Dear Dawgs,

My boyfriend calls me all the time, but when I’m in school he doesn’t even acknowledge me! He only talks to his friends and always ditches me. He never invites me to hangout with his friends but I always invite him to hangout with my friends. HELP!

–MISSING MY BOYFRIEND, 12th

Dear MISSING,

Trust us, you aren’t alone. Relationships are a tricky thing to navigate! Everyone has their own friends and spaces – school settings can be tough on relationships.  A lot of the time communicating our boundaries and needs to our partners can be awkward or uncomfortable; have that conversation with him! Some people like to separate their friendships from their relationship. On the other hand, he needs to realize that a relationship requires effort and energy from both sides, in and out of school. If he’s refusing to talk to you at school because he’s embarrassed to be vulnerable in front of his friends, he needs to grow up. At the end of the day, if you’ve made it clear that you feel ignored and he’s still brushing you off, cut him loose babe.

Hoping his cold shoulder thaws soon,

-Dawgs

Dear Dahlia,

I’m a junior at Garfield but because of COVID I haven’t even been at this school for a full year. I am terrified of the senior class, and feel like I can’t talk or relate to them at all because they are REAL high schoolers. I also feel like they hate us and think we’re annoying. I know that the rest of my class feels the same way, and that the underclassmen are probably even more lost than I am. What are we supposed to do when they leave?!?

-STUCK IN MIDDLE SCHOOLl, 11th 

Dear STUCK, 

First of all, we promise we don’t hate you, and you’re not annoying; just don’t blast music in the halls. We wish we could tell you that all the seniors are friendly, but we know from experience that they can be intimidating! We hope it helps to know that our senior class barely had a “high school experience”, and are pretty lost too. The thing about growing up, ESPECIALLY during high school, is that there isn’t one moment in which you suddenly become a “REAL” high schooler. The best piece of advice we can give to you and any underclassmen still finding their footing is to put yourself out there! Participate in spirit days, go to football games, or just talk to the people in your class you don’t know! Even if it seems pointless, taking that small step can make all the difference. Remember no matter how chaotic and confusing things seem right now, when it’s your turn to be top dawg we promise you’ll be a-ok.

With lots of senior love, 

-Dahlia 

Dear Dahlia,

I met this girl over the summer, and things got moving pretty fast. We went on a date at an art museum in July, and had a great time. I then moved away for a month to work at a summer camp. We kept in touch over that month, and when I came home, she asked if I wanted to go on a second date. I happily accepted, and we planned it for a Thursday. The day before, she texted me and said “I need to postpone our date, I need to put my dog down tomorrow.” Sure enough, she ghosted me. The other day, I was looking at Instagram, only to find she had a new boyfriend. What do I do? 

-Someone pulled the dead dog card on me!, 12th 

The dead dog card is the first and final nail in the coffin. XOXO, Dahlia