The Girl that No-one See

The Ride to School

Monday mornings always felt different at Hart Estate. The house slowly came to life as the first rays of sunlight spilled across the cliffs overlooking the sea.

Sienna was the first of the children ready for school.

She checked that her shell necklace was resting safely around her neck, slipped her sketchbook into her bag, and quietly left through the front door.

The magnificent white gates, wrapped in blooming red roses, stood open as she made the familiar walk down the long driveway towards the bus stop at the edge of the estate.

Behind her, another engine roared into life.

Willow climbed into her gleaming red Range Rover, smiling as the powerful car purred beneath her.

Alexander looked up from his phone he was reading in the breakfast room.

"Drive carefully."

"I always do," Willow replied with a grin.

The Range Rover swept through the estate gates and disappeared down the road.

Her first stop was Laura Bennett's house.

Laura, vice-captain of the debate team, climbed into the passenger seat carrying a folder full of debate notes.

"Morning!"

"Ready to win another competition?" Willow asked.

Laura smiled.

"When aren't we?"

A few streets later, they collected Lizzy Carter, another member of the debate team.

The three friends laughed all the way towards Windlong Hart Academy.

Meanwhile...

Sienna reached the lonely bus stop at the edge of the estate.

She sat on the wooden bench, opened her sketchbook, and began sketching the roses climbing around the white gates.

The quiet was broken by the deep rumble of a motorcycle.

She looked up.

A black motorcycle slowed beside the bus stop before coming to a stop.

The rider removed his helmet.

Short ginger hair.

Warm hazel eyes behind a pair of glasses.

Those glasses somehow made his already handsome face look even more attractive.

It was Kristopher Moussaka.

Kristopher Moussaka wasn't the tallest boy in school, but he carried himself with the quiet confidence of someone who knew exactly who he was.

At five feet eight, he had short ginger hair that never seemed to stay perfectly in place and kind hazel eyes hidden behind a pair of rectangular glasses. Unlike most athletes, he didn't try to look intimidating. His warm smile and easy-going nature made people feel comfortable around him almost immediately.

He was captain of the school's wrestling team.

Not because he was the loudest.

Not because he was the strongest.

But because everyone respected him.

His teammates knew he would always stand beside them, whether they won or lost.

Outside of wrestling, Kristopher served as one of the school's student body councillors. Teachers trusted him, younger students looked up to him, and his friends often joked that he couldn't walk through the corridors without someone stopping him to ask for help.

Despite being popular, Kristopher never believed popularity made someone more important than anyone else.

He treated everyone the same.

The quiet students.

The confident students.

The ones everyone noticed.

And the ones nobody seemed to see.

His closest friends—Josh, Paul and William Ryan—shared that same attitude. Together they were known around school for looking after others rather than picking on them.

Kristopher believed that everyone deserved to be noticed.

He just hadn't yet met the one person who needed that more than anyone else.

Her name was Sienna Hart.

Her childhood best friend.

The moment he saw Sienna, a genuine smile spread across his face.

"Morning, Sea."

Only he still called her that.

"Morning, Kris."

He nodded towards her sketchbook.

"Drawing before school again?"

She smiled.

"It helps me think."

"It definitely beats scrolling through your phone."

"I don't even know where my phone is half the time."

Kristopher laughed.

"That sounds about right."

He climbed off the motorcycle and opened the storage compartment beneath the seat.

From inside, he took out a spare helmet.

He held it out to her.

"Come on."

Sienna looked at the helmet.

"What about the bus?"

"You don't need the bus."

He smiled.

"You've got me."

"I don't want to be a bother."

Kristopher looked genuinely surprised.

"You could never be a bother."

He gently placed the helmet into her hands.

"I always carry a spare."

"You were expecting me?"

"I was hoping."

Sienna couldn't help smiling.

She fastened the helmet beneath her chin.

Kristopher gave her a thumbs-up.

"Perfect."

He climbed back onto the motorcycle and looked over his shoulder.

"Hop on."

She climbed on behind him, carefully wrapping her arms around his waist.

"You ready?"

"I think so."

"I'll take that as a yes."

The motorcycle pulled away from the bus stop, leaving the empty bench behind.

The cool morning air rushed past as they rode along the coastal road towards Windlong Hart Academy.

For the first time that morning, Sienna smiled without forcing it.

Kristopher noticed.

He smiled too.

He didn't need to ask if she was okay.

He already knew something was wrong.

He simply wanted her to know...

She didn't have to face it alone.The motorcycle cruised smoothly along the coastal road towards Windlong Hart Academy.

The motorcycle cruised smoothly along the coastal road towards Windlong Hart Academy.

The morning air was cool, and Sienna smiled as the cliffs disappeared behind them.

Kristopher glanced into his mirror.

