Jake walked through the mall next to his sister Esli, trying not to roll his eyes every time someone did a double take. It wasn’t easy having a sister who was famous. Like, actual celebrity-famous. She had millions of followers, had been in commercials, walked red carpets, and couldn’t go anywhere without someone whispering, “Wait… is that Esli?”

Today was supposed to be a chill outing—just a normal sibling day at the mall—but with Esli around, nothing was ever really “normal.”

“You sure you didn’t wanna wear a disguise or something?” Jake asked as they stepped into the main plaza. “Maybe a fake mustache?”

Esli laughed, pulling her hoodie up. “Very funny. I just wanna grab a hoodie and a smoothie, not go into hiding.”

“Too late,” Jake muttered, spotting a group of girls pointing and slowly inching closer.

They ducked into a clothing store, where Esli immediately headed for the oversized hoodie section. Jake trailed behind, holding her phone and bag while she held up two sweatshirts.

“Which one?” she asked.

Jake shrugged. “They look the same.”

“Wow. Such fashion advice.”

As she was heading to the dressing room, a young girl approached, clutching her phone. “Um… hi. Are you Esli?”

Esli turned with a bright smile. “I am. You want a picture?”

The girl nodded quickly. Jake stepped aside, watching as his sister knelt down, took a selfie with the fan, and even complimented her scrunchie. She always made time for people, no matter how chaotic things got.

Afterward, they grabbed smoothies and found a quiet bench near the fountain. Esli finally pulled her hood down, sipping her drink and leaning back.

“I miss doing stuff like this without everyone watching,” she said quietly.

Jake glanced at her. “Yeah, well, that’s what I’m here for. I’ll always just see you as the annoying sister who steals my fries.”

Esli laughed, bumping her shoulder into his. “And I’ll always see you as the kid who used to cry over losing Mario Kart.”