Ask Coop No. 1: Prom, Hannah Montana, and Valentines Day

ALI COOPER '09

Welcome to the first installment of our new advice column. Leave your questions in the comments!

Coop,

I think I am in love with my best friend, but he seems to have fallen in love with another girl: Hannah Montana. No, not Billy Cyrus' daughter, the actual television character. I find this strange, but I must win his affection.

How do I beat Hannah Montana when she has the best of both worlds? Is she unstoppable? What to do?

Help is needed,
Disney Dreamer

Dear Disney Dreamer,

Mm, I’ve seen this one before. You probably feel that, if you were a movie, he’d be the right guy. You’d be the best friend that he’d fall in love with, and in the end you’d be laughing and watching the sunset, it would fade to black, show the names, and they’d play that happy song. Maybe sometimes you walk a little faster in the school hallway just to get next to him. Some days, you might even spend a little extra time in the morning just to impress him. I don’t blame you.

Nobody’s perfect. Everybody makes mistakes, and everybody has those days. Remember that everyone has a flaw or a weakness, and maybe your friend’s downfall is his infatuation with America’s favorite Disney star. If you recognize his problem, maybe you can be the one to pull him out of it. Go right ahead and compete with Hannah Montana, you have nothing to lose!

You can be glamorous just like he sees in all the magazines. You can be cool as ice, or anything you want to be. Stay strong, and stay positive. Your friend will soon remember that Hannah Montana is only available each night from 7:00-7:30 PM Eastern. He’ll realize what he’s missing out on and say, “I can’t wait to see her again.”

Learn from Hannah! Flirt, and have some fun. Make your best friend notice and don’t squelch your feelings! If all this doesn’t work, a little imagination has been known to go a long way…grab yourself a Hannah Montana wig, a pair of knee-high boots, and something sequin-ey, and see what your friend thinks then!

Just take this situation and turn it all around. With a new attitude, everything can change, just make it how you want it to be. Life’s what you make it. You’re gonna get what you deserve, because you got nerve.

- Coop

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Dear Coop,

For Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend bought me a bunch of random presents. It was really cute and thoughtful. The next day, I found out that he bought them from Big Lots the day before Valentine’s. Is this grounds for breakup? What should I do? Help me!

From,
What-to-do

Dear What-to-do,

As I read your letter, the first thing that struck me was your original excitement about the Valentine’s Day goodies your boyfriend gave you. You felt that they were cute and thoughtful…clue in on that, baby! The fact is: it doesn’t matter how many zeroes are stuck on the end of the price tag. So the boyf was a little disorganized and didn’t have time to shop for some presents a few days before V-Day…remember that old saying, “it’s the thought that counts”?

Don’t sweat it, it’s not the price that matters, or even where it comes from. And hey, your boyfriend still managed to get you something you really liked…he didn’t screw up as bad as you think!

Good Luck!

-Coop

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Ali,

My best friend just bought a really ugly prom dress. She spent so much money on it and she can't return it but it makes her look ridiculous. What should I do?

Sincerely,
Conflicted friend

Dear Conflicted Friend,

Yikes. This is a tough situation. Good for you for wanting to be honest but in this case, go against your gut reaction…honesty probably isn’t the best policy here. In these circumstances, her feelings are really the only ones that matter. If she feels beautiful in the dress, who are you to ruin her night? Wear some dark sunglasses and enjoy prom.

If she looks…um…unfortunate…, maybe help her pick out a cute pair of shoes or make sure she gets her makeup done really well. You’ll have the freedom of buying your own rockin’ prom dress, and hey, your friend might think your dress is heinous, too!

Happy shopping!

-Coop

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Coopers,

I don't know who to take to prom. How do I decide? Does it really matter THAT much? Do I take a friend, and is that ok?

Sincerely,
Junior Jitters

Dear Junior Jitters,

Ah, prom…the defining moment of your life. The event it all comes down to. The night that will shape the rest of your high school career…

Not.

Prom is supposed to be fun and crazy. To answer your question, no it does NOT matter that much! Taking a friend is 100% okay. In fact, I personally think it’s better to go with a friend (rather than a crush or whatever) because there’s much less pressure on you and your date. You’ll be with your escort for pictures and the limo ride and sit at the dinner table with ‘em, but other than that, everyone hangs out together. Everyone dances together and everyone parties together afterwards.

My advice: Go to prom with someone that you know you’ll have fun with. That’s what the whole night’s about!

See you there!

-Coop

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Dear Coop,

In middle school, I was really good at Baseball. But now I play lacrosse. All my friends are playing baseball, and I don't think I will make many friends playing lacrosse. What can I do? I am freaking out and I really need an answer!!!!!!

From,
Mike C. Jones

Dear Mike Jones, (Ha.)

If you like lacrosse better than baseball, play lacrosse! You’re gonna have at least one thing in common with the rest of the lax team- your love for the sport. (Plus, have you taken a look at who’s on the BCDS lax team? Pretty crazy dudes.) My advice is this: play out both situations. Pretend you’ve decided to play lax this spring. Are you pissed that you’re missing out at baseball practice? Then pretend you’ve decided to play baseball. Are you mad you didn’t try lacrosse instead? Think about why you wanted to play lacrosse originally, what made you stop playing baseball? My guess is: if you ask yourself those questions, the answer will be a little easier to find.

But honestly, try not to freak out, it’s only Beaver sports! And you’re only playing for, what? Less than three months? If you’re thinking you’re going have way more fun with your buddies on the baseball team, play baseball!

Inside Scoop- If you try lax and hate it, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to switch teams within the first week!

Good luck, I’m sure you’ll have a blast no matter what team you make yourself a part of.

-Coop