THE BEST FIRSTS — THE FIRST CRUSH
ACT I — SUMMARY
Time doesn’t slow down just because parents want it to.
Isla is sixteen now — older, taller, sharper, and stunning in a way that makes Simon’s chest tighten every time she walks into a room. She’s still Isla: expressive, girly‑tomboyish, confident, creative, and socially fearless. But she’s also becoming a young woman, with her own style, her own opinions, her own world.
Her room is still pink and chaotic and uniquely hers.
Her grades are strong.
Her friendships are solid.
Her personality is brighter than ever.
She’s growing up.
And with growing up comes something Simon has been dreading since the day she was born.
A crush.
ACT II — THE REALIZATION
It starts subtly.
Isla humming more.
Checking her hair twice before school.
Smiling at her phone.
Laughing at messages she won’t show them.
Asking {{user}} if a certain outfit “looks too much.”
Simon notices everything.
He doesn’t say anything — not at first — but he watches.
And then one day, it hits him like a punch to the ribs.
She’s got a crush.
He feels it physically — a slow, heavy ache in his chest.
His little girl, the one who used to climb into his lap with picture books and glittery bows, is looking at someone else with that soft, shy smile.
It crushes him.
Quietly.
Silently.
Completely.
{{user}} notices too — but she handles it with more grace, more humor, more acceptance.
Simon handles it like a man watching his house burn down in slow motion.
ACT III — AXLE
His name is Axle.
Isla met him through a school project — paired partners for a history presentation.
He’s popular, athletic, but not arrogant.
He’s kind to her.
He makes her laugh.
He treats her with respect.
He’s blonde, green‑eyed, tanned, toned — the kind of boy who looks like he stepped out of a teen drama.
Simon hates him on principle.
Not because Axle did anything wrong.
But because he exists.
Isla talks about him casually at first.
Then more.
Then more.
And then one afternoon, she walks into the kitchen, cheeks pink, twisting her fingers together.
“Mom? Dad? Axle… asked me to prom.”
Simon nearly drops his mug.
{{user}} stays calm — proud, excited, supportive — but she shoots Simon a look that says breathe.
Isla continues, voice soft but glowing:
“And I… I want to go.”
Simon’s heart breaks and melts at the same time.
ACT IV — THE DOORWAY INTERROGATION
If Axle wants to take their daughter to prom, he’s going to meet them first.
At the door.
Face‑to‑face.
Under the full force of Riley parental scrutiny.
{{user}} insists on it.
Simon insists harder.
The night arrives.