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Chapter 21
The boy was Hector.
He was the one who had invited Sian to the party not long ago.
It wasn’t surprising that the photo had ended up in his hands.
Although Blaire had collected the photos from the wall, some students had already taken pictures with their phones and shared them quickly.
“A bit tiring, huh.”
At that moment, Janice came into Sian’s view as she entered the classroom.
Victoria, being in a different grade, wasn’t here, but the cheerleaders who hung around her were.
Sian and Janice made eye contact. This time, however, Sian looked away first.
“Yeah. That’s me. Why?”
“Just… it’s surprising. That ghostly version of you and the current you are the same person.”
Some things in this world are really astonishing.
Perhaps because he was a wealthy young master, raised delicately like a greenhouse flower.
Sian sneered inwardly.
“Janice, what are you doing standing there? Sit down.”
“Uh? Oh.”
Janice answered, hurried along by the other cheerleaders’ nudges.
‘Feeling satisfied now that you got what you wanted?’
Sian held back from turning to Janice to ask this, because the conversation with Hector wasn’t over yet.
Hector deliberately alternated his gaze between Sian and the photo, as if comparing them.
“Are you bald? Is that a wig you’re wearing?”
Nearby students all burst out laughing at his joke.
Still, Sian remained calm, unmoved.
She recalled how elegantly Blaire had handled things.
Without blushing or raising his voice, Blaire had easily persuaded everyone.
Sian wanted to learn and emulate the way he dealt with problems.
‘Think… what would Blaire do?’
But living her whole life as Kim Sian and suddenly thinking like Blaire Williams overnight wasn’t easy.
‘Do I really have to deal with him personally?’
Spending time on someone other than Ian felt like a waste.
‘Maybe this is a good thing.’
If her past photo became famous, Ian would also find out that she had been in pain.
‘Then my brother will know I’m really his sister!’
In the end, instead of acting like Blaire Williams, Sian reacted out of habit.
In other words, she still centered her thoughts around Ian.
Anyway, there was no need to step in now to spread the rumor to reach Ian’s ears.
“Think whatever you want.”
Since Sian didn’t actively defend herself, Hector became even more arrogant.
“I’m curious… can’t I just check for myself?”
He was about to reach out and tug at Sian’s hair.
As Sian leaned back to avoid him, someone suddenly stood up and shoved Hector’s shoulder backward.
‘Not Janice…’
A girl with deep brown hair shouted fiercely, as if ready to bite Hector.
“Stop! This is disgusting. I won’t tolerate it anymore!”
“W-what? This isn’t your problem. Mind your own business.”
“It is my business too.”
Sian tilted her head at the girl’s words, wondering what connection they might have unknowingly shared.
“My mom had breast cancer, and I had to watch my beloved family suffer up close.”
“Ah…”
“Oh…”
Not only Hector but even the surrounding students who had been laughing awkwardly became solemn at once.
“If you knew how hard chemotherapy is, you wouldn’t do this. This isn’t something to mock!”
Even after shouting, the girl’s anger didn’t subside; she panted heavily.
Hector, intimidated by her intensity, stammered.
“I was just…”
It was probably meant as a joke.
A careless prank with no thought for others’ feelings.
But the ones hurt by that joke weren’t just Sian.
“I also relate to Hazel. My grandfather died of pancreatic cancer.”
The girl whose mother had breast cancer was named Hazel.
With another student backing Hazel, the atmosphere completely turned around.
“Hector, you went too far this time.”
“Yeah. Apologize to Siana.”
Hector’s face turned red as he hesitated, then he apologized to Sian.
“I didn’t mean to upset you. But if you were hurt, I’m sorry.”
Hazel, not Sian, challenged the weak apology.
“You call that an apology?”
Hazel really had a strong personality.
Sian decided it was enough and intervened.
Seeing the teacher approaching the open classroom door, she didn’t want Hazel to get into trouble.
“Calm down. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.”
“I’m restraining myself because Siana told me to. Now leave, Hector.”
Hazel kept glaring at Hector like she wanted to devour him, but Sian’s mediation forced her to sit down.
Soon after, the teacher arrived in the classroom.
He frowned as he sensed the uneasy atmosphere lingering inside.
“Did someone fight?”
“……”
“No, we didn’t fight.”
“Nothing happened, sir.”
The students either avoided the teacher’s gaze or blatantly lied.
Of course, the teacher wasn’t fooled.
