Ivanna lowered her head, nervously fidgeting with her hands. She was sitting beside the idol she had previously known only through words, now able to sit right next to him. His presence was real, not merely meaningful writing on a page.
She was so nervous that Ivanna swallowed several times. She didn't even dare look up, let alone greet the person who was her older brother.
"Vanna, are you okay?" Rayden asked, glancing at the girl beside him.
Ivanna closed her eyes. Rayden's voice was so soft as it greeted her ears, like a melancholy melody that immediately tickled her heart. Honestly, Ivanna was incredibly curious about what this guy's voice would sound like when he sang. It had to be beautiful. Exactly like the male lead in a teen novel.
"I'm fine, Bro. Why?" Ivanna had to be crazy. Her heart was beating wildly, yet she still dared to ask.
"Thank goodness. I thought you were uncomfortable." The corners of Rayden's lips lifted, forming a sweet smile that would make Ivanna melt.
"With you here, Bro Rayden, how could I be uncomfortable? Just relax." The girl let out a small giggle. Even though, in truth, she wanted to fly to Antarctica right then and there.
There had to be plenty of readers like her who often dreamed of meeting their idols. Ivanna wanted to gather them all together, stick out her tongue, and mock them to her heart's content. She wanted to shout, "LOOK! I MADE YOUR DREAM COME TRUE. YOU COULDN'T DO IT, COULD YOU? HA! SUCKERS!"
Just thinking about it made Ivanna grin to herself. It had to be fun, especially meeting a main character as boyfriendable as Rayden. In truth, Ivanna wanted to hug the young man right now. But then the novel's theme would change into incest, and that wouldn't be very educational.
"Ah, that's good." Rayden laughed awkwardly. Ivanna knew she wasn't the only one who was nervous. Rayden was nervous too.
They were siblings and lived under the same roof, but the number of times they had spoken closely like siblings could be counted on one hand. While Ivanna and Izora kept an obvious distance, Rayden was different. The young man acted friendly, but he was overly cautious around Ivanna. Of course, Ivanna knew why. That was also why the original Ivanna had often avoided the eldest son. You could say they kept their distance for each other's comfort. But now, someone who had once kept them apart had brought them closer instead.
"Don't feel too burdened later, okay?" Rayden immediately turned to her, staring intently at Ivanna with a questioning expression.
Ivanna scratched the back of her neck even though it didn't itch. "I told Dad that you and Izora could look after me at school, but you really don't have to do that. I only used your names so they'd let me enroll," she said carefully. She was afraid Rayden, who was so sensitive, would take her words the wrong way.
"I don't feel burdened at all. How could an older brother ever see his little sister as a burden?" The young man smiled gently, soothing to the eyes that watched him.
"There are plenty of people like that in the real world, Bro," Ivanna mumbled.
"Yeah?" Rayden asked, not having heard her.
"I said I'm lucky to have a brother." Rayden stared at her in surprise, then turned his face away.
From the side, Ivanna could see the young man's ears turning red. Ivanna's eyes went wide with shock. RAYDEN WAS BLUSHING!
Ivanna was dying to see Rayden's shy expression, but she couldn't exactly force his face back around. What would he think of her afterward?
Before she knew it, their car had entered the school grounds. Ivanna looked at the elite school building. Yes, this was where most of her missions would be carried out. Hopefully, the spirits of this place would support her good intentions.
"We've arrived, Young Master and Young Miss." Mr. Tama opened the car door for Ivanna, while Rayden had already gotten out on his own.
"Thank you, Mr. Tama." Ivanna gave the driver a faint smile, and he responded with a slight bow.
Ivanna drew a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. This was Cakrawala High School, the number-one elite school in the capital. Only children of the wealthy or outstanding students could set foot here. This elite school would become a witness to Ivanna's struggle.
"C-come on, Vanna." The girl looked to the side, where Rayden stood with an expression that was still trying to return to normal. Ivanna gave a small giggle, then nodded slowly.
"Let's go, Bro."
As Reno had instructed, Rayden was required to escort Ivanna to her classroom first. That was why the two of them were still walking side by side.
"I can go by myself, Bro."
"It's fine. I want to walk you there. Besides, it's your first day of school."
Ivanna exhaled softly and shrugged. "Fine, if that's what you want."
Suddenly, Ivanna was shoved from behind. She would have fallen flat on her face if Rayden hadn't caught her quickly. Ivanna and Rayden immediately turned to find who had done it, and Ivanna was stunned when she saw the person responsible.
The girl had an unmistakably fearful demeanor, her head constantly bowed and her fingers anxiously intertwined. Behind the girl with the single ponytail stood three girls snickering among themselves. Ivanna knew exactly what was going on.
"Geez, Tiara! Why don't you watch where you're going? Look! You even ran into someone. Good thing Bro Rayden's friend didn't fall. What's wrong with you?" scolded the girl with black hair tipped in dark purple. From where she stood in the middle, Ivanna could guess that she was the leader.
"S-sorry," said the girl called Tiara.
Ivanna sneakily glanced at Rayden from the corner of her eye, and just as she had expected, he looked furious. It seemed he knew what had really happened too. Tiara had been shoved by those three wannabe gang girls.
"Hey, but why do you look familiar? Izora?" another girl asked. Ivanna chose to ignore her.
