Bits And Pieces

Primary

Sophie hated crying.

She hated the feeling of her face heating up, her ears blushing red, the ticklish squeeze in her throat as tears rolled down her face. 

But when she came home after flute lesson that day, she rushed upstairs, tossed her flute case across her room out of spite, and sobbed into her pillows.

It was Rosaline again, with her snobbish, stuck-up attitude, and her snide remarks. She and her followers, always gossiping, always about her. Her hair, her face, her clothes. Sophie was so, so sick of everything.

Today was the last straw.

It was an after school club, flute lessons, and Sophie had always dreamed of becoming a renowned musician. She loved the flute, from the sleek shape it had to the heavenly melodies it made. She dreamed one day she would play a tune so beautiful, so heartbreaking to a worldwide audience, something that would bring them to tears.

Till then, practice, practice and practice. But of course Rosaline had to ruin everything. 

Rosaline was an angel to your face and a devil behind your back. She would console you after your fight with your bestie, a fight she had planned meticulously beforehand. She would spritz you some of her perfume so you wouldn't stink after P.E, and also ruin your cute blouse with mud. 

The teachers would never believed Sophie when she complained that Rosaline was the one who poured juice on her poster. The next day, Sophie found her pencils had been all snapped in half.

Rosaline hated Sophie. Sophie hated Rosaline. 

For today's lesson, they were supposed to learn a simple music sheet, like Jingle Bells, and play it in front of everyone. Sophie was hyped. She had been learning Frere Jacques for around 2 weeks and was positive she would get top marks.

Unfortunately.

Rosaline was such a sneak. Sophie wasn't sure how, but somehow, someway, her flute was clogged with gum and rubbish.

The minute she tried a single note, all that came was a feeble, hissy noise. It sounded like a bad case of tacos.

The whole class erupted with laughter. Even the teacher suppressed a smile. 

Rosaline laughed the hardest of them all.

Remembering it all, in such vivid detail, the shame. The humiliation. The anger.

The hatred burned. It burned so fiercely, Sophie couldn't take it anymore. With a shriek, she tore up the bedsheets, the pillows, her blanket. She swept aside all her books from the shelves. Tears flooding now, she stomped on her music sheets till her toes ached.

Rosaline had always hated Sophie from the very first day of Year 5. Sophie never knew what her deal was. Did they meet in a past life and crossed swords? Did her parents clash with Rosaline's at an interschool sportsday? Nope. So what on earth was her problem??

Maybe it was that Christopher-whats-his-name kid. Sophie had only heard her friends talk about him. She heard he was a close friend to Rosaline, but didn't act snobbish like her. 

A lot of girls liked him, Sophie wondered. Why? Because he's handsome? That's shallow.

Not that Sophie has ever met him. In fact, Sophie has never seen him before.

Well, whatever. There was this ridiculous rumour going around that Christopher had fallen head over heels in love with Sophie at first sight.

"Of all the people in the world!" Sophie exclaimed. She giggled. Mum knew, and found it,'extremely sweet' that someone has fallen in love with 'an extremely clever yet a bit salty little girl'. 

Sophie sighed. Tomorrow she'll deal with her bully and end her torments

Hopefully.