Chapter 6
The drive home was a familiar comfort—rolling fields, quiet streets, the occasional burst of golden sunlight breaking through the clouds. It was peaceful, a stark contrast to the storm brewing inside her.
This weekend was her father’s birthday, which meant Alex was coming home. Kara always looked forward to these rare weekends when her older sister visited. Alex was her rock, the one person who always seemed to have the right words, the right advice—no matter how complicated Kara’s problems seemed. Even though Alex was totally different then her, Kara could talk to her about anything.
Anything
When she pulled into the driveway, she could already see Alex’s car parked beside their dad’s truck. A grin tugged at Kara’s lips despite everything. She rushed inside, barely tossing her bag down before she found Alex in the kitchen, helping their mom with dinner.
"Kara!" Alex grinned, setting down the knife she had been using to chop vegetables. She opened her arms, and Kara didn’t hesitate to launch herself into a hug.
"You’re finally home," Kara mumbled into his shoulder.
Alex chuckled. "I was literally here last month."
"Still too long," Kara sighed, pulling back. "You missed a lot."
Alex raised an eyebrow, sensing the weight behind those words. "Oh yeah? What did I miss?"
Kara hesitated, glancing at their mom, who was stirring a pot on the stove. "Can we talk?" she asked softly.
Alex’s face shifted into something more serious. "Yeah, of course."She wiped her hands on a towel before gesturing toward the stairs. "Let’s go to your room."
Once they were inside, Kara shut the door and flopped onto her bed. Alex sat on the edge, watching her expectantly.
"So," Alex prompted, "what's going on?"
Kara stared at the ceiling for a moment before groaning and covering her face with her hands. "It's so stupid."
Alex smirked. "Those are usually the most interesting stories."
Kara sighed and sat up, running a hand through her hair. "It's about this girl."
Alex's smirk grew. "Go on."
Kara rolled her eyes but felt her cheeks heat up anyway. "It's Lena Luthor."
Alex blinked. "Wait—the Lena Luthor? The one you always pretend doesn’t exist?"
"Yes," Kara groaned. "That one."
Alex leaned back on his elbows. "Okay, now I’m really interested. What happened?"
Kara took a deep breath. "She’s been… noticing me. Like, really noticing me. And I don’t get why. Everyone adores her. She has the entire school wrapped around her finger. But for some reason, she seems to care that I don’t."
Alex frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, she’s been calling me out on avoiding her. She confronted me today and asked why I pretend she doesn’t exist. And I—I didn’t have an answer." Kara shook her head. "I don’t understand why she cares. Why does it bother her so much that I don’t treat her like she’s royalty like everyone else does?"
Alex studied her for a long moment. "Well… maybe Because she's not used to it. People like that, the ones who are used to attention? When someone doesn’t give it to them, it messes with their heads."
Kara frowned. "So you think this is just her ego?" Alex shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe she’s genuinely curious about you." Kara groaned and buried her face in her pillow. "I don’t want to be interesting to Lena Luthor." Alex laughed, nudging her foot. "Well, too late for that."
Kara peeked up at her sister, her voice quieter now. "What do I do?" Alex’s teasing expression softened. "That depends. What do you want to happen Kara?"
Kara opened her mouth, then closed it. She had no idea. Part of her wanted to keep avoiding Lena, to pretend this wasn’t happening. But another part of her—the part that had noticed how Lena’s eyes softened when she spoke, the part that couldn’t stop thinking about their conversation—wasn’t so sure.
"I don’t know," Kara admitted.
Alex nodded. "Then maybe start by figuring that out. But, Kara…" She nudged her again. "Don't be scared of whatever the answer is." Kara swallowed, nodding slowly. She wasn’t sure she was ready for this, but one thing was clear—Lena Luthor wasn’t going anywhere. Alex watched Kara carefully, noting the way she chewed on her bottom lip—a dead giveaway that something was really bothering her. With a sigh, Alex leaned back against the headboard, arms crossed.
"Alright," she said, stretching her legs out. "Let’s break this down. You say you don’t know what you want to happen, but let’s be real here—you have thoughts about her."
Kara groaned, flopping back onto her bed. "Of course I have thoughts! She’s annoying. She smirks too much. She acts like she owns the school. And for some reason, she won’t leave me alone."
Alex smirked. "And yet, here you are, overanalyzing every interaction you’ve ever had with her."
Kara sat up and pointed a finger at him. "Not helping."
Alex held up her hands, feigning innocence. "I’m just saying, people don’t get this worked up over someone they don’t care about." Kara huffed and crossed her arms. "That’s not—It’s just—" She groaned, tugging at the sleeve of her hoodie. "It’s complicated, okay?"
Alex arched an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Complicated how?"
