Danger 4

The campus was alive with its usual energy as students hustled between buildings, talking and laughing. It felt like any other day, but to me, it felt like an impossible stretch of time. I was walking through the crowd, clutching my textbooks a little tighter than usual, trying to block out the constant hum of the world around me. My mind was elsewhere—always somewhere else, it seemed. Racing. Sam. The constant need to stay ahead.

I wasn’t just another student here. I was the one who kept my head down, who kept everything separate. No one knew about my other life. My races. The stakes. The danger. They only saw a student, a "model" student. Top of the class. Dean’s list. They saw my hard work, but they didn’t see the sacrifices that came with it.

I pushed through the double doors of the library, where the smell of old pages and quiet focus filled the air. The library was my refuge. The only place on campus where I didn’t feel like everyone was watching me, expecting things from me.

But as soon as I entered, the murmurs began.

"Did you hear? Sierra’s on the dean’s list again this semester," someone whispered behind me.

"I think she’s amazing. Balancing everything, school, work, and still excelling."

"She’s got the leadership thing down. Everyone listens to her, even though she doesn’t seek attention."

I winced at the word *leader*. They had no idea. No idea about the real me. No clue about the adrenaline rush I chased on the streets, the danger that lingered every time I slid into the driver’s seat, the races I barely escaped with my life intact. To them, I was just Sierra—the top student, the quiet achiever, the one who never said no when asked to help or lead. But no one knew what I was truly fighting for.

I found my usual corner in the back of the library, hoping for some peace and quiet. The back was always empty, my little corner of solitude. I could sit there and drown out the noise, lose myself in the books, and pretend that the world outside didn’t exist for a while.

But then I heard footsteps. Soft, deliberate, and familiar. I didn’t even need to look up to know it was Mika.

"Hey, Sierra," she said, dropping her bag on the table next to me and settling into the chair across from me. Her eyes were wide with excitement, and I could tell she was bursting to share something.

"Hey, Mika," I replied, trying to sound casual, though I was already preparing myself for whatever was about to come.

"You’ve been nominated for president of the student council," she blurted, a grin spreading across her face.

I blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

She laughed lightly. "Yeah, they all nominated you. You're the top choice. Everyone's talking about you."

I wasn’t sure what to say. "I don’t want to be president. I didn’t even ask for it."

"Come on, Sierra," she pressed. "You’re the perfect candidate. You’ve got the respect of everyone, you’re top of the class, and you lead by example. You’re always there when people need help. People look up to you, even if you don’t realize it."

I leaned back in my chair, feeling the weight of her words press down on me. She was right about one thing—people did look up to me. They admired me. They didn’t know the real reason I was here, why I even bothered with school. To them, I was just another high achiever, someone who had it all together.

But if they knew—if they knew about the illegal racing, the nights I spent in danger just to survive, to earn the money to pay for Sam’s medical bills—they wouldn’t look at me the same way. They’d see the fighter, the desperate person doing whatever it took to make it. But that was a world I couldn’t bring into this one.

"I’m not a leader, Mika," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I don’t want anyone looking to me for guidance. I just want to get through school, finish my degree, and leave this behind."

She studied me for a moment, as if weighing my words, then shook her head. "You might not want it, but it’s already happening. People respect you. They follow your lead, even when you don’t ask them to."

I frowned, feeling a familiar frustration bubble up. "I don’t need anyone following me. I’m just trying to keep my head above water."

Mika’s eyes softened, and she leaned in a little. "I know you don’t want to be in the spotlight, but sometimes, Sierra, people look for someone to guide them. And whether you like it or not, they see you as that person."

I couldn’t meet her eyes. My mind was already on the street races I had to win, the money I needed. The pressure was already too much without this. Without people depending on me in a different way.

I tried to change the subject, desperate to get away from this conversation. "I didn’t ask for any of this. I just want to finish my degree and move on."

Mika was quiet for a long moment. Her face softened, but she wasn’t giving up. "I know, Sierra. But maybe, just maybe, you’re meant for more than you think. You don’t have to take the title if you don’t want to, but you should know that people see something in you that you might not see in yourself."

I let out a long breath, trying to push back the wave of emotions rising inside me. The truth was, I didn’t know how to handle all of this. I didn’t know how to handle being seen as a leader when all I wanted was to stay in the background, to keep fighting my own battles and not be burdened with anyone else’s expectations.

Mika got up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Think about it, Sierra," she said gently. "You might surprise yourself."

As she walked away, I sat there, staring at the textbooks in front of me, but my mind was a million miles away. It was always like this—racing, money, school, people’s expectations. Everything piled up, one on top of the other, and I didn’t know how to balance it all. I didn’t know how to be the person they wanted me to be, the person they looked up to.

But maybe, just maybe, I’d have to figure it out. Because whether I wanted it or not, I could already feel the weight of their eyes on me, expecting something, waiting for something. And I had no idea if I was ready to give it to them.