DR. WALLACE: I'm 17 years old, have many friends, and I'm active in school activities. Many of my close friends talk about sexual encounters with their boyfriends. All I do is listen because I can't join in the conversation since I've never been sexually involved with a guy. My friends know this and they tease me about being a virgin. They keep saying, "You don't know what you're missing."

I've been dating a guy for a while and there are times when he is sexually "frisky," but I keep him under control. I'm not asking you if I should remain a virgin because it's what I choose, not what you suggest. I know that you would tell me not to have sex if I had asked you. I don't want you to tell me no; I want you to give me as many reasons as you can why a girl should not lose her virginity before she gets married. I really want to hear what you have to say. — Nameless, San Antonio, Tex.

NAMELESS: Many times your peers can give much better responses than I. Please read the following letter from a young lady. Her message is loud and clear:

DR. WALLACE: I've been reading your column for quite some time, but I never thought that I would ever be writing to you. I decided to address my letter to all of the young teen girls who read your column. My reason for speaking to these girls is to spare them the misery I went through concerning sex.

When I was 15, my girlfriends were all sexually active with their boyfriends. But. me? I was the lone virgin, and they always encouraged me to start having sex so I could share in the sexual group discussions they had.

I was dating a guy who was cute and I thought I was in love with him so one night I said yes. After that I found out he didn't really love me and he only called me when he wanted sex, and then later, not at all.

Besides that, he must have told all his friends I was easy and so they also started calling me. I kept looking for love and every guy who called told me he loved me and I guess I was an easy mark because I really believed that each guy liked me and having sex was a way of showing true affection. I was lucky that I insisted they used protection so I didn't get pregnant or catch a disease!

I feel that I was used and abused sexually and the emotional scars of my sexual awakening will be with me forever. I thought I was physically and emotionally ready, but I wasn't. I thought everyone was doing it, but they weren't.

So girls, I plead with you not to get sexually active because you want to know about sex, or you think you're missing something special, because you are not missing anything worthwhile.

The time will come when you are truly in love and mature enough to enter into a special relationship with a guy who truly loves you. Hopefully, it will be after you say, "I do," to this man who will be your husband! — Young Lady, San Diego, Calif.

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. E-mail 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.