There's a guy I've known for a really long time. Nine years, to be exact. That's a long time for someone as young as I am, okay? Anyway, this guy and I go to school together, and we've been friends the whole time. Recently I've begun to become closer to him than I used to be, and I've discovered how cool it is to be his friend. He's really funny, really nice, and really sweet. And he knows that he used to be, well, kind of a jerk - when we were younger we had some pretty rough fights - but he's apologized for being that way, which is so amazing because most guys would just forget about it.

       The thing is, I think I'm beginning to like this guy. I've liked him before, and I've been told by several observant and reliable people that he feels the same way, or felt before, or always has. But what's nice is - you know how in some cases in junior high or whatever, the girl who likes a guy is always anxious to find out more, to do something about it, to make sure that guy doesn't have any feelings for other girls, to find out how he feels about her through a complicated series of webs, etc. What's nice is that this isn't like that at all. I'm not worrying all the time because he may be talking to some other girl, or because he isn't thinking of me at this very moment. He's here, we're friends, and it feels good to be that way. Isn't that amazing?