Thorn between family, dreams and love

"You were born to stand out, so why try to fit in?"

As Sophie Isabelle Lemoine left her final class of the day, the words replayed in her head. Another academic marathon came to an end when the afternoon's last bell rang. Sophie didn't require anyone's approval because of her impeccable record. The only thing that mattered was her grades.

Her calculus teacher's voice called her name as she was about to leave.

"May I speak with you, Sophie?"

Her classmate was unable to refrain from making fun of her. "Oh no, Miss Perfect is in trouble now."

"Maybe she wants more homework to do," said another. The class erupted in laughter upon hearing this remark.

When the others had gone, Mr. Lefevre waved dismissively and said, "Don't mind them."

"I don't," Sophie said with a nonchalant shrug. Frankly, she was indifferent to the opinions of others. For her, school was all about grades.

Mr. Lefevre looked at her for a moment, a little surprised at her cool reaction. He cleared his throat and said, "Okay." "I've been reviewing your grades."

"Did I fail any?" Sophie felt a surge of panic, her heart palpitating. She couldn't recall the last time she had experienced such anxiety.

Mr. Lefevre laughed and said, "No, no, calm down." "Sophie, you're a flawless A+ student."

Sophie leaned against the desk and let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't recall ever finishing first in her class.

"But there's one problem," Mr. Lefevre added, his face growing grave.

Sophie's forehead furrowed. "What kind of problem?"

"You don't participate in any extracurricular activities."

"Extracurricular?" Confused, Sophie repeated. She had never really thought about them. The classroom had always been her focus.

He pushed a piece of paper in her direction and said, "Sorry, I mean, you don't have any extracurriculars or physical fitness." "You should be involved in other activities even though you're doing well in school. For your applications, you know."

Sophie looked at the list and scowled. "My condition prevents me from participating in any sports. The school is aware of that.

Mr. Lefevre nodded and said, "I'm aware." "You can participate in other activities, but I oversee the sports department. Music, debate... The list is lengthy.

Unimpressed, Sophie took a quick look at the paper. "Is this really necessary?"

"Yes," Mr. Lefevre firmly replied. "Simply having good grades is not enough for college applications. You'll want to participate, I promise."

She let out a sigh, feeling as though her academic life was crushing her. "How many do I have to pick?"

"Just one," he shrugged. "But it's okay if you want to pick more."

"One is sufficient." The paper was shoved into Sophie's backpack. "Anything else?"

He answered, "That's all," but before he could say another word, Sophie had already left the classroom.

Gérard, her driver, was waiting for her in the parking lot, so she left the car and went into the hall. As she walked toward him, she forced a smile.

"Hey, Gérard," she said to him. As usual, he nodded and opened the door. Formality had always been the extent of their relationship. They were not close, even though he had been her driver since she was a young child. Although he was courteous, he remained quiet most of the time and only spoke when required.

"How was your day, Gérard?" In an attempt to break the silence, Sophie inquired.

He didn't say much. "All right."

With a sigh, she took out her journal and opened it. His silence was more reassuring than the sound of the pen on paper.

When Sophie and her mother, Catherine Lemoine, sat down to dinner later that night, the topic of conversation changed.

Sophie broke the silence by saying, "I was told I need to pick an extracurricular activity.

Her mother hardly raised her head from her plate. "You don't require one."

"I conveyed this to Mr. Lefevre, but he stated that since I don't participate in any physical fitness activities, I require assistance."

Still avoiding eye contact, Catherine said dismissively, "You don't need any of those time-wasting things." "They will only divert your attention from what you should be concentrating on."

Sophie exhaled in frustration. She was accustomed to her mother's limited definition of achievement.

Catherine went on, "I'll speak with your principal tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am," Sophie whispered. The conversation was slipping away from her. Things like extracurricular activities didn't matter to her mother. Sophie's grades were all that mattered to her.

Sophie tried shifting the topic in an attempt to defuse the tension. "In Chimie Avancée, I received an A+."

Her mother responded right away. She responded as she should have. I'm not going to spend money on you just to waste it."

Sophie's shoulders tensed, but she persisted in the hopes of receiving anything at all rather than a chilly reply. "Have you viewed the form I sent you about L'École de Paris?"

Her mother's glare pierced her. "Have you seen it?"

Sophie paused. "Yes, I did. I simply... forgot about it.

"Have you completed it yet?" Sharp as ever, Catherine's voice fell.

"Isn't it too early to apply to colleges?" Sophie's question was barely audible beyond a whisper. She was already overwhelmed, and it seemed premature.

Her mother curtly retorted, "It's never too early." "We must reserve your spot right away."

Sophie paused, doubt racing through her head. "What if-"

Her mother interrupted in a final tone, "Just fill out the form and send it to me." "Unless you're okay with me sending you to your grandparents."

The idea made Sophie shudder. "No, ma'am," she said hastily.

Her grandparents caused her a lot of trouble. Every visit felt like a questioning session. Sophie couldn't recall a moment when they hadn't made disparaging remarks about her. It was intolerable to consider spending even a day with them.

"Good," Catherine said contentedly. "Go study now."

Sophie let out a sigh. She had long since given up on expecting her mother to be warm in any way. Catherine never inquired about Sophie's well-being or whether she was pleased with dinner. It was all about what Sophie could accomplish, in her opinion.

Sophie visited the reading room-once her father's music room-after supper. Catherine had thrown out all the instruments following the divorce. Catherine could never tolerate them because they made her think of her ex-husband. Sophie had studied like there was no tomorrow for many hours in this room.

Disregarding the feelings, she sat down at her desk and concentrated on her books. A typical adolescent might be scrolling through social media, watching TV, or hanging out with friends. Sophie, however, was not like other children. She was too occupied to allow distractions. She didn't have any friends. Her life's mission was to excel at all costs.

A piece of paper slipped out from between the pages of her calculus book as she opened it. Mr. Lefevre had given her the list. Sophie gazed at 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 to control others. In the past, she had even been able to use Sophie's illness as a justification to remove her from extracurricular activities.

With a sigh, Sophie put the paper away. She wasn't going to deal with it tonight. She needed to study too much.

The words on the pages blurred together as she buried her head in her books once more. Her mind was racing, but she forced it to stop and concentrated on the arithmetic problems at hand.

It was just another evening of attempting to live up to unfulfilled expectations.