DR. WALLACE: I've become aware via direct personal knowledge that there are two students at our high school who are bringing illegal items onto our campus. I actually saw one of the items, and I overheard a conversation about the other one. None of this is rumor, innuendo or gossip from other students. This is something I accidently saw and overheard. The people involved did not see me and they have no idea that I know anything at all. These items can be quite dangerous, and they have no positive purpose on a high school campus.

I was shocked to hear about this, so for the last few days I've said nothing, not even to my closest friends or even my parents. I want to be careful to keep myself safe from any possible consequences that disclosing this publicly might cause. I'm the type of student who stays quiet and out of trouble, so I'm definitely not looking to thrust myself into the middle of this situation.

My first instinct was just to ignore this and hope for the best that none of this would bubble up and cause any real trouble on campus. But on the other hand, I have no control or guarantee that there won't be trouble at some point. This has created a moral dilemma for me, and I'm not quite sure what to do about it. Do you feel I should stay quiet about what I've witnessed and overheard, or should I be brave and step forward and explain to our school principal what I know? — Not Looking For Trouble, via email

NOT LOOKING FOR TROUBLE: Absolutely do not "look the other way" and let this go! Ignoring something that could be dangerous to your school, its students, faculty and the administrative staff should not be an option you are comfortable with.

There is a way, depending on what these dangers are, that you can disclose this matter to the school administration, or to law enforcement. You can make an anonymous tip to notify the proper authorities. If you saw something, you should say something to keep everyone involved safe, including yourself.

Also be prepared to discuss this matter with your parents at some point soon. They also will likely share your concerns for anonymity, and of course they love you and have your best interests at heart.

Act immediately! Do not hesitate one day or one hour further, since disclosing this matter now may make a huge difference in how things ultimately turn out. It's fine to go to law enforcement anonymously right now; they will immediately notify your school principal and administration staff, who can then act quickly. This may be your best option at this point.

HE SAID I WAS 'TOO CLINGY'

DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend broke up with me last week! He told me that I was "too clingy" and that I was obsessing about him way too much. It's true that I put my focus on him with 90% of my time and my thoughts, but I thought that's what a good girlfriend would do.

I'm 17 now and this is the only guy I've ever really been interested in. I dated about a dozen losers to find him and now my only thoughts are about how to get him back. What do you feel I should do to try to get him back? I really miss him already and I feel depressed that he's gone. - Living With a Void, via email

LIVING WITH A VOID: Take this experience as a learning opportunity. Spending 90% of your time and thoughts on your boyfriend is indeed excessive. As a high school student, you need your life to be more balanced in terms of your studies, your family and friends and yes, when you have one, your boyfriend.

As to getting this particular guy back, there's little you can do. To chase after him now or to stalk him will only further cement in his mind that he made the right decision to get away from you. Your best bet is to send him one — and only one — message telling him that you understand how he feels and that if things change on his end that you'd talk calmly with him about things at that point. And from there, do nothing more. He'll know that you're open to talking with him again sometime, but beyond that you're better to give him space and assume he's not coming back.

Keep busy with your friends in the meantime and start the dating process again when you feel up to it. It only took you a dozen dates to find your last boyfriend, so the odds were actually pretty good back then. Think of each new date these days as putting you one step closer to finding a special guy you can relate to well. And when you do find someone special this time around, take the knowledge of what went wrong in your last relationship and apply it going forward.

Make keeping a healthy balance in your life a priority in the future and you'll be much more likely to sustain a long-term relationship successfully.

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.

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