AN: So, I decided to write another fanfic that depicts Libby having a one-sided crush on Molly. This isn't the first time I wrote this kind of story, and it probably won't be the last! This story takes place during the events of I Wanna Dance With Some-Ollie from Libby's perspective.
The Sadness Behind a Smile
It was another regular school day for Libby Stein-Torres. The last bell of the school day rang, but Libby stayed for a few more minutes to write in her Y.A. novel. For a long time, she had a secret crush on her best friend, Molly McGee, so she wrote fictional stories where she and Molly were actually a couple.
Unfortunately, Libby knew that it could never happen since Molly already had a crush on Ollie Chen. Despite knowing that she could never really be with Molly, Libby thought that she could at least write out her fantasies. Once she was done writing, Libby decided to leave the class.
As Libby walked down the hall, she kept overhearing students talking about the school dance in a few days. Libby had no doubt that she would go alone this year. After all, Molly was the only one she wanted to go with. She briefly considered asking Molly to go with her, but knew that Molly would only be interested in going with Ollie. Libby continued to walk through the hall before she tripped and dropped her novel.
"Libby, are you okay?" Libby suddenly heard a familiar voice and looked up to see that it was Andrea.
Andrea held out her hand to help Libby up, to which Libby happily accepted her hand. Libby had been on good terms with Andrea ever since they had that sleepover with Molly. After Andrea helped Libby back up, Libby thanked her friend.
"Thanks, Andrea! I appreciate it!"
"Hey, it's what friends are for!" Andrea soon noticed Libby's Y.A. novel still laying on the floor. "Oh, you dropped your book."
Upon noticing her book, Libby rushed over to grab it, but not before Andrea noticed Molly's name, along with a heart near it. That was all Andrea managed to see, before Libby swiped her novel back.
"Uh, thanks for the help! I'll just take my Y.A. novel, and be on my way!" Libby hoped Andrea didn't notice what she wrote.
"Wait!" Andrea stopped Libby at the last second. "I noticed that you wrote down Molly's name next to a heart. Is this some kind of romance novel?"
"Uh-" Libby had no idea how to reply.
It was at that moment when Andrea let out an excited gasp. "Oh, my gosh! Libby, I know exactly what is going on!"
"You do?" Libby asked, surprised.
"Obviously! You've been shipping Molly and Ollie together, haven't you?"
This was not the response Libby had expected. Desperate to keep Andrea from finding out about her true feelings for Molly, Libby decided to play along as she put on a convincing fake smile.
"Of course! They would make the cutest couple, wouldn't they?"
"Yeah, they would! They would definitely make couple of the year!" Andrea exclaimed. "You should keep writing! When Molly eventually gets together with Ollie, I'm sure it would make Molly so happy, knowing that you would support them as a couple!"
That was when Libby brought her attention to her novel. She had spent so much time writing out the stories she loved, but knew that they were nothing more than lies.
"Maybe you're right. It really would make Molly happy." Libby finally gave in.
"I know that Molly would appreciate it!" Andrea smiled. "Anyway, I'd better be going! Can't keep my fandreas waiting!"
After Andrea left, Libby was left alone, thinking about what she just told her. It wasn't long before Libby returned home. She was alone in her room as she read through what she wrote in her novel. With a sigh, Libby decided that she should stop living a fantasy and accept that she and Molly could never be together, so she brought her attention to one word she wrote. Mollibby. Tears formed in Libby's eyes before she erased the word and replaced it with Mollie.
For the past couple of days, Libby was working on rewrites for her story. She even went as far as adding a picture of Molly and Ollie together for the cover. It got to a point where the novel became unrecognizable from its previous version.
Before long, the night of the school dance arrived. Libby arrived at the dance, in hopes of forgetting her one sided crush on Molly. Those hopes unfortunately faded away, the moment she saw Molly and Ollie together. As she took notice of Molly, she noticed Molly wearing the same purple dress she wore on the night of the Bat Mitzvah. It was only now that Libby realized how beautiful Molly looked in that dress.
Seeing Molly and Ollie so happy together broke Libby's heart. Throughout the dance, Libby did her best to ignore the supposed couple. It was hard for her to do, especially with the rest of the school talking about Molly and Ollie. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, Libby was approached by Andrea, who wanted to show her something.
"Okay, you've got to see this, Libs! Everyone is in agreement that Molly and Ollie should be together! Just look at their interactions together!" Andrea showed Libby her phone.
It was clear from the pictures that Molly really was in love with Ollie.
