News about Alia spread faster than she ever could have imagined.
Even before the first bell rang, nearly the entire school already knew one thing.
The beautiful girl who had only been a first-year student for a few days was actually Ravian's biological younger sister.
In the hallways, the cafeteria, the field, and even outside the teachers' lounge, Alia's name could be heard everywhere.
"Seriously? Alia's Ravian's younger sister?"
"Yeah. Apparently Ravian himself said so yesterday."
"I thought they were just close."
"Me too."
"No wonder they look alike."
"Now that you mention it, they really do."
Some students even pulled up photos of Alia and Ravian on their phones.
Looking more closely, the resemblance between them was pretty obvious.
Their eyes were shaped almost the same.
The lines of their noses were similar too.
Even when they smiled, the corners of their mouths looked alike.
The only difference was that Ravian had a sharper, colder face, while Alia's was soft and cheerful.
"Now that I think about it, they really do look alike."
"Ravian as a girl."
"Exactly!"
One student laughed.
"No wonder they both attract so much attention."
But not everyone was surprised.
Some students who had been watching them from the beginning felt they had already suspected it.
"I was actually suspicious from the start."
"Why?"
"Because their faces look alike."
"But I thought it was just a coincidence."
"Me too."
The news eventually reached Alia's classroom.
The moment she walked in, the atmosphere changed.
Everyone turned to look at her.
Alia stopped in front of the door.
She already knew what had happened.
Even so, seeing dozens of pairs of eyes focused on her made her nervous.
Naya immediately waved her over.
"Alia, over here."
Alia walked to her seat.
As soon as she sat down, Naya leaned closer.
"So it's true?"
Alia looked at her.
"What's true?"
"Ravian."
Alia sighed.
"Yeah."
Naya's eyes widened.
"He's really your older brother?"
Alia nodded.
"Yeah."
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"Because I wanted to keep it a secret."
"Why?"
"I wanted friends who liked me for who I am."
Naya fell silent.
Then she smiled.
"I understand."
Alia smiled back.
"Thank you."
But before they could say anything else, several students began approaching them.
"Alia."
A girl stopped in front of her desk.
"What?"
"Can we be friends?"
Alia smiled.
"Of course."
The girl immediately sat in the chair beside her.
"I'm Rena."
"I'm Alia."
"I know."
Rena laughed.
"You're famous now."
Alia shook her head.
"I don't like being famous."
Rena laughed.
"Then let's be friends, okay?"
Alia nodded.
But a few minutes later, Alia began to realize something.
Rena really wasn't asking much about her.
Instead, almost every question she asked was about Ravian.
"What's Ravian like at home?"
Alia fell silent.
"Is he quiet?"
"Yeah."
"Does he have a girlfriend?"
"I don't think so."
"What kind of food does he like?"
Alia stared at Rena.
"Why are you asking so many questions about my brother?"
Rena laughed nervously.
"I was just... curious."
Alia gave her a small smile.
"Oh."
Before long, more students came over.
This time, it was two boys.
"Hey, Alia."
"Hi."
"Can we sit here?"
Alia nodded.
They immediately sat down.
At first, Alia was happy.
She thought maybe she was finally starting to make a lot of friends.
But a few minutes later, the same questions came up again.
"Does Ravian usually come in the morning or afternoon?"
Alia fell silent.
"Usually in the morning."
"Who does he usually go home with?"
"By himself."
"What sports does he like?"
"I don't know."
"Does he study a lot at home?"
Alia sighed.
"Do you actually want to be friends with me, or do you want to get to know Ravian?"
Both boys immediately fell silent.
One of them laughed awkwardly.
"Both."
Alia smiled along with them.
But deep down, she was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
Her concern from the very beginning had been right.
She didn't want to be famous only because of Ravian.
She wanted people to know her as Alia.
Not as Ravian's younger sister.
When break time came, things grew even more hectic.
Several students from other classes came to Alia's classroom.
Some pretended they wanted to introduce themselves.
Some invited her to eat with them.
Others suddenly gave her food.
Alia accepted everything politely.
But the longer it went on, the more she noticed the same pattern.
Almost every conversation eventually turned back to Ravian.
"Can you introduce us?"
"What kind of girls does Ravian like?"
"Does he have a personal phone number?"
"Could you do us a favor?"
Alia could only offer a stiff smile.
"I don't know."
She was starting to feel exhausted.
When she finally managed to leave the classroom, she walked toward the school garden.
It was quieter there.
Alia sat beneath a tree and sighed.
"Finally."
She closed her eyes.
But the peace lasted only a few seconds.
"Alia."
She opened her eyes.
Daren was standing in front of her.
"Are you alone?"
"Yeah."
"Can I sit?"
Alia nodded.
Daren sat down a short distance away.
"You look tired."
"A little."
"Because so many people have been coming up to you?"
Alia looked at him.
"You know?"
"The whole school knows."
Alia let out a small laugh.
"I don't like things being like this."
Daren smiled.
"Because everyone's coming up to you?"
"Yeah."
"Because of Ravian?"
Alia nodded.
Daren was silent for a moment.
Then he said,
"If I had never known Ravian was your older brother, would you still want to be friends with me?"
Alia turned toward him.
The question left her silent for a few moments.
Then she smiled.
"Of course."
"Why?"
"Because you never asked me a bunch of questions about him."
Daren laughed.
"So I passed the test?"
Alia laughed too.
"Maybe."
Daren looked at her.
"I really do want to be friends with you."
Alia felt a little relieved.
At least there was someone who didn't see her only as a path to Ravian.
But from a distance, several students were watching them.
The whispers started again.
"That's Daren."
"He's close to Alia."
"Don't tell me he likes her."
More new gossip began to spread.
And without Alia realizing it, her name became a more frequent subject of conversation.
Meanwhile, Ravian was in class.
He already knew about the rumors going around.
Several of his male friends kept teasing him about it.
"Van."
Ravian didn't answer.
"Your younger sister is famous."
Ravian kept reading.
"Everyone's talking about her."
Ravian turned the page.
"Good."
His friend laughed.
"Good?"
"That means no one will bother her."
"You sure about that?"
Ravian looked up.
"What do you mean?"
"Now that everyone knows she's your younger sister, even more people are going to approach her."
Ravian fell silent.
He thought about Alia.
She really was the kind of girl who easily drew people in.
Not just because she was beautiful.
Alia was friendly and quick to smile too.
Ravian sighed.
He knew this would bring new problems.
And sure enough.
When school let out, Ravian saw Alia walking toward the gate with several new friends.
One of them was carrying her bag.
Another was carrying her drink.
And yet another kept trying to talk to her.
Ravian watched from a distance.
Alia looked like she was smiling.
But when her eyes met Ravian's, her smile changed into a pleading look.
As if she were saying,
Big bro, help me.
Ravian almost smiled.
But he didn't move.
He wanted Alia to learn how to handle her own school life.
But Ravian also realized something.
Being his younger sister didn't just give Alia protection.
That status also made a lot of people approach her with agendas of their own.
And Ravian began to wonder.
Of all the people now surrounding Alia, who truly wanted to be her friend?
And who only wanted to get close to Alia because of him?