How do I get a guy if I'm not preppy?

Dear Advice Girl,

I’m a different sort of kid. What I mean is at my school, there are girls in skirts (known as preps), the girls in the gym (the sporty ones), the geeks and so forth. You know, all of those “cliques.”

My problem? I don’t fit in anywhere, and I like it that way. But not fitting in has made it really hard to get to know guys that I’m interested in. I feel like a nobody and a freak. And when I do talk to my guy friends, everyone says we’re flirting, but I’m not interested in them. HELP PLEASE!

Signed,
   2_Shy

Dear 2_Shy,

You’ve got nothing to worry about – in fact, you seem pretty awesome to me. You’ve resisted turning into a total carbon copy, and you’re comfortable doing your own thing.

So what are you so sad about? I mean, you have friends. You’re not any more lonely than anyone else. If you finagled your way into one of those cliques, you’d have nothing to show for it except a bunch of weird new clothes and a gut feeling that something was wrong. You wouldn’t have any more real friends, and your confidence level would drop the way it always does when you pretend to be something you’re not. And none of that is gonna help you get a boyfriend.

So what will? Well, a change in attitude might help. Be confident in yourself – in who you really are - and it’ll be easier to start conversations with boys, to flirt with them, and to do all those awkward things like asking them out.

And if some knuckleheads tease you for talking to your guy friends? Seriously, just ignore them. You’ve gotta block out all the bad vibes and focus on the good ones. It’ll make you stronger, more secure, and even cooler than you already are.