Ask Ellie: How can I tell if my friend has a crush on me?

QUESTION: I’m wondering if my friend (a girl) and one of my close friends, has a crush on me. We go to the same school and the same church.

I only knew her for two years, but one day she complained, asking why I never say Hi to her at school.

I said that I never noticed her (the real reason is that I don’t know how to talk to girls that well).

After that, when I did say Hi to her, she was very happy.

A couple of weeks later in the cafeteria, she came up to me saying, “What do you think I should eat for breakfast — the muffin or the waffle?”

I told her to get the waffle, but didn’t know why she used that weird excuse to talk.

On the last week of school, it seemed she wanted to talk to me when I was talking to one of my friends (her locker neighbour), and she was teasing me how I thought the finals were easy because I’m so smart and that.

Does she have a crush on me or is she just being a good friend? — Crush Confusion

ANSWER: She likely does have a crush on you. But it’s interesting that you already consider her a “close” friend.

As a crush, you have trouble handling her signals. Her questions seem “weird,” you get confused and shy.

Yet you both have your immediate world in common — school and church. Also, she thinks you’re smart, which is a high compliment.

How to handle all this? Be her good friend.

Text her asking how her summer’s going, who she’s hanging out with, what she does during the day, etc.

By the time you both get back to school, or meet at church, you’ll find it a lot easier to talk to her.

TIP OF THE DAY A close friendship can be more rewarding and last much longer than a crush.

Read Ellie Monday to Saturday in The Daily Courier. Email ellie@thestar.ca.