Uh.. there's something called love at first sight. Liking someone, especially at a young age, is a very profound, unexplainable thing. They had a bond only they know because they had feelings only they know, too. And it's not such a nice thing to say that she only liked attention when Cherry is really not like that.
Hope you read the story again on a better lense cause it's a good one.

I don’t get why or how they “like” each other. It just seems like strong sexual attraction; but without any of that, and beneath all of it, there’s nothing…