“If you’re going to fight, do it outside after class. Don’t make it harder for me.”
“Sir, you should stop us!”
“Is not fighting at all not an option for you?”
The teacher sighed, and the students giggled.
“Enough chatting. Let’s start class.”
Class began.
Sian reluctantly opened her textbook.
Too much had happened over lunch; too many conversations had occurred.
Ruminating on it would only make her more tired.
Sian focused entirely on the lesson.
She didn’t notice the many glances fixed on the back and side of her head.
After class, as Sian packed up, she spotted Hazel.
She was already heading out the back door.
‘I should thank her.’
Sian didn’t know Hazel’s motive, but it was still proper to show gratitude.
She hurried to catch up.
“Hazel, wait a moment.”
Hazel stopped and looked at Sian when her name was called.
She had a strangely sullen expression, as if she didn’t expect thanks.
“Why? I’m busy.”
Sian smiled softly at the brusque tone.
‘She didn’t step up to help me out of pity.’
If Hazel had opposed Hector out of pity or superiority toward Sian, it would have been different.
She would have looked down at Sian while feeling proud.
But Hazel didn’t.
She simply acted because she thought it was wrong and unfair.
That made Sian like her even more.
“I just wanted to say thanks for earlier.”
“I didn’t help because I like you. That jerk Hector… I’ve had my eye on him for a while.”
Hazel wrinkled her nose and shot a glare at Hector, who was passing by.
Hector, probably afraid Hazel might bite his neck, hunched like a turtle and passed by in a flash.
Sian laughed out loud at how pathetic he looked.
“Still, thank you.”
“Hmph.”
Hazel, squinting at Sian, asked,
“Why are you alone? Aren’t you in class with Aaron Simmons?”
“Ah, Aaron mostly takes advanced classes. I couldn’t keep up.”
“Makes sense.”
At Wharton School, while Ian Morgan is the exceptional 12th grader, Aaron Simmons is the 10th grader.
Hazel nodded in understanding and asked,
“Do you have another class? Want to talk while walking?”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
Sian walked down the hallway beside Hazel.
Some boys whistled as they saw Sian from the opposite direction.
“Siana, you were really pretty even as a kid.”
“You go well with anorexic Janice Perry, a perfect pair.”
“Haha, thanks.”
Sian waved back with a relaxed smile.
It was amusing.
Janice had forcibly revealed her past photos to attack her, and now Janice had become a laughingstock too.
“You’re laughing now?”
Hazel shook her head at Sian, then yelled instead of her.
“You crazy guys! Shut up and leave!”
Sian and the boys were startled.
“Why are you shouting?”
“They’re being way too sensitive over a joke.”
The boys grumbled but quickly moved away.
‘Hazel… she’s hotter-tempered than she looks.’
Though she resembled a squirrel, her personality was like a fighting dog.
Hazel’s eyes returned to Sian after chasing the boys’ backs.
Sian flinched instinctively.
“Do you think you can survive Wharton School acting like this?”
“She’ll probably calm down in a few days.”
Hazel clicked her tongue, disapproving of Sian’s carefree attitude.
“In that case, sit with me for classes. We overlap a lot anyway.”
“Hmm…”
It was a kind offer, but Sian hesitated.
She worried Hazel might betray her like Janice did.
‘Even if it’s just one Janice, if I get betrayed repeatedly, it’d hurt a lot.’
Sian normally liked people.
It was hard not to like Hazel, who had gotten angry on her behalf.
‘Should I trust her?’
Janice had betrayed her after knowing her past, but Hazel knew it from the start, so it felt different this time.
‘Thinking back, Blaire treated me the same even after seeing my past photos.’
Despite the quarterback stereotype in the media as someone who bullied the weak, Blaire was an exception.
He had been consistently kind from the start.
“Then if you’re okay with it, I’d like to sit with you for classes.”
Having made up her mind, Sian rummaged through her jacket pocket, took out a caramel, and handed it to Hazel.
“Want some?”
Hazel took it, laughing at the absurdity.
“Did you use this method on Aaron Simmons too?”
Sian’s smile drooped.
“Aaron doesn’t like sweets much.”
“Does he even like anything in the world?”
Hazel snorted lightly, unwrapped the caramel, and popped it in her mouth.
“Tasty. Thanks.”
“Want more?”
“How many do you have?”
Sian laughed and offered Hazel more caramels.
No matter how many she gave her, it didn’t feel like a waste.