"You okay back there, Sea?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

She nodded.

"I'm just enjoying the ride."

He smiled beneath his helmet.

"Good."

A flash of bright red appeared in the opposite lane.

Willow's Range rover.

She slowed slightly as she recognised the motorcycle.

Laura looked through the passenger window.

"Isn't that Kristopher Moussaka?"

Lizzy leaned forward from the back seat.

"It is..."

Then all three girls noticed who was sitting behind him.

"Sienna?" Laura exclaimed.

Willow's eyes widened.

For a split second, she couldn't hide the surprise on her face.

Kristopher...

The most popular boy in their year.

Captain of the wrestling team.

A Student Council representative.

The boy almost every girl seemed to have a crush on...

And he had stopped to pick up her little sister.

Laura stared.

"I thought he walked to school."

"He usually does," Willow replied quietly.

Lizzy frowned.

"I've never seen him give anyone a lift before."

Neither had Willow.

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

As the Range Rover drew level with the motorcycle, Kristopher glanced across.

He smiled politely and gave Willow a small wave.

Then, without hesitation, he looked back at the road.

Willow forced a smile and waved back.

The Ferrari continued ahead.

Inside the car, there was an awkward silence.

Finally, Laura spoke.

"So..."

"How does your sister know Kristopher?"

Willow kept her eyes on the road.

"They've been friends since they were children."

"Friends?" Lizzy repeated.

"He never mentioned that."

Willow swallowed.

"No... he wouldn't."

For reasons she couldn't quite explain, a small knot tightened in her stomach.

She was used to people noticing her first.

She was the captain of the debate team.

The world champion.

The student with a place waiting at Yale.

Yet Kristopher had barely looked at her.

His attention had been on Sienna.

Meanwhile, Sienna had no idea the Ferrari had fallen behind.

She was simply enjoying the ride with the one person who had never made her feel invisible.

Kristopher chuckled.

"I think we've got an audience."

Sienna laughed softly.

"I noticed."

"They'll probably start rumours."

"They usually do."

Kristopher shrugged.

"Let them."

He glanced at her in the mirror and smiled.

"I know the truth."

"And what's that?"

"That I'm giving my best friend a lift to school."

Sienna smiled.

It was a simple sentence.

But hearing someone call her their best friend made her feel seen in a way she rarely did.

The motorcycle carried on towards Windlong Hart Academy, leaving the red Range Rover behind.

As the motorcycle continued along the coast road, Kristopher glanced into the mirror.

He had noticed Willow's Range Rover slowing beside them.

He sighed quietly.

"You know..." he said.

"What?" Sienna asked.

"I've never understood your sister."

Sienna lowered her eyes.

"Willow isn't always that bad."

Kristopher gave a small smile.

"Maybe not with everyone."

He paused for a moment.

"But whenever I've seen her at school, she's always trying to prove she's better than everyone else."

Sienna didn't answer.

"And if someone else gets attention..." he continued, "...she doesn't seem to like it very much."

"You shouldn't judge her too harshly."

Kristopher nodded.

"I don't hate her, Sea."

He smiled gently.

"I just think she's forgotten something important."

"What's that?"

"Being kind."

Sienna looked out towards the sea.

"She's under a lot of pressure."

"I know."

Kristopher slowed for a bend in the road.

"But pressure isn't an excuse to make other people feel small."

There was a short silence.

Then he smiled.

"You're the complete opposite."

Sienna looked surprised.

"I am?"

"You've always been the kindest person I've known."

She laughed quietly.

"I hardly speak."

"Exactly."

He chuckled.

"You listen."

"You notice when someone is upset."

"You thank the cleaners at school."

"You remember everyone's birthday."

"You help people without expecting anything back."

He glanced at her in the mirror.

"That's real kindness."

Sienna felt her cheeks grow warm.

"I've never thought of myself like that."

"Most kind people don't."

She smiled.

"At school..." Kristopher continued, his voice becoming quieter, "...people mistake your silence for weakness."

Sienna nodded.

"I know."

"They think because you're quiet, they can ignore you."

"Or pick on me."

Kristopher's smile disappeared.

"I've seen it."

"They whisper when you walk past."

"They leave you out."

"They think you won't stand up for yourself."

Sienna looked down at her hands.

"I'm used to it."

"I wish you weren't."

"So do I."

Kristopher shook his head.

"They don't realise what I see."

"And what's that?"

He smiled warmly.

"The strongest people aren't always the loudest."

"They're the ones who stay kind even when the world gives them every reason not to."

Sienna blinked, holding back the emotion in her eyes.

"No one's ever said that to me before."

"They should have."

He smiled.

"Because it's true."

The motorcycle rolled through the school gates.

For the first time in a long while...

