Dear Blushing-N-Crushing,

If this boy is your really good friend, then he definitely likes you.

When you don’t like someone, you avoid them. (Unless you’re MacKenzie – then you create a long checklist of all the different ways you can make that person cry, and consider your day a failure if you haven’t done each one!)

But I guess what you’re really asking is if he likes you likes you.

Since every guy is different, I can’t say for sure whether he’s into you in a more-than-a-friend kind of way. But I can tell you a few things I do when I’m into a girl.

When I’m into a girl, I:

1. Invite her to do things I care about with me (like hang out at my grandparents’ animal shelter).
2. Ask her to work on school stuff with me (like in biology, where you need a partner).
3. Spend as much time around her as I can, and walk to class with her whenever possible.
4. Compliment her on her clothes, her personality, and her talents.
5. Try to cheer her up when she’s feeling down.
6. Join in the things she’s doing (like being in a band).
7. Stick up for her when mean girls don’t treat her the way she deserves to be treated.

These things aren’t really obvious, because guys are a lot subtler than girls are. We don’t doodle hearts with our crushes’ names in them, or analyze their texts with our guy friends, asking what they think “Hi there! :)” really means.

Some guys are a lot flirtier than others, but most of the time, when we like a girl, we just go out of our way to be near them.

And when we are near them, we stare at them a lot, often while blushing, and smiling our biggest, goofiest smile.

If none of this helps and you still can’t tell, here’s one surefire way to find out: Say, “You know, I really like you,” and see what he says!

We can get kind of shy sometimes, so we always like when someone comes right out and lets us know they’re into us.

I know that might make you feel kind of nervous, but you’re already freaking out, so it really can’t get much worse!

I hope this helps!