↬three
❛ that boy is head-over-heels for you ❜

"Carson is so annoying," Mia huffed as she dumped her backpack onto the nearest chair.

"What did he do now?" Lucy asked, rolling her eyes. She knew Carson could be annoying, but it was normally only to her, so she was interested.

"He just... is," Mia sniffed as McKenna laughed.

"You're gonna need a better reason than that," she smiled, eating an apple slice.

"You just don't think he can be annoying because you're all buddy-buddy with him," Mia scowled, and Lucy realized this was about to turn into one of those squabbles that she really didn't want to be a part of.

"Uhh, guys, I'm gonna go get some chips," Lucy said as she got up, though it went unheard by the two girls.

When she joined the lunch line, she found Hyrum in front of her.

"Hey," she smiled, and Hyrum turned around at the familiar voice.

"Hey there, Luce," he replied. "What's up?"

"Mia and McKenna are fighting again," Lucy sighed, scooting next to Hyrum in line.

"About Carson?" Hyrum asked knowingly, and Lucy nodded suspiciously.

"How do you know that?" she inquired, but Hyrum simply shrugged.

"I have eyes and ears everywhere."

"Oh, shut up," Lucy giggled, looking up at the brunet.

She hadn't realized she was staring until Hyrum cleared his throat, jerking her out of her thoughts.

"So," he began, pretending he hadn't noticed Lucy's gaze, which made him flustered for some unknown reason. "You coming to band practice today?"

"I guess," she shrugged. "Carson might get mad again."

"Let me tell you a little secret," Hyrum smiled, bending down to whisper into Lucy's ear. "Nobody cares what Carson thinks."

Lucy nose-laughed, leaning away from Hyrum. "Stop it. That tickles."

"It's true, though," Hyrum shrugged as the line moved forward. "He's been super overprotective of you lately. I can promise you he's the only one that minds your presence."

"Okay, Mr. Smarty-Pants," Lucy joked, elbowing Hyrum before leaning over him and taking a bag of chips off the rack.

"I deeply apologize for using my extensive, eloquent vocabulary," Hyrum grinned as Lucy scoffed.

"In that case, all is forgiven," Lucy smiled, her cheeks rosy.

They approached the cashier, and Hyrum said, "Let me pay for that."

"Hyrum," Lucy warned, knowing he was prone to chivalrous acts that were really unnecessary.

"Come on, Luce," Hyrum frowned. "It's-"

"The right thing to do, yeah," Lucy finished. "But I have my own money-"

"Shh," Hyrum shushed her. "Just this once."

"That's what you always say," Lucy huffed as the cashier gave Hyrum his total.

"I'm paying for hers, too," Hyrum informed the woman, and she added the chip bag to his total.

They left the lunch line, Lucy sighing in defeat.

"You have got to stop spending money on me," she argued, and Hyrum shrugged innocently.

"My mother says I should always pay for a woman."

"I think she meant on dates," Lucy raised an eyebrow, opening her bag of chips.

"Oh well," Hyrum smiled, stealing a chip from Lucy's bag.

"Hey!" she cried, but Hyrum smirked.

"I paid for them."

Lucy scowled. "I'm going back to my table, thief."

"Bye, Luce," Hyrum called after the girl, who couldn't help but smile to herself.

"Hey, sunshine," Mia teased. "You look happy."

"I saw you with Hyrum," McKenna grinned, "and girl, that boy is head-over-heels for you."

"That's real funny," Lucy rolled her eyes, offering her bag of chips to the two girls, who eagerly accepted.

"I'm serious," McKenna continued, popping the chip Lucy had given her in her mouth.

"He has that look," Mia added. "The look boys give you when they like you but they can't tell you."

"I don't believe you guys," Lucy frowned as the bell rang.

"You should," McKenna said as the three girls packed up their things. Lucy tossed her empty chip bag in the garbage as they walked past it.

"Well, I won't," Lucy scoffed, though she couldn't help but wonder if they were telling the truth.

After all, nobody knew about her crush on Hyrum, so they couldn't possibly be teasing her. But she shook the thought off.

