Harper obsesses over Liam all the way to gym class, while we change and during the short walk from the locker room to the gym. I'm relieved when I'm picked for the opposite team for kickball. I see her complaining to Lily while in line waiting to kick and I can't help but feel sorry for her. Her entire life now revolves around a boy who doesn't like her back.

The day moves slowly and every class Liam and I have together, we spend it listening to students, but we come up with nothing. He flies out of last period to avoid Harper and I find her and Lily waiting for me in the common area.

Most students hang around in small clusters in the common area after school and today, Lily is obnoxiously chasing our friend Rachel around all the other students clutching onto their backpacks. Rachel spots me as they're weaving through the girl's volleyball team and her and Lily jokingly knock into me with her heavy book bag. They are two rowdy seniors, jokingly bouncing off people and a part of me wants to laugh at the immaturity and another part wants to join in. Lily has an empty plastic soda bottle in her hand and she tosses it across the room so it hits Harper lightly in the arm. We hear the plastic clank onto the tile floor as Harper's head snaps over to us, about to snap on whoever interrupted her conversation with Nick Morrison. Rachel howls with laughter and we eagerly wave Harper over. She grabs the bottle off the floor and throws it back at Lily, but misses and instead, hits a sophomore standing behind us. Rachel apologizes while Harper makes her way over and we all head out the main doors. They laugh loudly as they cause a ruckus in the middle of the school and everyone else just watches as they run around and throw trash at each other. The other lingering students are relieved the rowdy girls are leaving and Harper, Lily and Rachel hoot and holler all the way to the parking lot. Right now, at this moment, high school feels the way it did before Liam came. Normal.

We have a soccer game to cheer at this afternoon and all the cheerleaders always drive together to the stadium across town. Once we are at the field, I force Harper to change the subject of Liam and she immediately brings up homecoming. I would rather talk about anything else while watching the soccer boys pass a ball back and forth. Unfortunately, another subject fails to come up, so we plan another trip to the mall to pick out our shoes and jewelry. Lily agrees to book us a hair appointment for the morning of the dance and Harper takes over the boutonniere ordering, convinced she's going with Liam.  I try to mention Nick as a date option but for some reason, Harper is hell-bent on going with Liam.

Lily stays quiet during the date conversation, but neither Harper nor I am worried about her getting asked. She's gone with a different guy to every dance and she never lacks admirers.

It's particularly hot today and all the girls are complaining about the amount of sweat forming underneath their dark uniforms. The thick summer air covers us like a heated blanket so we are all miserable standing in the direct sunlight. We halfheartedly call some cheers and practice some stunts during the game, but the soccer team doesn't pull in many fans to watch the hot afternoon games. Throughout the game, the girls take turns running under the large trees that cast wide cool shadows beside the bleachers. None of us are really paying attention to the game unfolding before us. We all just want to jump into a cold pool at this point.

When the game finally ends, we walk onto the grassy field and pass out water bottles to the players. Normally the guys come sprinting toward the mini skirts holding the water bottles but today, all the guys are huddled around planning something. When Lily walks over to one of the players, Adam, he pulls out a rose from his soccer bag and the team takes their jerseys off revealing the letters to create the word, "Homecoming?" The red lettering dripping down the boys' chests is smudged from sweat, but it's still legible. Lily's is already pink from the heat but we watch as she turns bright red while nervously giggling while nodding her head. The few fans in the stands shout and applaud her on and Adam gives her a hug as she yells, "Of course I'll go with you!" She turns to face us and she is absolutely radiating with glee.

Adam walks off the field with the other boys, now downing their water and slapping him on the back. She walks over smelling her rose and she does a little awkward victory dance with her arms flailing above her head. I feel a small pang of jealousy knowing Derek is over asking me to dances in cute, romantic ways. Since we always know we are going together, he doesn't put any effort into asking.