Sienna wondered if maybe being quiet wasn't something she needed to change.

Maybe, one day, people would finally learn to see her the way Kristopher always had.As they rode through the school gates, Kristopher smiled to himself.

"Do you remember Year Seven?" he asked.

Sienna groaned.

"Do we have to?"

"I was thinking about Robert."

She sighed.

"So was I."

Robert Collins had spent almost the entire first term making Sienna's life miserable.

Every morning he found a new reason to pick on her.

He would "accidentally" trip her in the corridors.

Knock her books onto the floor.

Call her weak, pathetic, and the invisible girl because hardly anyone stood up for her.

Sienna had never fought back.

She simply picked up her books and walked away.

Until one afternoon...

Kristopher had seen Robert shove Sienna into a locker.

That had been enough.

Without thinking, Kristopher grabbed Robert by his blazer.

"Leave her alone!"

The argument quickly turned into a fight.

Teachers rushed over and dragged the boys apart.

Both of them ended up sitting outside the principal's office.

Sienna remembered every second of it.

The principal had sighed.

"I'm calling both sets of parents."

Kristopher's parents had arrived within twenty minutes.

His mother hugged him before asking what had happened.

When she discovered he had been defending Sienna, she looked at him with pride rather than disappointment.

"You should never start a fight," she had said.

"But I'll never be ashamed of you for standing up to someone being bullied."

His father nodded.

"Next time, tell a teacher first."

"After that..." he added with a smile, "...I'm proud of the young man you're becoming."

Then his parents had turned to Sienna.

"Are your parents on their way?" Mrs. Moussaka had asked kindly.

Sienna looked down at the floor.

"They said... it wasn't important."

"They said I could deal with it myself."

A heavy silence filled the room.

Kristopher's father exchanged a look with his wife.

Mrs. Moussaka gently placed a hand on Sienna's shoulder.

"Our home is always open to you."

"You never have to ask."

"If you ever need somewhere safe..."

"You come to us."

Sienna had never forgotten those words.

Back in the present, the motorcycle rolled into the student car park.

Kristopher parked in his usual space and switched off the engine.

The moment they removed their helmets, conversations around them stopped.

Dozens of students stared.

"Is that... Sienna Hart?"

"She's on Kristopher's bike."

"I didn't even know they knew each other."

"I thought he was single."

"He could date anyone."

"So why's he hanging around with her?"

A group of girls whispered nearby.

"She's so weird."

"She hardly talks."

"She's really dull."

"I thought he'd be with someone like Willow."

"Yeah... they're both popular."

Sienna lowered her eyes.

She was used to the whispers.

Kristopher wasn't.

He slowly took off his gloves and looked directly at the group.

His voice was calm, but carried across the car park.

"Funny."

The girls immediately fell silent.

"The only thing I've heard this morning that's dull..."

He looked at each of them in turn.

"...is that conversation."

No one replied.

Kristopher picked up Sienna's school bag and handed it to her.

"Come on, Sea."

Without another glance at the crowd, they walked towards the school entrance together.

Behind them, the whispers started again.

But this time...

They weren't about the quiet girl who was invisible.

They were about the boy who had chosen to stand beside her anyway.

The deep growl of Willow's red Range Rocer echoed across the school grounds as she pulled into the parking space closest to the main entrance of Windlong Hart Academy.

It was the spot everyone noticed.

She smiled to herself as she switched off the engine.

Laura and Lizzy climbed out, laughing about debate practice, while Willow stepped onto the pavement, effortlessly drawing attention.

Within seconds, a group of boys made their way over.

"Morning, Willow!"

"Love the Range Rover."

"Need a hand with your bags?"

Willow laughed, brushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"You boys are very eager today."

One of them stepped forward.

August Turner.

Tall, athletic and captain of the basketball team, he was well known around school for his easy smile and confident charm.

"I'll carry them," he offered.

Willow looked him up and down with a playful grin before handing him her designer school bag.

"Well," she teased, "when someone this handsome offers to help, it would be rude to say no."

The boys around them laughed.

August slung the bag over his shoulder with a theatrical bow.

"Anything else, Miss Hart?"

Willow smiled mischievously.

"Carry it all the way to my locker..."

She paused just long enough to keep everyone listening.

"...and who knows? You might earn yourself a kiss on the cheek."

A chorus of teasing cheers erupted from the crowd.

August laughed.

"Now that's motivation."

Laura rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"You know exactly how to keep everyone wrapped around your little finger."

Willow winked.

"It has its advantages."

As they walked towards the school entrance, students turned to watch them pass.

Willow enjoyed every glance.

She had spent years becoming someone people noticed.

She never imagined that, on the very same morning, people were talking just as much about her quiet little sister... and the boy who had chosen to arrive with her.