Thorn between family, dreams and love

stand out, so wh

her academic marathon came to an end when the afternoon's last bell rang. Sophie didn't require

voice called her name a

ak with yo

in from making fun of her. "Oh no

," said another. The class erupted i

. Lefevre waved dismissively

Frankly, she was indifferent to the opinions o

rprised at her cool reaction. He cleared his throat

, her heart palpitating. She couldn't recall t

"No, no, calm down." "Sophie,

out a sigh of relief. She couldn't re

m," Mr. Lefevre added,

furrowed. "What

ate in any extracur

ed. She had never really thought about the

ve any extracurriculars or physical fitness." "You should be involved in other act

condition prevents me from participating

articipate in other activities, but I oversee the sp

quick look at the paper.

ng good grades is not enough for college applic

ugh her academic life was crushing

d. "But it's okay if y

per was shoved into Sophie'

ore he could say another word, Sop

rking lot, so she left the car and went into the

extent of their relationship. They were not close, even though he had been her driver since she was a y

" In an attempt to break t

say much.

d opened it. His silence was more reassu

emoine, sat down to dinner later that n

ying, "I was told I need to pi

her head from her plate

d that since I don't participate in any physi

don't need any of those time-wasting things." "They will only

e was accustomed to her mother's

I'll speak with your

way from her. Things like extracurricular activities didn't mat

an attempt to defuse the tension. "

ponded as she should have. I'm not going

of receiving anything at all rather than a chilly reply. "

e pierced her. "H

s, I did. I simply

yet?" Sharp as ever,

s question was barely audible beyond a whisper. Sh

t's never too early." "We must

bt racing through

ll out the form and send it to me." "Unless you'

shudder. "No, ma'am

ng session. Sophie couldn't recall a moment when they hadn't made disparaging r

said contentedly

rm in any way. Catherine never inquired about Sophie's well-being or whether she wa

all the instruments following the divorce. Catherine could never tolerate them because they made her

lling through social media, watching TV, or hanging out with friends. Sophie, however, was not like other children. S

the page for a while. She was confident that her mother would exert every effort to rescue her from this situation. Her mother was always able

y. She wasn't going to deal with it t

in her books once more. Her mind was racing, but she forced i

of attempting to live up t