Though there are quite a few dating-range (anywhere from 17 to 25) boys in my math course, only two have stuck out. And not in the sense that I’m attracted to them, but in the sense that… Well, I don”t know. The two of them are just there.

For anonymity, I’ll give them stage names. Mustang Boy and Football Boy. Over the past few months, both of the guys have become more prominently noticeable – to a degree of gut wrenching humor (is that bad?).

Mustang Boy always finds a way to park right next me. It doesn’t matter if I see his car in different lane when I park mine, by the time I come out of class, his red Mustang is beside my red Mini Cooper. And yes – I have checked the lisence plate to prove this. Without fail, for the past two months, our cars have been within touching distance of each other by the end of the day. Cute, right?

Who is Mustang Boy? Why he is the boy who sits two aisles away from me in class, silent, his back slumped against the wall. He frequently looks in pain, much to my confusion, and I have never heard him talk. NEVER, EVER. For all I know the guy has a voice equivalent to Mickey Mouse.

Despite our parking relationship (which is all HIS doing), we have never spoken a word. I can say one fact about the boy though: He is a slow driver, and I so kicked his ass at that green light.

Then there is Football Boy. A boy who has sat directly behind me every single day for a really, super duper long time (and our class is over half empty). Now, this guy has some long legs, and he likes to stretch them all the way out, so his feet are basically beside mine. Then he slumps forward in his desk and 80% of the time keeps his head rested down. This wouldn’t be quite so weird if it weren’t for two things.

1) My hair is ridiculously thick and has become quite long. Most of the time it’’s hanging over and on top of his desk without my knowing. And yeah, okay, this isn”t Football Boy’s fault… But it is still awkward and swear I feel him touching… Or maybe I’m just paranoid.

2) His breathing. He always breathes as if he’s currently running, rather then resting. And I wouldn’t mention this if it weren’t for the fact that I feel his breath on my neck and ears for two hours straight.

Despite my close proximity with Football Boy, we too have never talked. Or we have. I lend him a pencil and paper at least once a week, but besides that… Nada. Which is partly my fault, I write during class quite a bit for an Algebra course and I zoom out to my car like a puppy on a walk, but still.

The point of this ramble is how intriguing I find it, that some people stick out to you so abruptly, while others fade into the distance. I’m sure it was at first a coincidence that Mustang Boy and I kept parking next to each other in that expansive lot. But why did the coincidence occur?  Why is that the characters of those two boys are so thickly prominent in my mind, while the other guys in my class are faded and gray?

Perhaps it’s simply human connection – that we’re all like magnets, and sometimes the shoe just fits. Whatever the case, I was rather stunned when Football Boy held the door open for me yesterday. It was our very first interaction outside of class. I even let him see a smile.