My Choice | Teen Ink

My Choice

September 8, 2023
By Anonymous

     “Beep, Beep, Beep,” my alarm sounded. Ugh! “Why does school have to start so early?” I thought to myself. I dragged myself out of my bed of clouds, stumbled to the bathroom, and got ready for yet another dreadful day of school. Thirty minutes later, I was ready.
     I drove to school where I was greeted by my best friend Maddie. “OMG, can you believe Kate is dating that new boy already?” she said as we walked to our 1st Period. Tired and drowsy, I could barely pay attention, that was until Evan walked by. “Why are you still crushing on him when Dylan, who is much cuter, is begging for your attention? Evan is so banal, and Dylan is fun and exciting” Maddie said. Dylan was the quarterback on the football team. He was tall, attractive, and considered the most popular kid in school. “I don't know there is just something about Evan I like,” I responded. Evan was smart, respectful, and not very popular. He has beautiful curly chocolate-brown hair and a breathtaking smile that can light up the entire world.
    We walked into Mr. Anderson’s classroom and took our usual seats in the back left corner. He began telling us about our newest assignment. We weren't listening though, instead, we were talking about all of the drama going on. “You should ask Dylan to hang out with you after school,” Maddie mentions out of nowhere. “What? Why would I do that? I don't even know if he likes me.” I said. “Lily, he totally likes you, just look at the way he looks at you in the hallway. At least go talk to him,” she responds. “Ugh fine, I’ll talk to him during lunch today but that’s it.” I agree.
     After an eternity, the lunch bell rings. As I walk to the dining hall I think about what I’m going to say. There he is. My nerves rapidly ascend. I walk up to him, “Hey” I say nervously. “What’s up?” he replies. I decided not to draw out the conversation. “I’ve noticed you always stare at me when we pass in the hallways. Do you… Like me?” I say as my voice cracks. “You should have already known. Lily, I’ve been crushing on you since Freshman year,” he responds. “How come you never said anything?” I ask. “I thought you already knew. If we got together I would be so excited. I promise to be committed to you.” A knot began to form inside of my stomach. “Did he really mean it?” I thought to myself. “I’m sorry, I can't make this decision right now,” I said as I walked off. Right as I turned around I saw Evan walking toward me. I felt like I was going to throw up. “Hey Lily,” he said. “Hi,” I responded. “I know this is kind of random, but would you like to go get ice cream with me after school?” he asked. “Yeah sure, it sounds fun,” I answered awkwardly. “Great! See you then,” he said before he walked away. How is this happening? Two of the cutest boys in school both want ME.
     I couldn’t concentrate for the rest of the day. When the final bell rang I quickly went to my car and drove to the ice cream shop right by our school. We met inside and ordered our ice cream. Cookies and cream for me and mint chocolate chip for him. We sat at the small circle table by the window and quietly ate. He broke the silence with some small talk. I answered his questions, but the conversation wasn’t going anywhere. “Do you like me?” he blurted out. What am I supposed to say? “If I'm being honest, I do,” I say hesitantly. I could see his face light up. “I feel the same way,” he said “It’s your decision but I think we would make a cute couple.” Evan was the antithesis of Dylan. I felt forced to give Dylan an answer, but Evan was leaving it up to me. “I totally agree, but I need a second to wrap my head around everything. I’ll get back to you tomorrow.” I responded. “I get it, everything is happening very fast,” he responded.
     The next morning rolls around and I start to head to class. When I turn the corner I see Dylan holding hands with another girl. Right then I made my decision. I turned around before he could see me and went to find Evan. After a while, I saw his beautiful bright smile standing alone by the band hall. I immediately went up to him and said, “Hey Evan, I thought it through and I would love to go out with you.” “That’s awesome, I’m so excited to finally call you my girlfriend.” He then walked me to 1st Period, where I went and sat down next to Maddie. I explained everything. I could tell she was disappointed that I chose Evan, but she was still happy for me. “Maddie, he told me he would be committed to our relationship, but then he turned around and already has a new girl. I know I made the right decision.” I explained. “I agree, he shouldn’t have done that. As long as you are happy,” she responded. “I am,” I said.


The author's comments:

This piece is about a high school girl who finds herself in the middle of a love triangle. Does she pick the popular jock or the smart romantic?


Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 0 comments.