I need a flawless face for prom.

Is it possible to change your mind about going to prom with someone without being a terrible person?

• all right, so here's what happened (and i know already that i'm awful. i don't need anyone telling me that.) i asked my friend (i'm female; he's male.) to go to prom with me (we'll call this friend albert.), but there's a back story. there is this other guy (we'll call him george) who asked me to prom yesterday. now, george is my friend because he's the awkward kid in the class, and i feel bad for him. so i guess that's not really a "friend," more of a pity-friend. i know it's awful, but i can't help it. i just feel so bad for the guy. if he were otherwise annoying, i'd have no problem with telling him, "f**k off," but because he's a dork, i have a little bit of a soft spot for him. i don't enjoy conversation with him; i endure it because i don't want to be another person who doesn't want to give him the time of day because they're too concerned with what he may do to their social status. the trouble with guys like that, though, is that girls don't normally talk to them, so they haven't had much practice with girls, and they end up liking whoever is willing to talk to them. well, last night, he tracked down my house (he's done other weird/creepy things, not to the point of concern, just to the point of "okaaayy...?") and did this whole thing where he spelled out "prom?" with candles and had flowers and a balloon, and i couldn't flat-out tell him no, so i told him i was already going with my friend, albert. it was just the first thing i could think of. i didn't have time to think of another excuse. i didn't know what else to say. so i went back inside, and immediately told albert over facebook what had happened and asked him to prom. the thing about albert, though, is that he has liked me since the beginning of the year. i mean, he really likes me, and i don't feel the same way. now, don't get me wrong; i'd rather go with him than with george, but i feel so pressured to like albert back when i'm around him, and it's kind of uncomfortable. he's one of those guys with no self-esteem, and guys like that make me feel so perpetually guilty, even annoyed. i mean, i've said mean things to him that would insult someone with normal self-esteem. not like, "you're ugly," but like taken him for granted to his face, like, "well, i mean, i know you'd go with me anyway." and i only do it because i want him to get angry! i want him to call me on it. i want him to grow a pair and say, "look, i may like you, but no one should talk to me like that." i mean, i can't stand guys with absolutely no self-respect. now, there is another guy, (we'll call this one doug,) whom i do like. i feel like if he had had enough time (this is only the first week since prom has been announced, and prom's nearly a month from now), he would have asked me. or at least, i could ask him, and he would go with me. now, my question: is there a way i could get out of going with albert to free myself up for doug? i mean, i'd be cool with finding a way to get him not to like me anymore somehow--i don't want him to hate me, but you know, if i could somehow make myself less appealing (not involving my appearance) would that be okay? i mean, i can handle going with him if there isn't a way to do this without being a complete b***h, but if there is, i'd like to know about it. thank you.

• Answer:

  I would just suck it up and take Albert to prom. There is no way of getting out of this without making yourself look bad. Just be thankful you dodged the bullet with George.