I'm still raging a war inside, going back and forth between my feelings for Derek and my new interest in Liam. Homecoming is in a few weeks, so I need to prepare myself to watch Liam go with someone else, which I imagine will be Harper. I wonder what Liam would do if he was going to ask a girl to a dance since I know Harper is hoping it will be big. I remind myself to call him later to try and plan something for her since I figure he will end up asking her by default. I know he won't want to take her, but I can't imagine she'd allow Liam to go to homecoming with anyone other than her. If he did ask someone else, I'd have to put the poor girl into a protection program to save her from Harper.

We are chatty all the way to Lily's house and it feels like any tension that was between us from the weekend is long gone. It's how our friendship has always been. Never mad at each other for longer than a couple of days. Blair makes us dinner and brags about how elegant my mom's charity event was on Friday. A sliver of guilt creeps up on me when I try and think of the last event I've gone to. It's probably almost been  a year, but I have such a hard time socializing with stuffy rich socialites that drill me with questions about my future. I make a promise to put my issues with socializing aside and attend the next one. I make a mental note to tell my mom that when I get home.

After dinner, Harper sits in my passenger seat as I drive her home and apologizes for acting so crazy this past week. "It's just that, it's senior year and I've never really had a serious boyfriend and when Liam came along, I just thought it was meant to be," she gushes as I stay quiet. "And I mean, I know Derek is your boyfriend but it's no secret that I crushed on him too when he first moved here. It's kinda hard to watch both guys you like crush on your best friend." She laughs a light laugh to show me she is being genuine and not trying to be bitchy about anything.

"Harper, I keep trying to tell you and Derek that there is nothing between me and Liam." I pull up to her driveway and kill the engine. I feel like this conversation is going to be longer than I want to stay idle for. "Don't take this the wrong way Ellie, but it's not just guys I have to watch you win. We go out for a lot of the same things and I always fall short. Like, maybe this year I could be Homecoming Queen or have the 'it' guy in school wrapped around my finger. You're already captain and President, ya know? It would be nice to have the spotlight, just once. It's like hard to be jealous of my best friend while wanting you to be happy. I dunno, maybe this year I could be you?" Harper confesses as she stares at the floor refusing to look in my direction. She's afraid of me reacting with a harsh response and with the radio off, her words feel louder and hit me harder. I had no idea that's how she really felt and I suddenly feel selfish for taking everything away from her. I can't tell her that she was meant to be cheer captain or Homecoming Queen our junior year. I took everything away from her, not once thinking about how she felt. Her thoughts can be so nasty, but I wonder if it's insecurity. I used her competitiveness to fuel me, it was always about how I could get ahead. I swallow hard because I now know I have to back off Liam despite any feelings I think I might have for him. It's one more thing I can't afford to take away from her.

"Harper, I'm sorry you feel this way. I really am, I guess I was just thinking of college resumes when it came to being class President and cheerleading captain. I never saw it as me beating you either, just keeping up with you."

"Keeping up with me? Do you know what it's like to try so hard all the time and fall short? Like with Liam, I feel like I was really putting myself out there and going for it and instead, he likes my unattainable best friend who literally doesn't care about him." I sigh, about to deny his feelings for me again when she finally pulls her gaze from the floor and quietly mutters, "I really want Liam to ask me to homecoming. Otherwise, I'll be the only stag senior at the dance." She dramatically frowns and gazes out the window toward her front door. She reaches for the door handle and I stop her. Watching her look so vulnerable and sad has me feeling guilty.

"Harper, Liam is going to ask you okay?" I lie. "Molly was right when she said she saw us together this weekend. We met up to plan a great way to ask you. I'm sorry I lied, it was just supposed to be a surprise." Her face instantly lights up and she becomes giddy, bouncing up and down in my seat.

"Really?"

"Liam isn't used to the big prom-posals that we do in Highland Park. I was giving him pointers. He didn't want to be the only guy not doing some elaborate plan."

"Okay, I'll act totally surprised when he asks! It makes sense now because why would Molly of all people start rumors?" She laughs again, like she was being so silly and then leaps out of the car. She waves to me before skipping all the way to her front door. I pull out of her driveway and reach for my phone to immediately call Liam.

I now have to convince him to ask Harper to homecoming.