Navigating the Line Between Love and Friendship—and Childhood and Adulthood—in YA Romance
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In the YA romance “What Happens After You Confess Your Feelings to Someone?”, high school sophomore Chloe will have to make a very important decision. You see, she’s in love with a junior at her school named Mordecai. He knows she likes him, but he hasn’t shared how he feels about her. Instead, they have a complicated friendship—one that often leaves Chloe in tears because of Mordecai’s seeming indifference to her feelings.
But Chloe also has a good friend named Simon. Simon is the opposite of Mordecai in most ways, but he does have something in common with him—he hasn’t told Chloe how he feels about her either. But while Mordecai’s feelings are unclear, Simon clearly has a crush on her. He just struggles to confess his feelings to her, partly because of her strong attachment to Mordecai.
Chloe isn’t allowed to date at the start of the story. And she won’t be allowed to date until senior year. But when she does become a senior, who will she choose? This is the decision Chloe will have to make.
But actually, she won’t be the one making this decision. You will. But more on that later. Right now, I want to focus on how this is a coming-of-age story for Chloe.
Juggling Friendship and Feelings
As a teenager, Chloe still has a lot to learn about life in general and relationships in particular. One of the biggest challenges she faces is trying to be a good friend to Simon while having an intense crush on Mordecai.
Sometimes this difficulty makes it hard for her to give Simon and Mordecai equal attention, like when chatting with both of them on instant messaging or IM. Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 7 that shows how Chloe tries to divide her attention between them, but struggles to do so successfully. (Chloe’s IM name is Simplesnowflake, Mordecai’s is More2come81, and Simon’s is Simonsayz32. Chloe is narrating.)
More2come81: what would u say if i decided to take a break from dating for a while?
Simplesnowflake: i’d say that’s the first good idea u’ve had in a long time
More2come81: what’s that supposed to mean?
Simplesnowflake: just that u don’t seem to give urself enough time to heal between relationships
More2come81: heal from what?
Simplesnowflake: any damage that might have been done
More2come81: r u calling me damaged?
Simplesnowflake: lol!
Simplesnowflake: no!
Simplesnowflake: i just meant it would be nice to give ur heart a break every now and then
Simon has sent at least two messages since Mordecai got on. I open his window.
Simonsayz32: uh, chloe
Simonsayz32: u there?
Simonsayz32: he just signed on didn’t he?
Simplesnowflake: yes, he did
Simplesnowflake: but i promise i’m here with u too
Simonsayz32: whatever
Simplesnowflake: no, really, what were u saying?
Simonsayz32: just read what i wrote before
Simonsayz32: i don’t feel like re-typing
I want to read what he wrote, but Mordecai is messaging me, too.
Simplesnowflake: just say it again please
Simplesnowflake: i don’t have time to reread
I minimize Simon’s window.
More2come81: who says my heart is involved in any of these relationships?
More2come81: sorry did i offend u by that last comment?
Simplesnowflake: no, no, u didn’t
Simplesnowflake: sorry, i’m chatting with someone else too
More2come81: well i don’t know how that makes me feel
More2come81: usually u reserve all ur online attention for me
Simplesnowflake: selfish, are we?
More2come81: no
More2come81: just uncomfortable with change
Simplesnowflake: hmm…
Simplesnowflake: change is a part of life
More2come81: but do u really have a problem with me not dating with my heart?
Simplesnowflake: it’s ur life
Simplesnowflake: do what feels right to u
Oh no. Simon.
Simonsayz32: for the last time
Simonsayz32: r u planning on going to the dance?
Simonsayz32: chloe!
Simplesnowflake: sorry, look
Simplesnowflake: i just minimized mordecai’s window [which I really did]
Simplesnowflake: now i’m all urs
Simonsayz32: for now
Because of Chloe’s deep love for Mordecai, it’s hard for her to pay as much attention to Simon as she would like to while she’s talking to the one she loves. But Simon continues to be a good friend to her anyway.
Being a Kid While Growing Up
But while Chloe is dealing with her emotional drama, she still has to deal with other stuff, too—like preparing for the future and adulthood kind of stuff.
On one occasion in Chapter 15, she tells Simon about how she feels stressed about the future and he makes a suggestion. He wants her to go to a place where she can still feel like a kid. While Chloe is reluctant at first, she agrees. And they end up taking a trip to her childhood playground. This is a snippet of a conversation they have while they’re there.
