Special

First Day

At the Woods Academy for the Arts, everyone was talented and special, so Agatha wasn't quite sure why she was accepted. She could play the piano fairly well, but she didn't think that was enough to get accepted. When Sophie had pressured her to apply, she had thought that she would get denied, but when the letter came, she was suddenly good enough to go to the most prestigious art school in the state.

For as long as she could remember, Sophie had been the talented one. The special one. Agatha was always in the background, making Sophie look better. Agatha could play some instruments and she enjoyed making music, but Sophie was obsessed. Sophie wanted fame and fortune. She wanted the success that her mother never had. Vanessa pushed her to sing, paying for her voice lessons and never letting her have fun.

But one day, Sophie appeared on Agatha's door step. She said it was because Vanessa said she needed to show everyone that she was an artist with depth, but Agatha could see the loneliness in her eyes. They began to talk more and more, until Agatha could call Sophie her friend and Sophie could no longer pretend they weren't.

When Sophie first realized Agatha could play the piano, she was excited to say the least. In Sophie's mind, Agatha could make her a better artist and Agatha didn't mind doing something she loved with her friend. So everyday after school, they practiced. They had fun, but it was more than that, and Agatha soon realized that Sophie would leave her behind.

Last year, Sophie had been accepted into the Woods, and she didn't see the need to sing for Agatha anymore. They were still friends of course, because Sophie had become strangely attached to the weird girl next door, but it was different. Agatha missed her friend, so when Sophie said she should apply, she jumped at the opportunity. She filled out the application, submitted her audition, and waited, expecting a letter of denial. Who would want Agatha when there were so many Sophies in the world?

But last month, the letter came. She waited until Sophie came over and they opened it together. And it wasn't a refusal. She wasn't even on the waitlist. She was accepted. She had stared at the letter a few seconds, disbelieving, as Sophie danced around her. She got in. So now, after getting all her supplies and mentally preparing herself for a high school of people exactly like her best friend, she was almost ready. Almost. Maybe she would never be completely, but that didn't stop the first day of school from coming and her mother pushing her out the door.

---

"Must you dress like that, darling? You are trying to make a good impression, aren't you?" Sophie said when she opened the door to see Agatha waiting for her on the porch.

"Yes, I must. And no, I am not."

"Agatha, you're going to embarrass yourself. Why are you like this all the time?"

"Like what? Honest?"

"No, why are you so...so...well, you?"

"There's not much I can do about not being me. Come on Sophie, we're going to be late," and with that she turned and started walking towards school, Sophie hurrying after her.

"Wait for me, Agatha. Stop walking so fast, I can't keep up."

"Maybe you shouldn't be wearing heels. Not very practical, are they?" Agatha said, glancing over her shoulder and pausing to let Sophie catch up.

"They aren't supposed to be practical, Aggie. Fashion isn't about practicality, darling" she said with a flourish and a disapproving look. Agatha just sighed and kept walking. She didn't have time for her best friend critiquing her clothes today.

When they rounded the corner and she saw the school, everything seemed to slow down. She stopped walking and stared. How was it possible that this place would want her? How could they accept her? The girl who dressed in all black, only had one friend, and wasn't special. Everyone here was special, Sophie was special, all her friends were special, and Agatha just wasn't. The only things she had going for her was that she could play piano moderately well and she loved music, but everyone here could probably do that. What was she doing? Why did she ever think this would work?