(May 2, 2013) Dear Ramon, I tried to ask this person out so I asked my best friend to help me. He ended up telling my crush that I liked her. She told my best friend that I shouldn’t ask her out. Now she doesn’t talk to me anymore. What do I do? Love, Every teenage boy on the planet Dear teenage boy, It feels like only a few years ago when I first rode on my magic asteroid into Jupiter flying a little bit slower than the speed of light while texting my best friend, who was a Tyrannosaurus Rex. That didn’t actually happen, but the experience must be just as new to you. I was a shy boy during the years when I loved the most girls. I wanted not only to experience what the feeling of dating somebody would be, but also share the story of this experience with my friends. As I discussed in last month’s dating column, friends are among one of the most amazing things on the planet. I recently discovered that one of my friends whom I have known for a very long time has become one of my best of friends, even if she is a girl. This is really applicable to shy people. Remember that your best friend can be a girl, and all will be right in the world! Onto your situation, beautiful reader. A best friend is a best friend. You probably have this best friend because he is gonna be your brother from another mother until the end. A best friend is the steak to your barbeque sauce. The cheese to your broccoli. The peanut butter to your jelly. The metaphors can go on and on in order to describe the best of your best friends. Boyfriends and girlfriends may not last forever unless you’re literally Tom Cruise, but best friends can last your entire lifetime. With this in mind, think about your best friend, and what the heck he or she was thinking. Your best friend used his best judgment in order to not keep his silence. There is nothing wrong with your best friend’s decision. More likely than not, he was thinking about yourself as a human being, or he was just messing with you to be funny. It is usually the latter. Have you been suffering recently? Has the thought of being emancipated from the horrifically-spontaneous antidisestablishmentarianism been deconstructing you in your state of dormancy? In other words, has this been making you lose sleep? Think about it this way– your friend was simply thinking about what was truly best for you, in order to cure you of your sleepless nights. Instead of stressing out over the situation, appreciate your friend for being your best friend. Home dogs before corn dogs. And regarding your person of interest, try your best to strike up a conversation about anything, just to test the waters. Don’t jump the shark before you save the whale from eating a giant squid. In other words, do the best you can in order to keep all of your own relationships. Having a girlfriend is nice but having a best friend can be just as great or even better. Getting over the silent treatment can be really difficult. Every situation is different– I can only speak on my own experiences. My advice may work, and it may not. Maybe your personality is the type that doesn’t let these things go, which I understand. People are as different as the stars in the sky. You will eventually get over her, because maybe your relationship isn’t meant to be. Your friendship might not even be meant to be, either. It will take some time to get over her, but you’ll realize that your friends are great. Open your mind, young bat, and you will find someone new. It sounds like a cliche, but there are plenty of fish in the sea, so swim on. Maybe take some fish you’ve met along the way with you.