Chapter 4: Friendship put to the test
922 Words
The class ended shortly after, and the teacher gathered his books and teaching materials before leaving the classroom.
The moment he was gone, the room instantly came alive. Conversations erupted from every corner as students formed different groups and cliques, chatting and laughing among themselves.
Now that the teacher had left, Sofia finally had the chance to properly introduce herself to her seatmate.
"So... hi," Sofia said with a friendly smile. "As you already know, my name is Sofia. What's yours?"
Her question caught the girl's attention, and she turned to face her.
"My name is Mirabel," she replied with a small smile. "And judging by my looks, I'm sure you can already tell I'm a nerd."
She gave a light, awkward laugh, hoping Sofia would understand what she was trying to say.
"Oh, that's cool," Sofia replied without hesitation, smiling warmly.
Mirabel blinked in surprise.
Cool?
Who actually thinks nerds are cool?
"Umm... thanks," she replied uncertainly, hoping Sofia genuinely meant it. If it was sarcasm, her already fragile self-esteem would completely shatter.
"But... you do know that no one really wants to be friends with a nerd, right?" Mirabel said quietly.
She wanted Sofia to understand what she was getting herself into. She had experienced enough disappointments to know how these things usually ended.
"Don't worry," Sofia said reassuringly. "I understand. Even though we've only just met, I can already tell you're an amazing girl."
Those simple words wrapped around Mirabel's heart like a warm blanket.
For a brief moment, she actually believed them.
Sofia didn't fully understand why Mirabel kept putting herself down, but she could already tell she was kind. To Sofia, that was more important than popularity.
Just as the two girls continued getting to know each other, a loud slam echoed through the classroom.
A hand landed heavily on their desk.
Both girls flinched in surprise.
Even the rest of the class glanced over for a moment before quickly returning to their conversations as though they were used to such scenes.
Following the hand upward, Sofia found herself looking at a girl loudly chewing gum.
"Hey, new girl," she said. "Why don't you come hang out with us?"
Sofia looked past her and noticed four girls standing behind her.
From the way they carried themselves, it was obvious this girl was their leader.
Turning back to face her, Sofia smiled politely.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm not interested."
The classroom suddenly fell unusually quiet.
Even Mirabel stared at her in disbelief.
"Hahaha!" one of the girls laughed mockingly.
"Wow. I don't know whether you're brave or just plain dumb. You literally rejected a golden opportunity."
Sofia remained calm.
"Well..." she began politely, "I don't really see a reason to join your group."
She glanced at Mirabel before adding,
"Unless my friend comes with me."
Her words made her intentions perfectly clear.
She wasn't interested in joining them if it meant leaving Mirabel behind.
Several girls exchanged confused looks.
Almost every girl in school dreamed of joining their clique.
After all, everyone knew their two unwritten rules:
First: You had to be exceptionally beautiful.
Second: You had to come from a wealthy family.
Judging from Sofia's appearance alone, she easily qualified.
Yet...
She had refused.
"Hey..." Mirabel whispered nervously, gently tugging at Sofia's sleeve.
"I think it'd be better if you joined them."
Sofia turned toward her and whispered back.
"No."
"I'd rather be your friend."
She smiled softly.
"And besides, I like peace and quiet—not popularity."
She glanced briefly at the group of girls.
"And I can already tell they're more interested in popularity than genuine friendship."
Mirabel felt her eyes sting with tears.
For the first time in her life, someone had chosen her first.
Other than her family, no one had ever willingly stayed by her side.
Most people eventually left once someone more popular came along.
But Sofia...
She hadn't even hesitated.
Mirabel couldn't describe how happy she felt.
Not only had she made a friend, but she'd made one who was kind, sweet, beautiful, and incredibly smart.
During Arithmetic class, she'd secretly glanced at Sofia's notebook.
It was filled with neat notes, theories, and extra explanations.
From that moment, Mirabel knew Sofia wasn't an ordinary student.
The leader of the girls glared coldly at Sofia.
"Hmph."
Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked away, the rest of the girls following closely behind.
"Thank you, Sofia," Mirabel said sincerely after they were gone.
"I really appreciate you sticking up for me."
Sofia chuckled.
"What are friends for? Besides, why would I abandon you?"
Before Mirabel could reply, the school bell rang loudly.
"What do we have next?" Sofia asked.
"It's lunch break," Mirabel answered as she stood up.
"Come on. Let's head to the cafeteria."
The two girls picked up their bags and left the classroom together along with everyone else.
The cafeteria buzzed with conversations and laughter.
Students queued at the food counter while others searched for empty tables.
After getting their meals, Sofia and Mirabel spotted an empty table near the corner.
They placed their trays down and sat opposite each other.
As they began eating, Mirabel decided to satisfy her curiosity.
Taking a bite of her food, she looked up.
"So... what was your former school?"
Sofia smiled sheepishly.
"Actually... I've been homeschooled my whole life."
She scratched the back of her neck awkwardly.
"So this is my first time attending an actual school."
Deep down, she hoped Mirabel wouldn't think she was strange.
- Writer
