Who He Chose

"Who He Chose" is a character-driven fiction piece that explores the weight of choice, loyalty, and consequence. Written as a spec piece to showcase my ability to craft emotionally complex narratives centered on human relationships.

The bell rang and I rushed to pack my bag — my real motivation was sneaking one last glimpse of my crush before heading home. I kept my distance, stealing glances, wondering if he'd ever notice me. My friends teased me about it. I pretended not to care.

On the bus, he sat beside me and said hi. I panicked and said nothing.

"You're not a speaker," he said with a smile.

I apologized quietly, letting him know I meant no disrespect. When my stop came I jumped off, heart racing. Then a voice came from behind me.

"Oh look — we're neighbors."

I turned around in disbelief. My neighbor. This whole time.

"I guess we are," I said with an awkward smile.

The moment I got inside my house I sprinted upstairs and screamed into my pillow with joy. Prom was only days away. Maybe — just maybe — he'd ask me.

"He probably won't. He doesn't even know me," I told myself.

But days passed and we started talking. A friendship grew naturally between us, easy and comfortable — like a dream.

Until she appeared.

He started buying her ice cream, books, jewelry. Treating her like she was everything. I had liked him for so long, and watching it hurt more than I expected. Even though he still spoke to me, something had shifted. I felt invisible.

I pulled away.

A male friend at school noticed. He told me I was beautiful, kind, and sweet — things I hadn't heard in a while. It turned out he had liked me this whole time. He started treating me to everything I loved, already knowing my personality, already knowing me.

My crush noticed. He pulled me aside one day, jealous, asking why I had pulled away. When I told him that the moment she appeared it felt like I had never existed to him — he raised his voice.

Then I felt a firm grip on my wrist.

My friend. His face inches from mine, smiling softly.

"Are you okay?"

He stepped in front of me, calmly told my crush to back off, then turned and kissed me gently on the cheek. He reached into his pocket and held out two matching bracelets — both our names engraved on them.

"Will you be my prom date?"

I screamed yes, jumping on my feet, every emotion hitting me at once.

Years later, happy and together, I asked him one question.

"Why did you choose me?"

He smiled like the answer was the simplest thing in the world.

"Because it's YOU."

I built this story around a single turning point and worked backward and forward from there, developing the emotional stakes on both sides of the choice. Drafting happened in Google Docs, with quick notes captured on the go, and visual assets created in Canva for presentation.

Deep character work and emotionally layered storytelling

Ability to build tension through restraint and subtext

Strong dialogue that reveals character without over-explaining

Narrative structure that keeps readers engaged through a single, high-stakes decision