Crushes. We've all had them. I think I had my first one when I was in first grade. Sometimes, they're little, itty, bitty inklings that are just ideas and sometimes they're full frontal and they hit you like a semi truck so that you fall head over heals. No matter what the level, however, there are definite stages of having a crush.

Stage One: The Baby Stage

Usually, this one starts with a trigger. Sometimes it's the eye contact, sometimes it's the smile, sometimes it's just the way they look at you. Whatever it is, though, they have captured your interest and you are starting to develop... a crush.

Stage Two: The Learning Stage

Contact has been initiated. Normally in the form of speaking. These are the first conversations after you have established the fascination. You start to talk about your likes and dislikes and as they tell you theirs you start to get to know them. You unconsciously start to memorize everything they tell you and you find it super interesting. Like unnecessarily interesting, like if your best friend told you these things you would have stopped listening after the first 30 seconds. But since you're developing a crush, these facts are "interesting"

Stage Three: The Hint Dropping Stage

This stage is crucial. It's all about the little things. Did he maintain eye contact? Did she move away when you brushed her arm? This is the time when you start dropping the little hints that aren't quite serious yet. These hints could easily be brushed off or made off to be a joke. This is also a pivotal time where you either launch into really liking someone or you retreat.

Stage Four: Confession Time

This is also crucial and necessary. It's the time when you tell your friends, your best friends. You get the stamp of approval, they work you up or down, they give you the advice you need and you proceed with what they tell you to do.

Stage Five: The "I'm Fine, Not Fine" Stage

You're starting to pick up on whether or not they like you and either way you are dealing with ALL the emotions. Whether they like you or not you will act like you're fine, when you're really not.

Stage Six: The Ultimate Decision Stage

By now, you have established whether or not this will remain a crush. You are either completely freaked out by mutual attraction or you're super chill with it. More realistically, you have realized that your crush will never like you so your heart is broken into a million pieces forever and you cry. A LOT.

Stage Seven: The Lather, Rinse, Repeat Stage

One day you're innocently sitting in science. You're super invested in the lecture and then you look around the room seeing if anyone else is interested as well. You notice a beautiful human looking up at you. They look familiar, you try to think of why you know them and then, of course, you remember the reason you know them is because they're your soulmate. All at once you get a rush that comes from a crush and a sinking feeling as you realize you're about to go through all those stages again.

Crushes are a magical thing, sometimes if you're lucky they turn into something more than a crush. More times than not though you just continue on through the cycle and try not to cry.