False Obsession Turned Real

7. Crush or be Crushed

Bree had always thought that she and her three younger sisters were some sort of joke. All of them were blonde and had nicknames for their longer, official names. Bree's real name was Breanne, but everybody called her Bree until Bree almost thought Bree was her real name. Evelyn "Evie" was a year younger than Bree, with wavy blonde hair that she put in a little ponytail, and a heart of gold. Evie was one of the most popular girls in her year due to her friendly nature. Bree thought Evie was a born leader, a rare one that didn't boss others around.

Genevieve was a year younger than Evie, and the family rebel. Her hair was in a short bob with purple streaks, and she loved bubblegum. Gen had a thing for photography, and her room was filled with photos of various places.

Amelia "Amy" was the youngest sister, and a year younger than Gen. Bree could often see Amy's enthusiasm in her big, baby blue eyes. Amy's passion was in conserving the environment, and she owned a hamster.

The Campbell sisters were like a staircase, each one a year younger than the previous sister. Bree privately thought her parents must have had some great family planning. She entered the brightly lit, clean kitchen. Evie was busily washing cooking utensils, a few dollops of soap on her plaid red apron. Chocolate chip cookies were laid on two baking trays. Amy peered at then eagerly, her eyes alight.

"Wow, they look good," Bree complimented. "Why the sudden baking spree?"

"The boy that Amy's crushing on likes cookies," Evie explained, her back facing her three sisters. "So we decided to bake some and save some for him."

"Ooh!" Gen grinned, her blue eyes lighting up. "Aww, Amy, that's so cute!"

"Aren't you a bit too young for that?" Bree directed her question to Amy.

Amy blushed and twisted a strand of hair. "Well, you can't exactly control who you like and when you start to like them. That's the way fate works."

Bree sighed. She was the only sister who didn't have a great interest in romance, and it could get a bit unbearable in a household full of romantics. Although now, even if Bree decided to ignore her crush, she still thought it would be healthy for her to know more about romance. After all, there was no harm in being curious about a perfectly normal thing.

"Hey! Bree? Back to earth!"

Bree blinked as Gen snapped her fingers in front of her face. "Ah, I'm alive," she said drily.

Gen made a face and stared hard at Bree. "Did you just space out?" She said the last two words as if Bree had suddenly sprouted two heads.

"Are you ill?" Evie immediately asked, concern written on her face.

"No! I'm fine. I was just thinking," Bree assured them. Sure, they were sisters by blood and bond, but she didn't want to share her crush with them. One, Bree, despite being good with people, actually kept her feelings under lock and key. Two, knowing her sappy sisters, they would probably offer tons of impractical advice and say "oooh" a lot. Bree didn't want that.

(Besides, Bree was the eldest sister, she should be the one to offer advice.)

"Thinking about what?" Amy asked, eyes big and focused on Bree.

"Is it a boy?" Evie remarked teasingly, the corners of her lips quirking up.

Bree sighed. "No! I was just going through one of the Agatha Christie mysteries in my head! They're really thought provoking. You guys should really read Murder on the Orient Express instead of those unhealthy online bad boy stories."

All three of them gasped as if Bree had deeply wounded them.

"Bad boys are cool!" Gen exclaimed.