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interests. It will probably be difficult at first, but say hi to those students you
already know, and before long, new friendships will develop. Good luck!
Q: Over the summer, my “friends” stopped calling me to hang out and were not
being nice to me. Now that school has started, I’m spending time
with a different group of friends and sitting with them at
lunch. Now, the old friends are spreading rumors about
me and I am having a hard time understanding why they
would do this. What should I do?
— Maggie, 8th grade, Hanover, New Jersey
A: I’m so sorry this is happening to you, Maggie. There is no
easy explanation for why your friends are acting this way, but the best thing to
do is to ask them why they are doing this. You may not get the answer you hope
for, but it ’s important to stand up for yourself. Try to remember that your self-
worth is not dependent on what others think of you, and continue to surround
yourself with people and activities that make you happy.
For more Q&As, visit
maskmatters.org/ask-mask
Are you a student? Do you have a question on your mind about making safe,
healthy choices? ASK MASK! Submit your questions to bit.ly/ASKMASK
We want to be able to answer your questions and let other students know
they are not alone.