"What's up, Luce?" said Hyrum from behind her. "Long time no see."

Mia and McKenna both gave her mischevious looks as they walked away, and Lucy groaned internally.

"Yeah," she mumbled, suddenly afraid to look at him.

"Everything okay?" Hyrum asked, and Lucy nodded, still avoiding his gaze.

"Okay," Hyrum said, unconvinced. But he couldn't ask further, because Carson came up from behind.

"I told you to wait for me," he frowned to Hyrum, looking between him and Lucy suspiciously.

"Hi, Carson," Lucy smiled, grateful for the distraction.

"Hey, Lucy," Carson replied, still mildly upset with Hyrum.

The three of them began walking, Carson purposely between Lucy and Hyrum.

"Bye," Lucy said after a moment, departing from the boys to get to her next class.

"Bye, Lucy," Hyrum replied, having resigned to saying Lucy instead of Luce when Carson was around.

"Meet me at The Spot after school," Carson called after her, and Lucy gave him a thumbs-up.

During class, Lucy doodled hearts in the margins of her notebook. Though she'd never tell anyone, Hyrum was the cutest boy she'd ever seen, cuter than her celebrity crushes, even.

She tried paying attention, but her mind kept wandering to what Mia and McKenna had said. She tried remembering how he had looked at her, but she couldn't find anything out of the ordinary in her memories.

As she promised, she met Carson at The Spot after school. The Spot was just an oak tree by the tennis courts, but it was important to the Groves siblings. Even before they began attending Farmington High School, they would meet there whenever they had something urgent to say that no one else could know.

"So," Carson began. "I've noticed... some things about Hyrum."

Lucy quirked a brow. "Like what?"

Carson sighed. "Like, in how he acts. Especially around you."

Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I've already heard this from Mia and McKenna."

"So it's not just me!" Carson cried, throwing his hands up in the air. "For a while there I thought I was crazy. But best friend intuition is a real thing."

"I'm going to need some proof," Lucy said, sitting on the sidewalk next to the oak tree, sipping out of her waterbottle.

"He's always talking about you, for one thing," Carson replied, sitting down next to her. "He used to never mention you."

Lucy listened intently as Carson kept speaking.

"He gets spacey, and then embarrassed when someone points it out. I'm not a mind reader, but that's what happens to me when I think of Mia, so I can assume he's thinking about someone he likes. A lot."

"Which could be anyone," Lucy interjected. Though Carson was fueling her inner delusions, she forced herself not to believe him.

Carson ignored her. "He's always staring at you, and humming love songs. What boy listens to love songs when he doesn't have a crush?"

"Maybe that's just the kind of music he likes," Lucy offered, though she knew this wasn't true.

"He's awfully defensive whenever someone tells him they think he likes you," Carson said seriously. "This morning, for example. You weren't listening, but he was all, like, I don't like her, I swear! I don't like anyone! I'm just vibing! Come on, Lucy, who says 'vibing' unironically?"

"No one," Lucy replied, wrinkling her nose.

"Exactly. That's the first time I've heard him use that word. I truly think I would've known by now if you weren't my sister."

"Well, you haven't exactly been the nicest when it comes to me lately," Lucy pointed out sensibly.

"What do you mean?" Carson furrowed his brows together.

"You're always snapping at him not to call me Luce, or not to look at me, or to stop 'flirting' with me," Lucy explained. "If he did like me, you've scared him off."

Carson frowned. He hadn't meant to ruin Hyrum's chances with Lucy. He just didn't want to see his best friend and his sister get hurt, especially by each other.

"I guess," Carson said quietly. "I didn't mean to."

"I know you didn't," Lucy replied. "I would just talk to him, honestly. Not a confrontation or an accusation. But an honest talk between friends. Make it clear you don't care what he thinks of me."

Carson was taken aback by his little sister's wisdom, and he let out a small laugh.

"You're smart," he smiled, standing up. Lucy followed suit. "Thanks, Lucy."

"You're welcome," Lucy said, smiling too, because her brother had liked something she did.

They set off for home in silence.

"You don't like Hyrum, do you?" Carson asked suddenly, and Lucy snorted.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't."