Kara hesitated, her fingers twisting in the fabric of her sleeve. "Because she notices me," she admitted, voice quieter now. "And she’s not supposed to. I—I didn’t want her to."
Alex gave her a knowing look. "And why’s that?" Kara swallowed hard, her heart hammering in her chest. "Because… Because if I ignored her, if I avoided her, then maybe I could pretend I didn’t—" She cut herself off, staring down at her lap.
Alex’s smirk widened. "Didn’t what?" Kara shot her a glare. "Don’t."
Alex just grinned. "Oh, no. I have to hear you say it."
Kara groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I like her, okay? And not in the ‘I admire her from afar’ way. In the ‘I don’t know what to do with myself when she’s near me’ way. In the stupid way."
Alex let out a low whistle. "Wow. And your plan was to… what? Ignore her until the feelings just disappeared?"
"Basically," Kara muttered, peeking at her through her fingers. "Which was working great, by the way, until she had to go and notice me." Alex snorted. "Yeah, well, that was never gonna work. Lena Luthor doesn’t seem like the type to let things go."
Kara frowned. "That’s exactly what I don’t get. Why does she care? Why does it bother her so much?"
Alex gave her a knowing look. "People like that… they get everything they want, all the time. But the one thing they can’t have? That’s the thing they fixate on." Kara flopped onto her side, burying her face in the pillow. "Great. So I’m just some weird psychological experiment to her?"
Alex laughed, nudging Kara's foot with hers foot. "Or—hear me out—maybe she actually wants to get to Kara you." Kara peeked out from her pillow. "Why would she want that?"
Alex shrugged. "Why not? You’re pretty cool. When you’re not being a total disaster, that is." Kara threw a pillow at her, which Alex easily dodged. "Look," Alex said, sitting up. "You don’t have to figure everything out tonight. But just… don’t shut this down just Because it’s weird or unexpected. You might be surprised by what you actually want."
Kara sighed, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling. "Yeah. Maybe." Alex softened, reaching out to nudge Kara’s knee. "Relax, kid. You don’t have to have all the answers right now. But maybe, instead of running from her, you try actually talking to her."
Kara scoffed. "Easier said than done." Alex smirked. "Well, if ignoring her was your grand strategy, maybe it’s time for a new plan."
Kara sighed, flopping onto her back again. She hated when Alex was right.
--
Kara Danvers wasn’t the type of person to get flustered. She was Kara Danvers—top of her class, star of the basketball team, the girl teachers loved and classmates admired. She had worked hard to build her reputation, to be someone people looked up to. She was supposed to have it together.
And yet, Lena Luthor had completely wrecked that.
The entire weekend, Kara had tried to come up with a plan, something to make this whole crush situation less humiliating. Step one was supposed to be simple: stop avoiding Lena. But every time she imagined actually talking to her, her brain shut down.
Because Lena wasn’t just another student—she was the most popular girl in school, the one with the sharp tongue, the cool smirk, and the ability to make or break someone’s social life with a single glance. She had the kind of power Kara had never cared about, but now it felt like a very real threat.
What if Lena figured it out? What if she realized why Kara had been acting weird and told everyone?
The thought made Kara’s stomach twist. She had spent years earning respect, being the star of the school—what would people say if they found out she had a crush on Lena Luthor of all people? Would they laugh? Would they see her differently?
And worse—what if Lena laughed?
The thought made Kara’s stomach twist. She had spent years earning respect, being the star of the school—what would people say if they found out she had a crush on Lena Luthor of all people? Would they laugh? Would they see her differently?
A lot of people had a crush on her—she knew that. She had overheard whispers in the hallways, caught the way people stared when she walked into a room. People wanted to be her. Some wanted to be with her. She was Kara Danvers—the school’s golden girl, the one who always had it together.
But what would they think if they knew she wanted Lena?
That she wasn’t just tolerating Lena’s sharp words and knowing smirks—she was thinking about them, feeling something every time their eyes met? That despite everything, she couldn’t stop wondering what it would be like if Lena looked at her the way others did?
Would they wonder how someone like her—someone admired, someone good—could want someone like Lena Luthor?
Because even though everyone adored Lena, obsessed over her, followed her every move like she was some kind of untouchable queen—everyone also knew she wasn’t a nice person. Not really. Maybe not in the ways that mattered. People wanted to be on her good side Because they knew what happened if you weren’t. They wanted her approval, yes, but more than that, they feared her disapproval.
Kara spotted her the second she walked into school Monday morning. Lena was leaning against the lockers, surrounded by her usual group of admirers. She was effortlessly confident, like she knew people were watching and didn’t care.
Kara clenched her jaw. Did she even want to be with someone like that? Someone who had never cared about being kind, who was known for cutting people down rather than lifting them up?
And yet…
Kara had seen something different, too. A Lena who looked almost real when no one else was paying attention. A Lena who, for some reason, had noticed Kara.
