DR. WALLACE: I'm a second-year college student, and the other day I saw a girl on campus who I knew back in high school but drifted apart from. We were reasonably close friends for a while, but a few things came up, and although they were not huge or overly dramatic, we both felt frustrated and simply drifted apart and never spoke again. Seeing her definitely made me feel like there's unfinished business between the two of us.

She didn't see me that day, and this is my first year at this university as I attended a junior college last year. I never saw her at the junior college so I assumed she may be in her second year at this university here. I'll probably walk by her, perhaps even accidentally, in the near future. Should I say anything to her or simply walk on since we are currently de facto strangers at this point? — I Wouldn't Know What to Say, via email

I WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY: I always feel it's better to face a situation directly rather than to proactively seek to avoid it, unless it's something tremendously dangerous or truly problematic if you rush in and make it worse.

In this case you've described two friends who spent time together, had a little bit of a glitch that was not major, then simply drifted apart. That being the case, the next time you see her on campus, my advice would be to intentionally walk in her direction, so the two of you will pass in front of each other, and you can smile and say hello to her and ask her how she's doing.

You may think that this would be scary to do, but in fact I feel it's the best way to break the ice. Smile and let her know that you're new at the school since you attended a junior college last year, and ask her how she likes this school and her classes. If she doesn't respond to you or simply walks away, you've lost nothing, and you've been the bigger person to at least acknowledge her and offer her an earnest conversation that could potentially be cathartic.

If indeed she does reply to you in a civilized tone of voice, the two of you could have a brief chat but then move on quickly so that you don't act as though you're trying to take up too much of her time, but tell her it would be great to run into her again and talk further if she's up for that. This would give her time to think about the situation and be more prepared when she would see you again sometime on campus. Give it a try! Good luck, and try to relax, as I truly feel this is only a "tie-win" situation, meaning you can have something good come out of it or you simply return to where you previously were, and you get to give yourself kudos for being brave, saying hello and offering the "olive branch" to her first.

MY EX NOW TRULY SEEMS VERY INCOMPATIBLE TO ME

DR. WALLACE: I recently experienced a really rough breakup, as not only was I unceremoniously dumped after a yearlong relationship, but my ex also flaunted his new girlfriend in front of me and as many of our mutual friends as he possibly could. She's a highly popular, attractive and well-known girl at our school. I've seen them on campus a few times, and I've actually overheard a few comments he's made to his friends that surprised me.

When I was with him, he seemed to be a decent and reasonable person, but the personality that's coming out of him now is quite distasteful, and I'm not just saying that as sour grapes because I'm no longer in a relationship with him. Looking now from the outside in, I'm truly shocked at how he's thinking and behaving. This has actually helped me, because although I felt crushed the first two or three days after we broke up, soon after that I saw him and his unsavory actions, and now I kind of feel relieved that I'm not in a relationship with him anymore.

My question at this point is, I feel kind of self-conscious in front of other students at my school because of how "public" our breakup was. I don't want him back now in any case, but I don't know what to do going forward to save face with everyone else at our school. — He's Changed for the Worse, via email

HE'S CHANGED FOR THE WORSE: I feel that living well is not only the best "rebound strategy" but the best way to stand squarely on your own two feet. Keep your chin up and move on with an air of confidence and self-appreciation.

Simply continue to look your best, act your best, and when you come across other students at school that may mention the breakup to you, simply smile and say that you wish him well and that the two of you simply grew apart. Tell them you have another great chapter in front of you regarding your dating life that you're looking forward to. The good news for you is that you already feel this way, having told me you wouldn't want him back anyway, so exude your well-deserved, cool confidence when you speak to others — and be sure not to disparage him or his new girlfriend in any way.

Acting in this manner will tell everyone else that you are confident, not shrinking away or acting overly worried about the fact that the two of you have moved on. Before long, you'll find yourself with new suitors to interact with, and I trust given the additional experience you now have, you'll enter into an even better and much more enjoyable relationship at some point soon in the future.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Olivia Hibbins at Unsplash