The Whisper Seekers

Crush

The next day, I spend nearly the entire day buried under my comforter, actively avoiding my phone. I have no desire to speak to anyone. Instead, I pick at leftover dessert from my mom's charity event and binge reruns of my favorite shows, letting the noise distract me from the chaos swirling in my head. Eventually, my mom grows tired of my sulking and drags me out of the house for a nail appointment. I leave my phone on silent, tucked away on my nightstand, not ready to face any incoming messages.

The moment we leave the salon, she gives me a knowing glance. She's curious as to why I have been so withdrawn today. I know her questions are coming. 

"Why the mood today, El. You've been sulking since you got home yesterday."

"Mom, I'm just annoyed with everyone, okay. I'm taking a mental break from my social life," I whine as we drive. "Harper is obsessed with the new kid Liam and Derek is suddenly threatened by him. Liam just came in and took over my life! I can't seem to get away from him since he is the talk of the school!" My mom nods while listening to me complain.

"Why do you want to get away from him? Weren't you just hanging at our house the other day?" She asks in a melodic tone. She's aware I have a crush on him, even though I haven't told her. I can't tell her the truth about why my feelings are so complicated for him. 

"Yes, but Harper wants me to stay away from him so she can have him to herself, which also isn't fair if Liam and I are just friends. But Liam...he just drives me crazy." When we slow to a stop at a red light, she turns to me.

"So you like him? You want to stay away from him because he threatens your relationship with Derek and Harper." I bury my face in my hands and take a deep breath.

"No, Mom, he just... annoys me." We finally arrive home, and as we pull into the garage, my mom says, "I think you're just annoyed at the situation. You're in high school, Ellie, you don't have to marry Derek. Harper and you are going separate ways next year, so it won't be the end of the world if you end up liking the new kid." I stare at her in shock.

"I thought you wanted me to marry Derek and be a power couple that has everything?" She starts laughing as she gets out of the car.

"Derek is wonderful and has a great head on his shoulders, but if he's not what you want, then it doesn't matter what I want," she says before stopping in front of the garage door and turning to me. "You're very young to be thinking about being with one guy for the rest of your life. High school is such a short time in the grand scheme of things. Just be happy and enjoy it. Go out with Liam if you want to, or avoid him to pacify Harper. It's your call, but whatever you do needs to be because it's what's best for you. It's okay to be a little selfish sometimes." I can tell she's speaking from experience. My dad runs her whole life, and the only things she has are me and her charities. She is just completely unaware of how selfish I have been.

I head upstairs and find my phone exactly where I left it. After a moment of hesitation, I finally pick it up and summon the nerve to check my messages. Unsurprisingly, Harper and Lily have both been blowing up my phone all day. Harper is spiraling. Apparently, Liam canceled their date last night, and she's beside herself. Liam also texted me, letting me know he bailed on our plans too, thinking it was best after everything that went down.

Then there's Derek.

He called, clearly furious, assuming we had a group date planned and annoyed I never told him it was off. I roll my eyes as his angry voice blasts through the speaker, his frustration more about being inconvenienced than any actual concern for me.

When did I become the coordinator for everyone's weekend plans? And more importantly, when did I start noticing how immature Derek really is? Normally, I'd be scrambling to call him back, desperate to smooth things over before he could stay mad for too long. But today? I just don't care.