Love, and more especially lust, fill the air and lungs of students all over campus during spring semester. Georgetown Day exemplifies Cupid's ability to shoot even the most cold-hearted Hoyas with his fiery arrows; the front lawn never fails to be filled with canoodling young couples finally brave enough to delve into some sort of relationship (typically assisted by several cans of liquid courage). The butterflies in their stomach and shining sun seem to cause memory loss for most of these hand-holding lovers, for they have forgotten an extremely important detail pertinent to the progression of their relationship: Classes end in less than a month.

Casual relationships are always difficult, particularly at the end of the school year. Summer is like a gigantic question mark in regard to the future of any college affair. As students return to the Hilltop in September, many wonder if their hook-up will trump the summertime distance or rot and die like the leaves of autumn.

Frankly, I have never been successful in transforming a spring fling into a fall relationship. Neither have my friends. However, we are now extraordinarily educated on what not to do if you want your relationship to continue. With the help of text messaging, stories from many friends and (most importantly) alcohol, I can now share with you a quick list of how not to kill a relationship.

Do not fill their inbox with unreturned text messages. If they do not respond after one text, maybe they weren't at their phone. If they do not respond after two, maybe they were studying in the basement of Lau (no service). If they do not respond after three texts, then they are most likely not interested. Drunken cell phone use is much worse. The embarrassment of sending five texts and calling them 10 times around 2 a.m. will merely add to your already pounding headache the next morning.

Do not follow them home from a party or bar. Perhaps they didn't respond to your texts. You just know they are still interested in you, so when you see them sneak out the door to head home, you know this is the perfect time to catch them alone. Guess what? You are wrong. They left because they did not want to go home with you. Also, if they are walking home with someone else, they really are not interested. If you were a star in He's Just Not That Into You, this would be the moment that Justin Long would be telling you that, well, he (or she) is just not that into you.

Do not yell at them and tell them you are dating when you are not. Say you followed them out the door and finally caught them alone. This is your moment, your big chance to make them realize how absolutely fantastic you are. After shouting their name, you wait for them to come running into your arms. Instead they ask, "Why are you following me?" Suddenly, the embarrassing reality of the situation causes you to temporarily go insane. You begin yelling, forcing them to give you an explanation as to why they "broke-up" with you. The problem is, you two were never officially dating. You are now a stage-five clinger. Not only is your relationship dead, but so is any possibility of a civil friendship.

Do not hook up with their best friend. The best friend is always an easy go-to option when a relationship goes sour. You can vent to them, ask them for advice, or merely use them in some psychotic revenge plan. However, hooking up with them is the worst idea possible. It will not cause your ex to get jealous and want you back. It will only cause them to be disgusted and never want to speak to you again. Do not let them take advantage of your vulnerable state, and do not use your vulnerable state to your own advantage.

After two years here I have witnessed many scorned lovers' attempts (usually with the help of Burnett's) to gain their spring fling back. Personally, I'm a victim of the late- night text and trust me - the headache in the morning genuinely does hurt. So, good luck to all you Hoyas out there on a quest for autumnal love. Hopefully this tiny list helps guide you to success.

Colleen Leahey is a junior in the College. She can be reached at leahey@thehoya.com. Rounding the Bases appears every other Friday in The Guide.