But was that enough?
Kara took a deep breath. She needed a real plan. A good plan. Because this? The constant overthinking, the stomach-churning anxiety, the complete inability to function like the star of the school?
This was definitely not working.
Kara reached her locker, still lost in her thoughts, when Nia and Winn appeared on either side of her like clockwork. “There she is,” Nia sing-songed, leaning against the lockers with a dramatic sigh. “Our beloved star player, looking more stressed than usual. What’s up?”
Winn raised an eyebrow as he casually stole a book from Kara’s locker, flipping through it without a care. “Yeah, you look like your brain is short-circuiting. Did you finally fail a test, or is it something more scandalous?” Kara rolled her eyes, shoving his hand away from her things. “First of all, I don’t fail tests. Second of all, nothing’s wrong.”
Nia and Winn exchanged a knowing look. “You’re a terrible liar,” Nia pointed out, pulling her hair into a loose ponytail. “C’mon, spill. Is this about her?” Kara froze for half a second, which was all the confirmation Nia needed.
Winn let out a low whistle. “Oof. Luthor drama. Alright, let’s hear it. What did she do this time?” Kara groaned, shoving her books into her bag a little harder than necessary. “She didn’t do anything. I just…” She hesitated, glancing around to make sure no one was listening before lowering her voice. “I don’t know how to handle this.”
Nia’s expression softened. “Kara, what’s there to handle? You like her. Big deal.”
Winn scoffed. “It is a big deal. It’s Lena. I mean, yeah, she’s hot, but she’s also, you know… Lena.”
Kara groaned again, rubbing her face. “Exactly! Everyone loves her, but everyone also knows she’s… not the nicest person. And I’m supposed to be—” She gestured vaguely at herself. “I don’t know, better than this?”
Nia nudged her shoulder. “Better than what? Having feelings?”
“Yes!” Kara hissed. “No! Ugh, I don’t know!” Winn smirked. “This is hilarious. I’m loving every second of it.” Kara glared at him. “Glad you’re entertained.” Nia patted her shoulder. “Look, you don’t have to figure everything out right this second. Just… maybe stop avoiding her and see what happens?” Kara sighed. “Yeah. Sure. Easy.” But nothing about this felt easy.
Nia wasn’t letting her off the hook that easily. “Seriously, Kara. You’re acting like liking Lena is some kind of crime.”
Kara slammed her locker shut, scowling. “It feels like one! Do you know what people would say if they found out? Me, Kara Danvers, the golden girl, the school’s star athlete, crushing on her?”
Winn leaned against the lockers, smirking. “Oh, I don’t know. Probably the same thing they say about the hundred other people who have a crush on you?”
Kara scoffed. “It’s not the same. A lot of people want to be with me, sure. But what would they think if they knew I wanted to be with Lena?”
Nia rolled her eyes. “Honestly? Half the school would probably lose their minds over it. Can you imagine? Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor as the power couple? People would eat that up.”
Kara shot her a deadpan look. “Yeah, right. More like they’d eat me alive.”
Nia shook her head. “Come on, Kara. I mean, yeah, people know Lena’s not the nicest person, but that’s why they’re obsessed with her. And you? You’re the golden girl. You two together would be like… the ultimate ‘opposites attract’ moment. People love that kind of thing.”
Winn smirked. “She’s not wrong. You’d either be the most feared or most worshipped couple in school. Either way, it’d be entertaining.”
Kara groaned, rubbing her temples. “That’s not helping.”
Nia squeezed her shoulder. “Look, I get it. You’ve worked hard for your reputation, and yeah, Lena’s got her whole queen bee, ‘I could ruin you if I wanted to’ thing going on. But maybe—just maybe—she’s not as scary as you think.”
Kara exhaled sharply. “Or maybe she is, and this is a disaster waiting to happen.”
Nia grinned. “Only one way to find out.”
Kara shot her a glare. “Not. Happening.”
Nia just smirked. “We’ll see.”
As much as Kara wanted to brush off Nia’s words, she couldn’t shake them.
Lena was popular. She was popular. Maybe not in the same way—Lena ruled through intimidation and effortless coolness, while Kara had earned her spot at the top through talent, hard work, and a reputation for being someone people actually liked. But still, they were both the kind of people who turned heads when they walked into a room.
If they were together? They’d be unstoppable.
Kara chewed on the thought, letting it settle in her mind. It wasn’t completely ridiculous. Sure, Lena was a nightmare—cold, sharp-tongued, and way too aware of the power she held over people—but she was also magnetic. Everyone wanted to be her, be with her, even if they wouldn’t admit it. And Kara… well, she had spent years making a name for herself. The golden girl. The school’s star.
The idea of them as a thing was almost too much to wrap her head around. But Nia wasn’t wrong—people would love it.