Ivanna took a step toward Tiara, then extended her hand with a friendly smile. Everyone who witnessed her action was shocked and confused.
"I want to get to know you. What's your name? I'm Ivanna Razaputra, but you can just call me Vanna." Tiara looked up at her in confusion, but she still took the offered hand.
"I'm Tiara Taneja," she replied softly.
Ivanna smiled broadly, revealing a row of white teeth. "Nice to meet you, Tiara. What class are you in? I'm in 10 Science 1. Maybe we're classmates, and we can be friends. I don't have any friends yet," Ivanna chattered, causing Tiara's expression to gradually soften. The girl was no longer quite so tense.
"I'm in 10 Science 1 too. We're classmates," she replied with a faint smile.
"Wow, what a coincidence! Want to go to class together?" Tiara nodded quickly, making Ivanna smile in satisfaction. She immediately turned to Rayden, who was also smiling proudly at her.
"Bro, is it okay if I go with Tiara?" Rayden nodded.
"Be careful, okay? If you need anything, just call me. All right?"
Ivanna pressed the tip of her index finger to her forehead in a salute. "Yes, boss!"
Rayden let out a small chuckle, charmed by his sister's antics. He gave her a brief wave, then left for his classroom in another building.
"Come on, Tiara." The two girls walked side by side toward their classroom, leaving the three wannabe queens behind with their mouths hanging open.
Without Tiara knowing, Ivanna was cheering wildly inside. Her plan was going perfectly. She had successfully approached the first target of the author's cruelty. Yes, this was that Tiara. Tiara, the bullying victim who died by suicide.
The two girls walked toward the third floor, where their classroom was located. The ground floor of this building held the 10 Language classes, the second floor held the 10 Social Studies classes, and the third floor held the 10 Science classes.
"Have they been bullying you since orientation?" Ivanna asked without thinking. Tiara immediately stared at her, unable to hide her shock.
Ivanna giggled. "You don't have to look so surprised. I know they shoved you earlier."
Tiara lowered her head and nervously fidgeted with her fingers. Ivanna looked at her uneasily. Had she been too blunt? Was Tiara offended? What should she do?
"Since middle school."
Ivanna tilted her head slightly downward to hear better, since Tiara was speaking with her head bowed deeply.
"They've bullied me since middle school, and during orientation yesterday, I only just found out that they got in here too—but they're in Social Studies."
Ivanna was quite shocked. This information hadn't been in the novel. The only thing it had covered was the bullying Tiara endured, ending with her death after she jumped from the school's rooftop. It had been a case that shook everyone.
"Didn't you try reporting them to a teacher?" Tiara smiled bitterly, looking utterly hopeless.
"I reported them several times in middle school, but it didn't change anything. Their bullying only got worse. So now I'm tired of trying. It wouldn't make any difference anyway."
Ivanna had often read confessions from bullying victims in other novels, but hearing one directly was different. It was as if her small heart had just been flicked.
"How do you know whether it'll make a difference if you haven't tried? They never get tired of doing despicable things, so you shouldn't get tired of seeking justice either."
Tiara fell silent for a few moments, making Ivanna anxious again. Had she gone too far? Was she acting like a know-it-all?
"It's easy to say that, but doing it is different. I'm scared the situation won't change and they'll only treat me worse. I guess I really am a coward."
Ivanna quickly shook her head. Then she reached for Tiara's hand, making the girl look up in surprise. Ivanna could feel that the girl's hand was cold with sweat and trembling slightly.
"That's not what I meant. You're not a coward. You're incredibly strong for making it this far despite being treated unfairly. I don't know if I could be like you, and not everyone could be as patient and resilient as you." Ivanna could see Tiara's eyes growing misty.
"I know getting through all those years of bullying couldn't have been easy. But look at you. You're here now. You've made it this far. That proves you're amazing, not a coward. The cowards are the ones who pretend they have power." Ivanna paused briefly.
"I'm sorry if what I said earlier made it sound like I was minimizing what you're going through. I didn't mean it that way."
"No, Vanna." Tiara quickly interrupted her and shook her head slowly. "There was nothing wrong with what you said. I-I'm just not confident enough."
Ivanna was startled when a tear escaped from the corner of Tiara's eye. "Tiara—"
The bespectacled girl gave a faint smile even as her eyes continued to reveal clear tears. "I'm just touched. This is the first time I've heard someone say something like that. Especially from someone I just met."
Ivanna fell silent, then smiled faintly. It was a smile tinged with bitterness. Tiara was right: from the girl's perspective, they had only just met. But to Ivanna, they had known each other for a long time. For several months now, ever since Ivanna had read the novel. Ivanna had already gotten to know Tiara and her sorrow through the written word.
"You deserve to hear those words. So stop crying, okay?" Tiara wiped the tear trails from her cheeks, then returned Ivanna's smile.
The girl then held out her hand, leaving Ivanna confused. "Do you want to be my best friend?"
Ivanna hadn't expected her simple words to help her mission so much. By becoming Tiara's friend, it would be easier for Ivanna to help her.
"I'm someone you just met. Don't blindly trust someone and let them get close to you. You could end up being taken advantage of. How about we start as desk mates?" Tiara was silent for a moment, then nodded enthusiastically.
"The seat next to me is still empty. Come on, let's go to class." Tiara linked arms with Ivanna like an old friend, and the two of them walked side by side to the third floor.
To be continued....