Is School Love Real or Just Attraction?My student journey experiences

Is School Love Real or Just Attraction

School love feels intense, confusing, and real—but is it love or attraction? A teen’s honest story on crushes, emotions, and growing up.

I still remember 2022 very clearly. Class 8. That age when puberty quietly kicks the door open without asking permission. Summer holidays changed a lot for me. My height shot up, facial hair started appearing, my voice got heavier, and for the first time, I began spending more time alone with my thoughts.

After school reopened, there was a girl from another section. Nothing dramatic happened. No movie-style moment. But every time I saw her, something strange happened inside my chest. A tight, warm feeling. Eye contact felt electric. Honestly, it felt good—too good. I started looking for indirect ways to notice her, and it felt like she noticed me too. Longer eye contact than usual. Or maybe my brain just wanted to believe that.

That’s where my school crush feelings slowly turned into what I thought was love.

At night, my brain went wild. Imaginary scenes. Walking together. Holding hands. Smiling at each other in random situations. I genuinely believed this was first love in school. I told myself, “We’re meant for each other.” Sounds dramatic now, but at that time, it felt 100% real.

Then Class 9 happened. And with it, a strange word entered my life: sigma. I started acting cold. Told people I didn’t care about girls. Said I was focused on money, career, discipline. From the outside, I looked changed. From the inside, nothing really changed.

Here’s where things got confusing.

I noticed that the same heart reaction happened when I saw other beautiful girls too. That warm feeling. That pull. Still, my mind forced itself to stay loyal to that one girl. At the same time, I realized something uncomfortable: I wasn’t special. Other boys liked her too. Suddenly, teenage love in school didn’t feel unique anymore.

Then came November. An online message from a girl. We talked for hours. Vibes matched perfectly. Turns out she lived just 300 meters away. I felt lucky. Until reality slapped me hard. She was from my own society, and it was a prank. Friends knew. I became a joke. That hurt more than any rejection could.

That day, I deleted Instagram. Permanently.

Class 10 arrived with heavy study pressure. Something shifted naturally. I started enjoying late-night walks, dumb gossip with friends, random laughs more than staring at a girl from afar. School love and studies don’t really mix well, and I understood that the hard way.

After that, I changed schools. She went her way. Distance did what emotions couldn’t. It faded.

Now comes the funny part. Class 11. New school. Only three boys in the class. Rest? Girls. I thought my heart would go crazy again. But nothing happened. A whole year passed—talking, laughing, debating random topics, sharing ideas. Not once did I feel that intense pull I felt in Class 8.

That’s when I started questioning everything.

Right now, for me, love feels like just another emotion. Like happiness or sadness. It rises, stays for a while, then fades. It doesn’t deserve to sit in your head 24 hours a day. And that’s where my thinking clashes with people who are currently in relationships. Maybe they’re right. Maybe I am. I honestly don’t know yet.

But one thing I’ve learned: one sided love in school feels deep because your brain is changing, hormones are loud, and emotions feel new. That doesn’t make it fake—but it also doesn’t make it permanent.

So, is school love real?
Maybe it is.
Maybe it’s just attraction wearing the mask of love.

I’m still figuring it out.

What do you think?

And if you’re interested in topics like this, you can check out my earlier blog where I talked about peer pressure among students.

Is School Love Real or Just Attraction?