𝐔𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍, 𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜

one.

      EDITH LEFEBVRE took another puff of her cigarette. Leaning against the wall of Voltaire High, she watched as people were passing by. She had only seen a couple of girls, the rest were just boys. She knew they would be very few girls but she still hoped for more than that. She was a little nervous about going inside. She wasn't afraid of classes, she was a pretty good student actually, but she felt like she didn't fit in.

       First, there were the boys. Rude, mocking and above all, obsessed with girls. She couldn't really blame them though. This was the first year Voltaire High would be welcoming girls. But that didn't make it any less embarrassing for her.

       Then there were the girls in question. Pretty, elegant, and well dressed. The complete opposite of Edith. Her family was poor and she was the only girl of four children. Dresses were too expensive, so Edith didn't have any. She only wore her brothers' old clothes. The girls she saw passing by were all wearing pretty dresses and cute ribbons in their hair. Edith was wearing brown pants and a white shirt. How could she feel in her place among all the other girls?

      Her twin brother had already found his friends and did not hesitate to abandon his sister in front of the entrance. Don't get me wrong, they got along very well. Only Edith didn't want to go into the school straight away so her brother simply went first. They had requested to be in the same class but nothing had been confirmed to them. She really hoped that their request had been taken into account. Having her brother with her would make everything so much easier.

      She realized that she had finished her cigarette. She didn't feel any more ready than before but she knew that now was not the time to back down. She dropped her cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with her heel. She raised her head. Now she had to go. She pulled the strap of her bag back over her shoulder and took her first step into the school.

       She immediately felt eyes turn towards her and heard the discussions fade away. She didn't know if the stares on her were because she was a girl or because she was a girl wearing pants. In both cases, she wasn't comfortable.

       Lucky for her, the bell soon started ringing and all the students gathered in the center of the courtyard to hear the dean's speech. Edith stood a little aside, not wanting to attract attention or be bothered.

      "Welcome to Voltaire High School. The next three years will shape the rest of your lives. In 40 years, you'll still remember some of your teachers. Some of your essays in philosophy will remain etched in memory. Some of the students around you here today will become lifelong friends. Before I let you go with your homeroom teachers, I'd like to remind you that this year, we're welcoming girls to this school. Gentlemen, I expect you to... to be as polite, respectful, magnanimous and dignified as I know you can... when on your best behavior."

       Everyone chuckled at his comment and he let his place to a surly-looking woman who called the first class. Edith was in it, but not Thierry. The pair shared a look through the crowd. While the other teachers were still making the roll call, the twins pushed their way through the people to get closer to each other.

       "We're not in the same class. What are we doing?" Edith asked.

       "We're going to see Bellanger to see if you can switch classes." replied Thierry.

        His sister nodded and they waited until the roll call was over and the classes dispersed to follow the dean to his office.

        Thierry called out to him. "Mr. Bellanger! We need to talk to you!"

        "What are you doing here? You both should be in class." the man with glasses told them.

       "Yes but— this is my sister Edith." Thierry nodded towards the redhead. "We asked to be in the same class but we got separated."