Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Ava Goes to War for Noah.
Ava, when she arrived at her high school, changed her attitude just enough to seem like her usual self.
She walked down the hallways with confidence, greeted a few classmates, answered questions calmly, and turned down invitations to activities that didn’t interest her.
Ava was popular, not only because she was pretty or because she got good grades, but because the main reason was something else.
Everyone knew she had an older brother, and that made her someone important, annoyingly important.
During the first break, a classmate approached her with a drink in her hand.
"Ava, I bought this for you."
Ava looked at the drink.
"I didn’t ask for anything."
"I know, but I thought you might like it."
"Thanks."
Ava took it and the girl smiled.
"And maybe someday you could introduce me to your brother... I mean, your family."
Ava stopped smiling.
"No."
"Just as a friend."
"No."
"We could study together at your house."
"No."
The girl lost her smile.
"But you didn’t even think about it!"
"No need."
Ava kept walking.
Later, another student caught up with her near the stairs.
"Ava, wait!"
"What is it?"
The girl looked around before lowering her voice.
"Can I pay you?"
Ava looked at her, not understanding at first.
"For what?"
"For a chance."
"A chance at what?"
"To introduce me to your brother."
Ava went completely still and the student pulled a small envelope out of her bag.
"It doesn’t have to be for long, just an introduction and you lose nothing."
Ava looked at the envelope and then at the girl.
"Don’t ever offer me money for my brother again."
The girl tensed up.
"Sorry, I didn’t mean..."
"Yes, you did."
Ava walked past her without taking the envelope.
The rest of the morning continued with similar situations.
One classmate offered to help her with an assignment.
Another said she could share notes.
Another asked if Noah had a girlfriend.
Another pretended to be curious about the family and asked what kind of girls he liked.
Ava rejected everything calmly at first, but she was starting to get worn out.
During the main lunch break, she sat with her friends under a covered area of the courtyard and one of them, named Maki, looked at her with concern.
"You’re in a bad mood today."
"No."
"With that answer you just confirmed it."
Another friend nodded.
"You turned down three girls before you even sat down."
"They wanted something."
"Everyone wants something from you."
Ava crossed her arms.
"They want Noah."
Maki leaned on the table.
"That’s nothing new."
"But today it bothers me more."
"Did something happen?"
Ava looked at her untouched food.
"Noah is lying to me."
Her friends fell silent.
"About what?"
"I don’t know."
Maki frowned.
"That’s worse."
"Yeah."
Ava tightened her fingers on her arms.
"I think there’s a girl around him."
"A girlfriend!?"
Ava felt something unpleasant at hearing that word.
"No!"
"What if he does have one?"
Ava didn’t answer and her other friend spoke carefully.
"Ava, Noah is a guy. It’s normal that someday someone will want to date him."
Ava looked up.
"I know."
But her voice didn’t sound convinced and Maki watched her.
"Do you really know?"
Ava lowered her gaze.
"I don’t want him to get hurt."
"That’s reasonable."
"I don’t want him taken away from me."
That sentence slipped out before she could stop it and her friends glanced at each other.
Ava realized and tensed up.
"I meant I don’t want him to drift away from the family!"
Maki didn’t contradict her.
"Of course..."
Ava knew it hadn’t sounded convincing.
The rest of the day was difficult.
During class, she tried to concentrate, but she kept wondering what Noah was doing and whether he was with Yume, if that girl was texting him, if they were eating together, if Noah was smiling at her.
’I shouldn’t care this much.’
But she did.
When classes ended, Ava took the train and reached the station, but instead of heading straight home, she stayed waiting at the exit where Noah usually arrived.
She waited ten minutes, fifteen, twenty.
Every time a train arrived, she watched the people get off, and when she finally saw Noah, she felt immediate relief.
He saw her too and approached with surprise.
"Ava, what are you doing here?"
"I was waiting for you."
"Why?"
"I wanted to go home with you."
Noah observed her.
"Did something happen?"
"No, nothing."
Ava took his hand.
"Let’s go."
Noah didn’t resist and they walked home together.
Ava pressed herself closer to his arm than usual and Noah stiffened a little.
"Ava, you’re really close."
"We’re siblings."
"Yeah, but..."
"Does it bother you?"
The question caught him off guard.
He didn’t want to say yes, since he didn’t want to make her feel rejected, especially after lying to her the night before.
"No, I was just surprised."
Ava rested her head against his shoulder for a moment and Noah looked away.
’She’s acting weird, but maybe she’s just worried.’
He thought it was better to let it pass, since maybe Ava would realize she was overdoing it and stop on her own.
That was his hope.
Ava, on the other hand, interpreted his silence differently.
’He didn’t push me away.’
She felt the warmth of Noah’s arm against hers.
’I can stay like this.’
They continued walking and Ava held his hand more firmly.
"Noah."
"Yeah?"
"Don’t lie to me again."
Noah felt guilty.
"Ava..."
"If you have problems, tell me."
"I will."
"If a girl bothers you, tell me."
"Okay."
"If someone tries to get too close, tell me."
Noah looked at her.
"Ava, I can handle some things on my own."
"I know."
But her tone didn’t sound like she believed it.
They arrived home as it was starting to get dark.
Emma greeted them with a smile and Sarah asked how their day had gone, to which Ava responded normally along with Noah.
Everything seemed calm, but that night Ava returned to her room and closed the door.
She leaned against it for a few seconds.
Then she walked to the bed and sat down.
’I can’t keep lying to myself...’
It wasn’t just worry, protection, or anger toward Yume.
When Noah lied to her, it hurt.
When Noah looked at another girl, she felt irritated.
When Noah let her get close, she felt happy.
When she thought about losing her place beside him, she felt fear.
Ava hugged her pillow.
"It’s not normal."
She knew it, but that didn’t make it disappear.
She closed her eyes and remembered Noah’s hand, his surprised face at breakfast, how he hadn’t pushed her away on the way back from the station.
Her heart raced and she buried her face in the pillow.
’I like Noah.’
The sentence appeared with clarity.
Ava slowly lifted her head and her cheeks were hot.
"No."
She tried to deny it, but it didn’t work.
She thought about Yume, about all the girls trying to get close to Noah and about the lie from the night before.
Then she squeezed the pillow tightly.
’I’m not going to let them take him from me.’
Ava took a deep breath and, for the first time, stopped looking for another explanation.
Noah was no longer just her brother, Ava wanted him in a way she could no longer call familial and, although that truth scared her, it also made her feel strangely determined.
"I’m in love with Noah and I’m going to claim him as mine."
She said it in a low voice, with no one there to hear her, and then she lay down, hugging the pillow to her chest.
Ava was no longer going to deny what she felt and, from that day on, another contender would join Yume in trying to win Noah.
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