Chapter 14:Keeping It Lowkey

Chapter 14: Keeping It Lowkey

As Andrean's small-scale efforts continued to gain traction, the school began to feel the effects. The charity events, the talent shows, and the little initiatives he'd put together were starting to make a difference. Yet, with each success, Andrean only felt more anxious. The excitement from his classmates, the increased attention from teachers, and the rumors spreading about his newfound wealth—all of it made him want to disappear into the background.

He wasn't looking for recognition. In fact, the more attention he received, the more he wanted to retreat into the shadows. But there was no avoiding it. His efforts were being noticed, and slowly, he was becoming the face of change in the school. Teachers started mentioning him in staff meetings. Classmates asked for his help, even for the smallest things. The school's principal, Mr. Lino, had even asked him to stay after class one day to talk about future collaborations.

Andrean couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

That evening, as he sat in his room, staring at his phone, he received yet another message. It was from Richard.

"Bro, there's a rumor going around that you're secretly some rich business mogul or something. What's the deal? How are you doing all this?"

Andrean groaned and leaned back in his chair. He had to be careful. Richard was his best friend, but this was one topic he couldn't discuss openly. Not yet, anyway. If he let the secret out, it would only lead to more attention, more questions, and the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself.

He quickly typed a reply.

"Just a little hustle on the side, nothing serious. Don't worry about it."

Richard didn't respond right away, but Andrean knew his friend well. Richard was probably already overanalyzing the message, trying to connect the dots. Andrean didn't want to lie to him, but there was too much at stake. Revealing the cashback system to anyone—even Richard—could lead to a chain of events that he wasn't ready for.

As if on cue, his phone buzzed again, this time with a notification from the school's event committee. They were asking Andrean to be the face of the upcoming charity concert, and the thought of it made his stomach turn. He wasn't ready to be in the spotlight.

He threw his phone onto his bed and let out a deep breath.

Andrean wasn't the kind of person who craved attention. His focus had always been on helping others, on making things better, but now, the more he helped, the more people wanted from him. He needed to get ahead of this before it spiraled out of control. But how?

The next day, at school, Andrean took a different route to class, avoiding the usual crowd that gathered around the entrance. He made a point to blend in, choosing to walk through the less-populated halls. He'd learned to master the art of slipping under the radar, and he was going to keep doing it. After all, it was his way of life.

As he made his way to his locker, he was stopped by two of his classmates, Mira and Paolo. They smiled brightly, clearly eager to talk.

"Hey, Andrean!" Mira said. "We were talking, and we thought it would be awesome if you helped us with the student council's new fundraising event! I know you've been doing so much already, but your ideas are really inspiring. We think you'd be perfect to help out."

Andrean's mind raced. The last thing he wanted was to be the face of another project. But how could he say no without drawing attention to himself?

"I appreciate it, really," he replied quickly, "but I've got a lot on my plate right now. I'm just helping out where I can. You guys should totally take the lead on this one."

Mira and Paolo seemed disappointed, but they nodded, understanding. "Of course, no worries! We'll figure it out."

Andrean quickly excused himself, feeling the weight of the situation pressing on him. The last thing he wanted was to get too involved. He was already pushing the limits of how much he could handle. Helping was one thing, but he didn't want to be the face of everything.

After class, Andrean sat at the back of the school courtyard, pulling out his phone to check for messages. Richard had messaged again, but Andrean didn't want to deal with it just yet. He needed to focus on keeping a low profile. The cashback system was his secret, and it had to stay that way.

Just as he was about to put his phone away, his screen lit up with an email notification. It was from a local business—a large chain of stores that wanted to partner with Andrean on a community project. They had heard about the school's fundraising initiatives and were eager to collaborate with him.

Andrean blinked at the screen. This was getting out of hand. If businesses were reaching out to him directly, it wouldn't be long before someone found out about the source of his wealth. He needed to take a step back and figure out how to handle all of this without losing control.

He closed his phone and stood up, taking a deep breath. The attention was becoming too much, and the secrecy was becoming harder to maintain. But Andrean had always known that helping others came with risks. He had chosen this path, and now he had to find a way to keep his balance.

The only thing Andrean knew for sure was that he had to stay lowkey. If he kept moving in the shadows, he might just be able to pull it off—no matter how much attention the world threw at him.