Dear Pastor,

I am a 14-year-old girl who attends a prominent school in St Andrew. I am in second form. I am very intelligent. I am one of the top-five students in my class. I set my priorities straight and I have my head on my shoulders.

However, I think I have a problem. In first form, a boy in my class liked me, but he said he was afraid to approach me. He told me all this from the start of second form in September. Up until now he has a major crush on me. Don't get me wrong, he has his head on his shoulders also. He's a Christian and he's the brightest boy in class. He says he loves me and I believe him.

My reason for writing is that I have turned him down a lot of times and he keeps on coming back. I shamed and embarrassed him, but he doesn't care. He even had his reputation crushed because of me. People call him 'gyal clown' because of how he treats me, but he doesn't seem to care. I truly believe that this is definitely NOT infatuation. I've experienced infatuation a lot of times and I'm sure this is something different. Our families are close and the truth is I really like him. He is one of my best friends and he influences me positively; for example, he reminds me to study for my exams and not to lie and stuff like that. He is spiritually strong and he's very, very serious about his schoolwork. He constantly asks me to give him a chance, but I don't know if I should.

Pastor, should I? One more thing is that no boy can interfere with my schoolwork, so if I gave him a chance, there is no possibility of it affecting of my grades, I assure you.

R.B., St Catherine, Jamaica

Dear R.B.,

I don't understand what you mean by 'give him a chance'. If you mean whether this guy and you can be good friends, the answer is yes. But nothing more. Because of your age, you shouldn't be having an intimate relationship with anybody.

Pastor