If there’s one word I never want to come out of my boyfriend’s mouth when describing me, it’s “clingy.”

But lately, I’ve started to feel like that’s exactly what I am. Living in a new town for the summer, not taking summer classes and working a job that only gives me 10 hours a week isn’t exactly the perfect recipe for an exciting social life. My boyfriend lives at home for the summer and even though he’s only 15 minutes away, all of his high school buddies are home and he is having the time of his life.

I, on the other hand, am stuck living with three roommates that I don’t get along with and a dirty puppy that is still not house trained. My contact with human beings has dwindled to the three roommates and the boyfriend. That’s it. I’m pretty much going crazy.

So, whenever the boy is going anywhere, I try my very hardest to get him to invite me. I pay for the beer, volunteer to be the D.D. and do whatever I can to ensure that he extends an invitation to me – even if he’s simply going to hang out with his guys and watch T.V. Not to mention the fact that he has to work in my town, so when I visit him on breaks I bat my eyelashes and make sure I’m in my cutest outfit. I figure that way he will not be able to resist me when I ask him if he’ll stay the night with me when he gets off work! But there have been a few times he’s said No. And I seriously feel like bursting into tears every time he denies me. In fact, I’m sure I actually have cried once or twice – and that is just so unlike me. I knew it was really bad the night he told me, “Babe, tonight I’m going to do my thing. You just need to do your own thing, okay?” Too bad “my own thing” consists of watching Planet Earth on my sofa.

Spending too much time with a lover has been known to cause lots of problems. How much is too much? And what can I do to stop myself from becoming the signature nightmare girlfriend?