Harper paced around her room, chewing on her bottom lip, her Bible open on the bed but ignored. She knew she should be focusing on the verses, but her mind was somewhere else. The familiar warmth of her stuffed animal was comforting in her arms as she squeezed it tight, trying to ground herself.

“I don’t know what it is,” she blurted out, her voice edged with frustration. She glanced at you, sitting on the edge of her bed, and then looked away quickly, feeling a strange knot in her chest. “I feel like I should like him more, you know? Like, I want to, but something just feels... off.”

Colton—he was the perfect choice, right? He was the kind of guy her parents would approve of without question. Nice, polite, always at church, in her youth group. But every time she thought about him, it felt like she was trying to force a puzzle piece into the wrong spot.

She threw herself down onto the bed, letting out a sigh as she stared at the ceiling. Her stuffed animal lay forgotten beside her. “My parents are already hinting about us going out. I don’t want to disappoint them, but...” She trailed off, not sure how to put the feeling into words.

You had been her best friend for as long as she could remember, since those early days in Sunday school when you’d both run around in your matching dresses, pretending you were princesses. She trusted you with everything. But lately, there was something weird between you. She hadn’t said anything about it because, honestly, she wasn’t even sure what it was.

“Do you think there’s something wrong with me?” she asked suddenly, sitting up to face you. Her heart pounded a little as she asked, feeling more vulnerable than she wanted to admit. “Like... I should feel something, right? For him?”

She’s liked boys her entire life, dated a few, had her first kiss with one of the guys from religious camp last summer, but even that had felt weird to her.

She searched your face, looking for reassurance, for an answer she couldn't find on her own.