Diane Verhoeven: Seeing old classmate still quite awkward

Dear Diane: It’s been 22 years since I graduated high school. I only mention this because a girl I knew back then has recently discovered me on Facebook. We didn’t have a romantic relationship in high school, but I was aware that she had a crush on me. I never went out with “Ophelia” because I thought she was a bit, well … nuts.

Now here I am, a happily married man with three children, and I’m stuck having to deal with this whack job. AGAIN. Ophelia keeps messaging me with stories about us back in high school and asking me why I keep denying her friendly requests. Apparently she can’t take the hint.

So, Diane, what can I do to get this woman off my back? I have no desire to revisit my high-school days, and I certainly don’t want anything to do with this woman.

— Pestered in Pittsburgh

Dear Pittsburgh: You could start with the truth. Tell Ophelia that you’d rather not revisit your past relationship with her. You could also say that your wife wouldn’t approve of it. This may not be true, but Ophelia doesn’t know that.

If a polite rejection doesn’t do the trick, you might have to be more blunt, like, “Will you PLEASE leave me alone?”

I’m not on Facebook, but I would think there is a “Block User” function that will prevent Ophelia from sending messages to you. As a last resort, you could always e-mail an administrator on Facebook and register a complaint that you are being harassed. But I don’t think it will get to that point.

I’m fairly certain that Ophelia will stop pestering you once you’ve made it clear that you want nothing to do with her.