Let's take a look at the word crush, and I'm not talking about the orange soda. Crushes can blossom in the most innocent manner. A good-looking boy or girl catches your eye, you give him a smile and you're hooked. You want to get the goods on him, and he then becomes your crush. You love seeing this person and give your friends a detailed description of each sighting. But, when is a crush a cute, little infatuation? When does it turn into something more like an obsession? People, we have to find a place to draw the line.

Class is the prime opportunity to find that certain someone to crush on. My favorite part of the new semester is the start of classes due to all the new work. Cha! I'm talking about new peeps. Everyone knows that you actually shower so you can look fly just in case there is someone that is hot like chicken wings in your class. Don't deny it! This is the beginning. English Boy, Mythology Boy, Math Boy, etc. And guys you know you do it too -- I'm sure I've been an Econ Girl in some boy's eyes. Purely innocent, right? Everyone needs a hope to feed off of, dreaming that one day the two of you will fall in love. But what happens when you realize your crush will not become a reality? You take matters into your own hands.

I have done extensive research and found many events that my friends will do to find out more about their class loves. I believe some are used more frequently than one would admit. I do not recommend them. I am presenting them to you as a wake-up call, to see if you have gone too far.

After discovering your crush, you compare yourself to him or her to see if you have anything in common. "Oh, my God! We both have Five Star notebooks in the exact same shade of blue!" This can create the feeling that fate is working its magic to draw the two of you together. Sadly enough, you will dwell on this for days.

This crush is the reason you go to class. I mean, who is actually here to learn? You totally look forward to seeing them. Some, such as my roommate, will name the day after their crush, because she sees him in lab and class. Double her pleasure. "Ryanday" is what my apartment calls Wednesday in honor of her crush.

What happens when your crush is not in class? Now your mind starts to wonder and you start questioning why he or she isn't there. Does he have the flu? Is he OK? And the worst potential outcome, did he drop the class? You are completely freaked until you see him again in class. This produces much stress, but this person is worth it all. The obsession continues.

Gradually, you will start to sit near your crush in class. You have to, because how else would you catch his name on his paper or eavesdrop on all his conversations? You need his or her name to look up on the Penn State directory page and get the scoop. Now, I do not ridicule those who use this page, but if you have it bookmarked, does the word psycho mean anything to you?

After the first weeks of class, your curiosity starts to grow. You start to follow your crush and try to find out what he or she does on the weekend. This is the key to unlocking the mystery of your obsession. Many feel it necessary to discover where the crush is because you know you will hang out and have a meaningful conversation. Crack, is that what you're smokin'? You know you'll be thrilled if you have enough guts to ask your crush where to get a beer or soda. But only the most persistent will continue to going to their crush's favorite hot spots. Will this insanity ever end?

You could be the victim of a stalking or you could be conducting one. Every time I am at a party and some dude gives me the spiel that I look so familiar, I politely say that maybe he knows me from the Collegian or from class. But in the back of my head, I am thinking that he has probably been stalking me for the last three weeks and this is the moment he has been waiting for all semester. Remember, sometimes it's not just . . . ahh . . . a little crush.