In the heart of Harvard, Alessia Gilmore is ready to embrace her second year and the independence it brings. After a summer spent reconnecting with friends and discovering herself, she's determined to step out of her twin sister Rory's shadow and ca...
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Alessia sprawled on her dorm bed, her phone pressed to her ear, the glow of her desk lamp the only light in the room. It was nearly midnight, and the campus outside was still and quiet, but her mind buzzed with everything that had happened in the last couple of days.
Riley picked up after a few rings, his voice muffled. "Hey, Alessia. What's up?"
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Alessia asked, already regretting calling so late.
"Nah, you didn't," Riley replied, his voice warming. "Beau's just passed out next to me, snoring like a freight train. What's going on?"
She let out a soft laugh, picturing Riley in some generic hotel room with Beau sprawled out nearby. "Not much, just... needed to talk, I guess. How's the tournament?"
"Pretty good," Riley said. "Won our first game, so Coach is in a rare good mood. The team's buzzing about tomorrow. But enough about me. You sound... off. Spill."
Alessia hesitated, the words caught in her throat. She glanced at the pile of textbooks on her desk, reminders of looming deadlines, before sighing. "Rory visited."
"Ah," Riley said knowingly. "How'd that go?"
"It started fine," Alessia admitted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "We had lunch, walked around campus, laughed about stupid things from high school. But then..."
She trailed off, struggling to articulate the shift.
"Let me guess," Riley filled in. "The whole 'Rory and her not-so-hidden jealousy' thing reared its ugly head?"
"Bingo." Alessia sighed, rolling onto her side. "She tried to hide it, but you know Rory. She can't help herself. Every comment about my classes, the professors, the dorm-there was this edge to it. Like she was trying to remind me that she didn't get in."
"Sounds like classic Rory," Riley said. "Always the golden girl until she's not."
"It's exhausting," Alessia muttered. "I didn't ask for this, you know? I didn't even want to come here at first. But now that I'm here, I feel like I can't even enjoy it because she's constantly comparing us."
"Hey," Riley said, his voice softening. "You earned this. Rory's issues aren't your responsibility."
Alessia exhaled, her chest loosening slightly. "I know. I just... I hate feeling like the villain for doing something good for myself."
"You're not the villain, Alessia," Riley said firmly. "You're just living your life. Rory needs to figure out her own stuff without dragging you into it."
"Thanks," Alessia said quietly. "I needed to hear that."
"Anytime," Riley replied. "Now, tell me something good. Anything to distract me from Beau's snoring."
Alessia laughed, grateful for the shift in tone. "Okay, okay. Um, I accidentally spilled coffee on my professor yesterday, and instead of yelling, he just... thanked me for keeping him awake."
"No way," Riley said, his voice lighting up with amusement. "Harvard professors are so weird."
"Right?" Alessia said, her laughter growing. "It was so awkward, but at least he wasn't mad. I think he's used to stressed-out students spilling things on him at this point."
The conversation drifted into lighter topics-Riley's tournament stories, Alessia's photography project, Beau's absurd sleep habits-and Alessia felt the weight of the past few days start to lift. By the time they hung up, she felt lighter, more grounded.
