The Crush

Lathan's Girlfriend

I never thought I would be the girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, but here I am, dating Lathan, the star quarterback of our football team; out of all the girls, he chose me. At first, it was exciting, and I felt like I was on top of the world. But now, I realize that it is not as glamorous as I thought it would be.

Lathan's friends aren't the nicest people in the world. They are always making fun of other students and acting superior. It's uncomfortable being around them, and I don't want to be associated with their behavior. But Lathan doesn't seem to understand why it bothers me. He tells me they take some time to get used to, but they are good people. I have to get to know them.

And then there's the group of girls that follow Lathan around everywhere he goes. They are constantly pushing me in the hallways, making snide remarks about me. I don't want to be pushed around and treated poorly by anyone, especially not a group of girls who are jealous of our relationship. I know they are jealous, but I wish they would leave me alone. When I brought that up to Lathan, he just told me that it was out of his control because he was not responsible for their behavior.

He tells me that this is just what comes with being the girlfriend of the most popular guy. I thought he would be more understanding, but it seemed like he didn't take my concerns seriously. He just brushed it off like it was nothing. I'm not sure if I can handle it. It's hard enough dealing with Lathan's friends and their rude behavior, but the girls are just too much.

Right when I can't handle the pressure of being Lathan's girlfriend anymore, he looks me in the eyes, takes my hands, and says how lucky he is that I chose him. I can get lost in his eyes. Just being around Lathan does something to me. All of a sudden, all the annoying friends and all those mean girls don't matter. It is just him and I. And I know I need to talk to Lathan about his friends' behavior again, but not right now. It doesn't seem to matter. Nothing matters.

I needed someone to talk to, so I sought out Jordan. Jordan, surprisingly, didn't try to out-talk me or interrupt. Jordan sat there and let me vent. When I took my first breath, she finally spoke.

"I knew this would happen," Jordan said, shaking her head. "I knew it would be like this. Do you want me to beat any of them girls up?"

"No. Stop," I said, stopping Jordan from getting up from her chair. "It is just a lot that's going on. I like Lathan, but sometimes it is too much."

"Okay," Jordan said, seemingly understanding. She then took a deep breath and scratched behind her ear. "So, where does Alex stand in all of this?"

The words were caught in my mouth. I struggled to say he didn't. Because the truth is that Alex didn't fit into all of this. He didn't want to fit in any of it because he didn't want to. Ever since Alex kissed me, he has been avoiding me. He said he'd fight for me and hasn't said anything about us or the kiss. He just talks about the science project. In fact, he has seemed angry with me lately, and I couldn't figure out why. The worst part is that the contest is almost over, and I don't know where we stand. So, where does Alex stand? Exactly where he wants to stand. In friendship land.

"I don't know where Alex stands, Jordan," I said quietly. "I am still trying to figure that out." I sighed heavily. "Jordan," I took Jordan's hand. "Jordan, I finally have gotten what I wanted. You told me to go after Lathan, and now I have him. Why can't you be happy for me? Why are you fighting this?"

"Because he's... never mind," Jordan said quickly.

I knew she was hiding something from me. Something I didn't know but was important for me to know. I didn't fight it because I didn't want to fight with Jordan anymore.

***

Alex and I were working on a project together, and I was hoping we could have a real conversation about what was going on, but he kept changing the subject.

"Can you at least tell me what's wrong? I pleaded with Alex.

"We have to get this done in a couple of days," Alex replied, writing down notes.

"Okay, but what happens after the science contest?" I said, stopping him from writing.

Alex looked up at me. He stared into my eyes.

"Alex, please." I placed both hands over his.

"We need to talk, but I don't want to talk here," Alex finally said. And for the first time in a while, he smiled—the kind of smile he used to give me.

"Okay, this weekend?" I asked.

"Yes, this Saturday. Now can we get back to winning this contest, Winnie?" Alex's smile gives me joy.

I smiled back. I can't lie; I miss Alex. He is my friend, and I don't want to lose him. I'm still determining where he fits in all of this, and time is ticking before I start looking selfish for stringing two guys along. I am not the girl that dates two guys at the same time. Before this school year, I was the girl that dated zero guys.

Alex and I worked for another hour before packing our belongings to go home.

As we headed out, I noticed the hallway was littered with fliers for the first dance of the school year. Everyone was excited. There were dance proposals all over the school. Neither Lathan nor Alex asked me to the dance yet. I knew Lathan was eventually going to ask me. We had been hanging out every day, and to everyone around, I was his girlfriend. However, I was hoping Alex would ask me to go with him.

"Are you going to the dance?" Alex asked.

I shook my head no, "No one asked me."

Alex grinned, "Do you want to go?"

"Hello, beautiful," Lathan interrupted. I turned to look at Alex, but he was gone. "You need to come with me," Lathan said, pulling me by the hand. We walked to my locker, and that's when I saw a big poster held by the football team asking me to go to the dance with Lathan. I jumped up and down, screaming yes! No one has ever given me a dance proposal. And the first was from the most popular guy in the school. I was winning at being a teenage girl.

However, when I turned around, I saw Alex shaking his head and walking away. I felt terrible.