Q: The player who chose the letter closest to “A” gets to play the first word. The word must use at least two tiles and it must be placed across the star square in the center of the board. The word can be laid out in a vertical or horizontal fashion, but it cannot be diagonal. When calculating the first word score, keep in mind that the player who places the first word gets to double his or her total score because the star counts as a Premium Square with a double word bonus. For example, if the total value of the first word played was 8, then the player would receive a score of 16. After you have put down a word, make sure that you count up your points. Add up the points on the lower right corner of each of the tiles you laid down. If you placed a tile on a Premium Square, adjust your score as indicated by the Premium Square. For example, if you place a word over a square that says “Double Word” on it, then you should double the total value of your word. If you place a tile over a square that says “Double Letter”, then you should double the value of that letter tile only when you calculate your score. After each of your turns, you will need to draw as many new tiles as you just played. For example, if you played three of your tiles to form a word during your turn, then you need to draw three new tiles at the end of your turn. Place these new tiles on your rack and pass the bag to the next player. On your next turn, you will have to add onto the words that your opponents have just played. That means that you cannot just create a freestanding word on the board, all of the tiles must be connected. As you build onto the words that your opponents have played, make sure that you consider all of the connected tiles. Your addition to the board must create at least one new word, but if you connect to other tiles, from other directions, then you need to make sure that you are creating valid words with these connections. It is a good idea to consider multiple plays during each of your turns and to go with the play that will gain you the most points. Look for opportunities to incorporate Premium Squares and high value letters like “Z” and “Q” into your plays. Available Premium Squares include:   Double Letter Score: This means that a letter placed on this square receives double the number of points that are shown on the letter.  Double Word Score: This means that a word that is made that includes the letter that is placed on this square receives double the number of points that it otherwise would.  Triple Letter Score: This means that a letter placed on this square receives three times the number of points that are shown on the letter.  Triple Word Score: This means that a word that is made that includes the letter that is placed on this square receives triple the number of points that it otherwise would. If you think that a player has played a word that does not exist or that another player has misspelled a word, then you can challenge that player. When you challenge a player, you look up the word in the dictionary.  If the word is in the dictionary and the player has spelled it correctly, then the word stays and the player gets the points. The challenger loses his or her turn. If the word is not in the dictionary or the player has spelled it incorrectly, then the player must remove the word from the board. The player gains no points and loses that turn. At some point during the game, you may decide that you want to exchange some or all of your tiles for new ones. You can use a turn to get new tiles. Just discard the tiles that you no longer want into the bag, shuffle the bag and draw the number of tiles that you discarded. Just keep in mind that you cannot play a word in addition to drawing new tiles, this will count as your turn.
A: Play the first word. Count up your points. Draw new tiles. Build on other players’ words. Use your tiles to get the highest score possible per turn. Challenge other players to dispute a word. Exchange tiles you don’t want.

Q: If you are on good, friendly terms with your crush, ask him to see a movie or a game a few weekends before homecoming. Avoid labeling it as a date. Instead, act as though you are interested in going out with him as a friend, or leave the day out together ambiguous. If necessary, you can even invite him out as a part of a larger group. The point is simply to have fun together. If you successfully have a good time, it may prompt in him the desire to ask you out to homecoming. If you can get at least one of his friends to go to homecoming with one of yours, it opens the door for going together as a group. When you're paired off friends are chatting with you and your crush, you can casually throw out the idea of going together as a group. You could also ask your friend to bring the idea up, or ask her to have her date bring it up. This works especially well if he has multiple friends going with multiple friends of yours. If you have mutual friends, ask them to plant the idea of inviting you to homecoming in your prospective date's head. The guy you have in mind may not have realized that you are interested, but if a friend of yours brings your name up and casually suggests that he asks you to the dance, he just might get the hint. Your friend does not necessarily need to mention that you expressed the specific desire to go with him, but your friend should make it clear that she feels confident you would say yes if asked. For example, ask your friend to say something to your crush like "Have you thought about who you're going to ask to the dance? What about so-and-so? You guys would probably look cute together." If your crush is a little on the shy side but seems like he might be interested, you can ask him indirectly to go to homecoming with you. Phrase it in a non-committal sort of way, though. Instead of specifically asking, "Will you go with me?" or saying "I want to go with you," ask him "if" he'd be interested in going with you. It gives him a strong hint that you are interested while allowing you to casually brush it off if he says otherwise. There are ways to phrase this question casually, such as "Hey we both don't have anyone to go with to homecoming yet right? Maybe we could go with each other. That might be fun."
A: Go out on a date before homecoming. Pair off your friends. Ask your friends to put in a good word for you. Ask him yourself if all else fails.

Q: You may feel a sense of rejection because your love is not returned. Don’t let the fact that your love is one-sided make you feel bad about yourself. Everyone, at some time, has loved someone who didn’t love them back. Remember that you are an amazing person and that there are lots of things to love about yourself.   Keep a journal or list of reasons why you are lovable. Update it or read it at least daily. Especially if your love doesn’t know you, remind yourself that you’ve given her no reason not to love you. Remember that loving yourself is the first and most important step in getting anyone else to love you. One-sided love can sometimes cause you to feel anxious, stressed, and depressed, so make sure you make the time to do things that keep your attitude positive. Doing things you like will make you happier in general, which will include being happy in one-sided love.  Your interests and hobbies are also what could make you interesting to your love. You could end up doing something that makes your love look at you in a positive new light. For example, if you play tennis, then keep practicing to get better and better. Develop new interests. Some research suggests that the same areas of the brain that control your feelings of love control creativity. So put this extra creativity to good use and learn some new skills or talents. Not only can they help you keep a good perspective on the situation, they can also support you. They can remind you of how lovable you are, which makes talking to and spending time with your friends is a good way to be happy when you’re in a one-sided love.  Talk to them about your feelings and get their opinion on the situation. Talk about things other than your love interest. Your friends want to hear about the rest of your amazing life, too. Trust them to let you know if your feelings are getting out of hand.
A:
Boost your self-esteem. Do things you like. Rely on your friends.