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Nasty gossip is one of the great scourges of high school life. You and your boyfriend can even break up because of false rumours. You can lose someone very special. What do you do then?

First, you take the time to tell your ex-boyfriend the truth about whatever happened, so that you don`t spend the rest of the school year walking around feeling bitter and misunderstood. Don`t be a victim of gossip. Set the story straight!

Talk to him in a neutral, low-stakes environment. In other words, don`t collapse in a weepy heap in front of his friends. You don`t need to act desperate or out of control, since you`re not either of those things. Arrange to meet him for coffee. Put on your cool-as-a-cucumber face and explain to him how things really went down, and how you suspect the story spun out of control. Be as dignified and confident as possible when trying to get him to understand your position. Afterward, if you want, you can let him know (with dignity and confidence) that you miss having him in your life, and you want to give your relationship another go.

Here`s the hard part: Your ex may not want to get back together. He might have moved on with his life pretty quickly, if he has a new girlfriend just weeks after your split. May be he`s been missing you too, or maybe he`s one of the many boys who suffers from Short-Term Attention Syndrome. Either way it`s still worth discussing the circumstances of your breakup with him. You`ll at least feel better knowing that you did everything within your power to crusade against the rumour mill. That`s a worthwhile mission, whether or not you two pick up your romance where it got left off.