Unwanted Attention

Fame Arrives at Her Doorstep, Dani never wanted attention, Not the stares, Not the whispers.

And definitely not the cameras Yet somehow, overnight, her life had become everyone favorite story.

Everyone keeps talking about her. The morning after the rescue video exploded online, Dani woke up to the sound of her phone vibrating nonstop on the small wooden table beside her bed.

Her phone was vibrating out very loud, Buzz, Buzz, Buzz, Buzz, She groaned and buried her face deeper into her pillow. She cover her face with pillow on her bed.

"Who keeps texting this early?" she mumbled.

The phone continued vibrating.Reluctantly, she reached for it.The moment the screen lit up, her sleepy expression vanished.

She wasn't feeling sleepy anymore.Thirty two missed calls. Over a hundred messages.Friend requests.

Unknown numbers. Social media notifications flooding every second. Her heart sank.

"What is going on?"

What is happening, She clicked one notification The rescue video. Ten million views. Another had fifteen million. Another twenty two million. Thousands of comments.

"Who is this girl?"

"She is beautiful."

She is so beautiful.

"Someone find her!"

"The mysterious hero and the girl need their own movie!"

Dani immediately locked the phone. She off the phone immediately. She placed the phone carefully on the table.

"No.”

“No.”

“No."

This wasn't what she wanted. She sat up, anxiety twisting inside her chest. Her chest hurts.

Her life had always been simple. Quiet. Invisible.

Now millions of strangers were talking about her And she hated it. She hate it so much.

"Dani!"

Her mother voice came from downstairs.

"Come down here!"

Come here, The panic in her mother voice made Dani rush out of bed. She jumped out of the bed quickly.

She climb the staircase carefully, She ran downstairs.

"What happened?"

Her mother stood in the living room holding the house phone. Her expression looked confused.

"Another reporter."

Dani froze.

"What?"

"He says he is from a television station."

Dani eyes widened.

"Tell him no!"

Her mother quickly covered the receiver.

"He wants an interview."

"No."

"He says they will pay."

He his asking you to name your price.

"No."

"He sounds nice."

"Mum!"

Her mother laughed.

"Okay, okay."

She returned to the call.

"Sorry. My daughter isn't interested."

She said she is not interested. A disappointed voice could be heard even from where Dani stood. The call ended.

Seconds later, the phone rang again. Dani stared Then again And again. Her mother slowly looked at her.

"What exactly happened yesterday?"

Dani sighed.

"I saved someone."

"Just someone?"

"Maybe someone famous."

Her mother raised an eyebrow.

"You think?"

School Becomes a Nightmare. Dani hoped school would be normal. She was wrong. She is very wrong.

The moment she stepped through the gates, conversations erupted.

"That is her!"

"The rescue girl!"

"Dani!"

"Dani, wait!"

Students rushed toward her. Phones appeared everywhere. Pictures. Videos. Questions. She felt trapped. A girl shoved a phone toward her face.

"How do you feel about becoming famous?"

Dani blinked.

"I am not famous."

"You have millions of views!"

"I still have homework."

Several students laughed. They were laughing out very loud But Dani wasn't joking.

She pushed through the crowd Her best friend, Mia, finally grabbed her arm.

"Come with me."

Follow me. Mia dragged her down a quieter hallway, Nobody is there, the place is very quiet. Dani released a shaky breath.

"Thank you."

Mia stared at her.

"Do you know you are trending in six countries?"

Dani groaned.

"Please stop."

"You literally rescued someone."

"I know."

"People love heroes."

Dani leaned against a locker. She rest her back against a locker.

"Then they can find another hero."

By lunchtime, things got worse. Much worse. Very worse As Dani stepped outside the school building, she saw them.

Three reporters were Standing near the gate with their Cameras. Microphones. Crew members. Waiting For her.

"Oh no."

One reporter spotted her immediately.

"There she is!"

Every camera turned.The light of the camera flashes around her. Dani stomach dropped. The reporters rushed forward.

"Dani!"

"Can we ask a few questions?"

"What was going through your mind during the rescue?"

"How well do you know Zaf?"

"Are you two dating?"

The final question stunned her.

"What?"

The reporter smiled.

"The internet is curious."

Dani felt her cheeks burn.

"I don't even know him."

"You don't?"

"No!"

The reporters exchanged surprised looks. One quickly scribbled notes. Another camera zoomed closer.

Dani stepped back Then another Her breathing became uneven. She couldn't breathe very well again.

Too many people. Too many eyes.Too many questions.

She felt trapped.

"Dani?"

Mia noticed immediately.

"Dani, are you okay?"

"I am fine."

But she wasn't. The crowd seemed to close around her. The noise became overwhelming. Questions flew from every direction.

Different questions. Suddenly a familiar voice cut through the chaos.

"Move."

The crowd fell silent. Everywhere was very silent. Quiet. Everyone turned.

Zaf was Standing behind the reporters. His expression was cold. Dangerously cold. The reporters immediately became excited.

"It's him!"

"The mystery hero!"

"Cameras rolling!"

But Zaf ignored them. He ignored them completely.

His eyes found Dani.

"You okay?"

Are you okay?

She swallowed.

"Not really."

For a moment, concern flashed across his face Then he looked at the crowd.

"Back away."

The simple command carried unexpected authority.

Nobody moved. Zaf stepped forward.

"Now."

Something in his voice made people obey. Slowly, the crowd created space. Dani finally breathed again.

Relief washed over her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Thank you very much.

Zaf shrugged.

Did you want to faint.

"You looked like you were about to faint."

"I wasn't."

"You definitely were."

A tiny smile appeared despite herself. The first one all day.

After school, they sat on a bench behind the gym where nobody could bother them.

For the first time since the rescue, everything felt quiet.

Peaceful. Normal. Almost. Dani stared at the ground.

"I hate this."

I hate this so much.

Zaf nodded.

"I figured."

"How do people live like this?"

"They don't."

She looked up.

"What?"

"They pretend they are okay."

Dani thought about that.

"You don't like attention either."

It wasn't a question.

Zaf laughed softly.

"Not even a little."

"Then why did you save me?"

He looked surprised.

"What kind of question is that?"

What kind of question are you asking me.

"You knew people would record it."

His gaze drifted toward the setting sun.

Then back to her.

"I wasn't thinking about cameras."

"What were you thinking about?"

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then he answered quietly.

"You were falling."

The simplicity of the answer caught her off guard.

No dramatic speech. No hero act Just honesty.

Something strange fluttered inside her chest Something strange settled inside her chest. She quickly looked away.

Neither noticed the smile forming on the other face.

That night, Dani finally opened her social media again.

She open her social media account. Big mistake.

The notifications were endless.

She scrolled through comments. Most were kind. Some were strange.

Then one post caught her attention. Her blood ran cold. Her heart beat faster.

The post contained a photograph. Not from the rescue.

Not from school. Not from today.

It was taken outside her house. Someone had photographed her bedroom window. Without her knowledge. Attached beneath it was a message:

"Found where she lives."

Thousands of people had already shared it. Dani hands trembled. Her hands were shaking as she was reading it.

A chill crawled down her spine. This wasn't admiration anymore. This was something else.

Something frightening. Just then, another notification appeared.A direct message from an anonymous account.

Only four words.

"I am coming tomorrow."

Dani stared at the screen. She keep staring at the screen for a very long time.

Frozen. Terrified. And for the first time since becoming famous.

She truly felt unsafe.