A Young Adult Romance With a Twist

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The young adult romance “What Happens After You Confess Your Feelings to Someone?” is a story about a studious high school student named Chloe who has an intense crush on a boy at her school named Mordecai. At the start of the story, Chloe has already confessed her feelings to Mordecai. But he has never said how he feels about her. As a result, they share a complicated friendship where Chloe is never really sure where she stands with him.

But Chloe also has a good friend named Simon who’s the exact opposite of Mordecai. While Mordecai can be moody and unpredictable, Simon is constant and reliable. Simon has a crush on Chloe, but he struggles to confess his feelings to her. And so, he stays stuck in the friend zone.

Who does Chloe choose in the end—unpredictable Mordecai or reliable Simon? That decision is up to you.

A Story Where You Choose the Ending

This isn’t a typical teen romance. I wrote the story with two endings—one where Chloe chooses Mordecai and one where she chooses Simon. I find that both endings are satisfying in their way, but I leave it to the reader to decide which one to pick.

I find this way of reading the story more fun because, in a way, it puts you in the driver’s seat. Instead of me telling you who the main character chooses, I present you with two options. And it’s up to you to decide which option to choose. And if you don’t want to pick, you’re free to read both endings.

A Preview from the Story

Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 6 to give you an idea of what Chloe and Simon’s relationship is like. This conversation takes place after winter break of their sophomore year. They’re both in Simon’s car, and he’s driving to their mutual friend Krista’s house to pick her up for school. But Chloe isn’t in the best mood. (Chloe is narrating.)

“So, how was your break?” he [Simon] finally asks.

“Fine,” I say. “Productive.”

“That’s good. I wish I could say the same.” I say nothing. “Are you ok? You seem a little glum,” he says.

I laugh quietly at his word choice. “I’m fine,” I say.

“I know. You’re not ready to go back either. I always wish they’d give us like one more week off school after New Year’s, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess.” A tear falls from my left eye. If it had been my right eye, I could have just let it fall and dry on its own. But because it’s the left, I try to wipe it away subtly so Simon won’t see. It’s a vain effort.

“Ok, Chloe, seriously. What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“It’s nothing.” Another tear. I just leave that one.

“Really, Chloe, what is it?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“If it’s bothering you, I do.”

“It’s really stupid.”

“Try me.”

“Mordecai and I had a fight the day before New Year’s Eve, and we haven’t spoken since then.”

“So, you miss him?”

“I told you it was stupid. I miss him like we were dating when we’re not even really friends.” I sigh. “I just have to get over it—over him.”

“If it were that easy, I’m sure you would have done it by now.”

I turn to him then and smile. “Thank you,” I say. “You make me feel less crazy.”

“You’re not crazy,” he says. “You’re just passionate. If only you could be passionate about someone who shared your passion.”

“I know. If only…”

We’re in front of Krista’s house now. Usually Simon honks to let her know we’ve arrived. But today he doesn’t honk, and he’s quiet for a while. Then he says, “You know, Chloe—”

Suddenly, Krista knocks on Simon’s window. Neither of us saw her approaching, so we both jump. She waves, and he unlocks the backdoor.

“What, did you guys forget me or something?” she asks as she gets in and shuts the door.

“No, we were just lost in conversation is all,” I say. Simon pulls out of her driveway and starts heading to school.

Thoughts on the Preview

As shown in this excerpt, Simon is often the one who’s there to pick up the pieces after Mordecai breaks Chloe’s heart—which he does frequently. But the thing is, Mordecai has secrets—secrets he can only share with Chloe—secrets that help explain some of his erratic behavior. And as Chloe learns about them, she’s able to be even more understanding.

Simon tries his best to be a good friend to Chloe. But in doing so, he sometimes oversteps his bounds. Still, it’s all in the interest of protecting her and looking out for her. So, while neither Mordecai nor Simon is perfect, they both have the potential to be suitable romantic partners for Chloe.

But who will she pick? Again, it’s up to you.

How to Read It

Because this isn’t a typical story, I’ve designed it so that you’ll need to join the What Happens After You Confess membership to read it. Although the story is the length of a young adult romance novel, it’s presented as a sequence of blog posts, with one chapter per post.

After you join the membership, you can start reading the main story. And then you’ll come to a chapter where you get to decide whether you want Chloe to choose Mordecai or Simon. After you choose, you can read the chapters that correspond to the outcome you select.

If this sounds exciting to you, feel free to click here to learn more about the story and the membership.

I hope to see you there!

~ Ashley C.

P.S. If you would like to sample more of my story-writing style, you can click here to read some short stories that are currently available.

Last updated: April 20, 2025