it's possible. As for money to pay for it, your guidance counselor and financial-aid counselor can help you. With this plan, not only will you find people to help you, these people can be your dad's eyes and ears. And once that happens, maybe he'll start listening to you instead of your messed-up stepmom.
