Hi. I'm 13 years old. I have liked this guy for three years now, but I never get the chance to tell him. Last year, my best friend liked him so i backed off. And, now, this year, my other best friend likes him so I also backed off. I pretend to hate him around my friends so they don't get suspicious. I REALLY like this boy, and I can't get over him. But I'm positive that if I tell my best friend I like him, she will hate me and never forgive me. What should i do?

----------------------------Miss Emily's advice-------------------------

This is the thing about love and war:  some people think all is fair, and others feel guilty! I hope you haven't been mean around him, because that gives the wrong impression. . . obviously. As it is, you've given the wrong impression to your girlfriends. Learn this now: deception is rarely the right road to take. And now you know why. It only creates drama, and complications you don't need. There's no easy way around this problem. If your friendship with this girl is important to you, you won't want to steps on her toes. You see, if you had made your feelings known, up front, she would have gotten the heads up on you liking him. Now she's going to say, "That's not fair!" It boils down to a choice. If you go after him, I believe it's very possible she will be very angry. You can talk to her, and tell her you've kept your feelings about him to yourself for three years. And although it's the truth, even you don't think she would buy it. Sometimes it's better to resist the desire, even if it seems unfair. Of course, in a perfect world, going after him would be reasonable because no one has ownership over him, and he has a right to like anyone he chooses.  And that would mean you too.