"Um, that's great, Andrea. But Molly and Ollie technically aren't a couple yet, so-"
Before Libby could say another word, Andrea interrupted her. "Hold that thought! Look over there!" Andrea pointed over to Molly and Ollie who are sitting down, talking to each other. "I think it's happening! They are about to confess their love for each other! Let's go see!"
At that moment, Libby was taken by surprise when Andrea took her by the hand and dragged her over to Molly and Ollie. Knowing that there was no getting out of this, Libby put on a convincing fake smile as she pretended to be excited, along with the rest of the girls. They all gathered around Molly and Ollie, wondering if they are actually a couple, only for the two of them to deny having feelings for each other. As much as she wanted to believe that, Libby knew that it was a lie, especially after seeing how they interacted throughout the dance.
If their loving interactions weren't enough, Molly and Ollie even ended up becoming the prom king and queen. Libby felt as though her heart could break into a million pieces at any moment, but still held back her sadness as she cheered, along with the rest of the school. Upon seeing how happy Molly and Ollie looked together, Libby knew that she never would have had a chance with Molly.
To keep her mind off of the dance, Libby decided to work on more of her Y.A. novel. She wrote in silence before Scratch approached her.
"Libby, can you believe Molly and Ollie?!" Scratch yelled, getting sick of seeing them together.
It was obvious to Libby that Scratch doesn't support Molly and Ollie as a couple either, and she couldn't really blame him. After all, Ollie was a ghost hunter. She didn't understand why Molly would want to go out with him, especially considering she has a ghost as a best friend. Truthfully, she wanted to agree with Scratch and tell him what she really felt about this, but couldn't. Ollie makes Molly so happy, and Libby had no right to take that away from her.
Instead of agreeing with Scratch, Libby turned to Scratch with a fake smile, and replied, "I know! They are so cute together! This Y.A. novel practically writes itself!" Libby showed Scratch the new version of her novel.
A few minutes had went by before students began to dance together. Despite how much fun everyone was having, all Libby could do was watch in silence as she saw Molly and Ollie happily dancing together. It was at that point when she couldn't take it anymore. She ended up calling her mom and asked her to pick her up so she can leave early.
Once she said goodbye to her mom, Libby left, but not before Andrea noticed. Worried for her friend, Andrea decided to follow Libby. Thankfully, Andrea managed to catch up with her outside the school. As she found Libby alone, holding back her tears, Andrea knew that something was wrong.
"Libby, what's wrong?" Andrea rushed over to Libby.
Upon noticing Andrea, Libby turned to her with a fake smile. "Oh, hi, Andrea! I just thought I'd get some fresh air! I'm fine!"
"No your not! You're clearly upset! Please tell me what's wrong!" Andrea begged.
Knowing that she can't hide her feeling any longer, Libby finally decided to confess.
"I know that I have to be happy for Molly, but I just can't! Seeing Molly with Ollie only makes me miserable because I'm in love with her!" Libby confessed.
Surprised by what she heard, Andrea realized that it wasn't Ollie who Libby was shipping Molly with. Libby was shipping Molly with herself. Upon realizing what was going on, Andrea was suddenly overcome with guilt. It was because of her that Libby forced herself to be happy and push her sadness deep down. After how horrible she was to Libby since first grade, Andrea hoped that she became a better person, but even now, she ended up hurting Libby.
As Libby turned to walk away, Andrea stopped her, "Libby, wait! I'm sorry! If I'd known that you had a crush on Molly, I wouldn't have encouraged you so much to write about Molly and Ollie together!"
"It's not your fault, Andrea! You were only trying to be supportive of Molly and Ollie's relationship! Let's just face it! Molly and I were never meant to be together!" Libby's voice started to crack, as she tried her best not to cry.
Once she noticed how upset Libby was, Andrea walked up to Libby and embraced her in a tight hug to comfort her. Tears ran down Libby's face as she hugged Andrea back. Before long, Libby noticed her mom's car so she decided to say goodbye.
"Listen, I have to go now. I'll see you later, Andrea." Libby said.
"I understand. If you ever need someone to talk to about this, I'm always here for you." Andrea offered.
"Thanks, Andrea!" Libby thanked with a slight smile before she got in the car.
After Libby returned home, she sat alone in front of the fireplace with her book in hand. Libby gazed at her novel in silence as she thought back to what it once was. It used to contain her dreams that she knew could never come true. As she looked through her novel, she brought her attention to the page where the word, Mollibby once was and was replaced with Mollie.
Tears of anger formed in Libby's eyes before she closed the novel in threw it in the fireplace. Unable to contain her sadness anymore, Libby finally broke down in tears as her novel along with its pages burned to ashes. With her Y.A. novel gone, Libby decided to go to bed in hopes to forget her awful night.
The End