Just a Fan
By Mona, age 16, Philippines
I just started college. So far it's going great. Not that many "terror teachers" and I don't really have a heavy schedule. I have a four hour break, which is great, and I get off early in the afternoon. The university I'm in is one of the top schools here in the Philippines, which is great for me so that I can get a good job after I graduate. My school is big and there are a lot of highly respected individuals who roam the campus.
The best thing about my college in general is college basketball. My school's team is called the Ateneo Blue Eagles. We are currently the number 1 team in the league, and we have a spot in the final four. Personally, I am a big fan of the team. I go to all the games and proudly wear our school colors. But there's another reason why I am such a big fan of the team. His name is Kirk, and he wears the number 12 jersey. He's originally from the United States. He moved here together with his family to establish an orphanage for Filipino children. I don't know what made me like him. He's not the cutest guy on the team and he doesn't have a big group of friends. He plays a fair game. When I see him around campus, he's all alone. He's quite famous on the local scene. He has billboards on the main highways here in the Philippines because he endorses a clothing brand, but I still praise him because he keeps his feet firmly on the ground. He doesn't go around campus bragging about his looks and his status at my school. Most importantly, he has a strong relationship with God, which is a plus factor here in the Philippines.
The first time I had an encounter with him was to ask to have a picture with him. He was a gentleman and was willing to spare time for me and my friend. That made me like him more. The second time I had a chance to talk to him was when my friend gathered the courage to say "Excuse me!" to him. We introduced ourselves. I doubt he remembers our names. I just said good luck because later that afternoon they had a game. Now I see him in school all alone, and all I really want is to be friends with him. It's kind of hard to do that since he thinks of me as an ordinary fan. I'm still trying to find a way to be friends with him. I doubt that he will be reading this, but I don't want him to think of me as a fan. I want him to think of me as a friend. He's still a sophomore and I'm a freshman. I really hope something good will happen in the future. I don't think I like him ... I am in love with him.