“You don’t have to grow up if you don’t want to. That is, you don’t have to ever lose the kid in you,” he [Simon] says. Then he rushes up the slippery slide, slipping once, and sits beside me.
I laugh. “How do I do that and still mature?”
“It’s all about balance. Be a grown-up when you have to be one, but take advantage of every opportunity to play.”
“It’s not so easy for me. When I come here, I sense my childhood in my spirit, but I still feel distant from it. Like I said, this is where my childhood lives. I feel grown everywhere else, and I think I’ve forgotten how to play—except maybe when playing board games. But then the feeling fades again.”
“You know, Chloe,” he says, taking my hand, “there are some perks to being a grown-up.”
“Are there?” I ask. He nods and inches his face closer to mine. But the moment before our lips touch, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I jump back and say, “Sorry,” as I pull it out. Mordecai is calling. “It’s Mordecai,” I say apologetically.
Simon sighs. “So answer it.”
“No, I shouldn’t,” I say. “We were in the middle of something.”
“Just answer it, Chloe. I know you want to. I’ll go hang out on the monkey bars,” he says, sliding down and walking over to a different jungle gym—one that’s bright yellow and green.
I feel awful interrupting our moment this way, but Mordecai is calling. That means he needs me, and I can’t let him down.
Even here, while Simon is trying to help Chloe reconnect to her childhood, feel less stressed about the future, and understand his feelings for her, he finds himself interrupted by Mordecai. Of course, there’s no way Mordecai could have known what Chloe and Simon were doing when he calls. But it just goes to show that it’s not only Chloe’s feelings for Mordecai that make it hard for Simon to confess his feelings to her. Mordecai himself can make it challenging.
Some Things to Ponder
One thing you might want to ask yourself is, should Simon fight harder for Chloe’s attention? For instance, in the first excerpt, Simon insists on asking Chloe about an upcoming school dance on IM. But he could just call her. In fact, that’s exactly what Mordecai does in the same chapter when he feels like Chloe is ignoring him. Why doesn’t Simon just call?
And when Mordecai interrupts Simon and Chloe while they’re at the playground, should Simon fight harder for her to pay attention to him? Should he have even used that opportunity to confess?
Imagine how the scene might have played out if he had done that. After Chloe says Mordecai is calling, Simon could say something like, “No, Chloe. I thought it would be a good idea for you to come here because you’re stressed about the future and this is a place you can come and still feel like a kid. And I came with you. I’m the friend who’s always there for you. What has Mordecai ever really done for you? I like you, Chloe—as more than a friend. Now, are you really going to take that call?”
I wonder how Chloe would respond to that.
But Simon does none of this. And so, it seems that as far as his coming-of-age story goes, he has a lot to learn about speaking up for himself and asking for what he really wants. But that’s kind of the whole purpose of these stories anyway—to see how characters learn these things. And even though he’s not the main character, he still has his own growing up to do. That’s true of all the characters in this high school love triangle.
A Unique Way to Experience Young Adult Romance
Just so you know, this isn’t a typical young adult romance. As I mentioned in the introduction, Chloe isn’t the one who’ll make the decision about who she chooses for her partner. That’s for you to decide.
I wrote this story with two endings, one where Chloe chooses Mordecai and one where she chooses Simon. When you start reading, you’ll come to a chapter where you get to decide who you want Chloe to pick. And after you decide, you’ll be able to read the rest of the story based on the outcome you choose.
Sound exciting? If so, go ahead and click here to learn more about this high school YA romance.
Final Thoughts
One of the reasons being a teenager can be so hard is because you’re trying to navigate the transition from childhood (or adolescence) to adulthood while also trying to figure other stuff out, like how to give your crush and your good friend equal attention on IM. In “What Happens After You Confess Your Feelings to Someone?”, Chloe has a lot to learn about these things. But what she learns and how she learns will differ depending on the partner you choose for her when you read the story.
So, choose wisely. (Or just read both versions of the ending.)
~ 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.
Also, if you’re dealing with a complicated crush and would like some personalized advice on how to handle it, you might be interested in my crush coaching services. Feel free to click here to find out more.
