The rock’s girl
1. The rock’s girl
Sophia walked through the crowded hallways of Oakridge High with her head held high. Her long, dark hair fell in waves down her back, and her schoolbooks were clutched tightly to her chest. She avoided eye contact with the clusters of girls giggling by their lockers or the boys who leaned casually against the walls, their voices loud and teasing. She wasn’t like them. At least, that’s what they said.
“The Saint and the Puritan,” they whispered when she walked past.
Sometimes they said it with a sneer, other times with mock reverence. The names clung to her, a mix of ridicule and disdain. She pretended not to hear. She was used to it by now.
Sophia came from a devout Orthodox Christian family of Middle Eastern descent. Her parents had raised her with strict values: no alcohol, no drugs, no dating until marriage. These principles were ingrained in her since childhood. To her classmates, this made her strange, even otherworldly.
Her only friend or colleague, as Sophia liked to call her was Lina, a fiery Ukrainian girl who had arrived at Oakridge a year ago. Lina’s family had fled the war between Russia and Ukraine, and though she had endured unimaginable hardship, her spirit was unbroken. She was bold, adventurous, and often baffled by Sophia’s quiet resolve.
“You’re wasting your youth, Sophia,” Lina said one afternoon as they sat together under an old oak tree during lunch. “You’re beautiful, intelligent. Why don’t you let yourself live a little? Make friends with boys and girls. Fall in love.”
Sophia smiled softly, biting into her apple. “You know why. My parents taught me that love is sacred, meant for marriage. It’s not something to be thrown around like a game. I respect that.”
Lina sighed, exasperated. “But it’s not just about love. Friendship! Connection! You can’t shut the world out forever.”
“I’m not shutting the world out,” Sophia replied calmly. “I’m just choosing to live differently.”
“Differently,” Lina echoed, shaking her head. “You mean alone.”
Sophia said nothing. She had heard it all before from her classmates, from teachers who tried to encourage her to join clubs or activities, and even from Lina. But what none of them understood was that she didn’t feel alone. Her
faith and the values instilled in her by her family were her foundation. They gave her strength when others sought to tear her down.
One Friday afternoon, a group of girls from Sophia’s class decided to test her resolve. They approached her in the library, where she was studying for an upcoming chemistry test. The leader of the group, Emily, had a smirk on her face as she leaned against the table.
“Hey, Saint Sophia,” Emily drawled, her tone sugary sweet. “We’re having a party tonight at Jake’s house. You should come. Lots of people, lots of fun.”
Sophia didn’t look up from her notebook. “No, thank you.”
“Oh, come on,” another girl chimed in. “Don’t be such a prude. You might actually enjoy yourself.”
“I don’t drink,” Sophia said simply.
Emily’s smirk widened. “Of course, you don’t. You’re too perfect for that, aren’t you? Too pure.”
The girls burst into laughter, their mocking voices ringing out across the quiet library. Sophia felt her cheeks flush, but she kept her composure.
Lina appeared moments later, her sharp blue eyes scanning the scene. “What’s going on here?” she demanded, stepping protectively between Sophia and the group.
“Nothing,” Emily said with a shrug. “Just inviting your friend to loosen up for once in her life.”
“Yeah, right,” Lina snapped. “Why don’t you mind your own business?”
The girls exchanged a few more snide remarks before finally leaving. Lina turned to Sophia, her expression softening. “You okay?”
Sophia nodded. “I’m used to it.”
“That doesn’t make it right,” Lina muttered, sitting down beside her. “They’re just jealous, you know. You’re stronger than all of them combined.”
Sophia smiled faintly. “Thanks, Lina.”
Despite her outward calm, the incident stayed with Sophia. She lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling of her room. A part of her wondered if she was doing the right thing. Was she really strong, or was she just afraid? Afraid of breaking the rules, of disappointing her parents, of stepping outside the boundaries she had always known.
She thought about Lina’s words, about the laughter of her classmates. Doubt crept in, but she quickly pushed it away. She trusted her upbringing, her beliefs. They had carried her this far, and she wasn’t about to abandon them now.
The next morning, Lina showed up at her door, unannounced but welcome as always. “I’ve decided we’re going out,” she declared.
“Out where?” Sophia asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Just to the park,” Lina said with a grin. “Don’t worry, no wild parties. I promise.”
Sophia laughed despite herself. “Fine. Let me grab my jacket.”
As they strolled through the park, Lina spoke about her life in Ukraine before the war, her friends, her family, the bustling city streets she missed so much. Sophia listened intently, grateful for the glimpse into a world so different from her own.
“You know,” Lina said after a while, “I admire you, Sophia. Truly. You stick to what you believe, no matter what anyone says.”
Sophia looked at her, surprised. “I thought you thought I was too strict, too... rigid.”
“I do,” Lina admitted with a chuckle. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t respect you. You’ve got more guts than most people I know.”
“Thanks, Lina,” Sophia said, her voice soft. “That means a lot.”
Over time, Sophia and Lina’s friendship deepened. They were an odd pair—the devout Orthodox girl and the free-spirited Ukrainian—but they balanced each other in ways neither could have anticipated. Lina taught Sophia to be more open-minded, to see the world beyond the narrow lens of her upbringing. And Sophia, in turn, showed Lina the strength that came from unwavering faith and
conviction.
In the end, the names they called
her didn’t matter. She wasn’t just “The Saint” or “The Puritan.” She was
Sophia—faithful, strong, and unshakably true to herself. And that was
enough.
Sophia never did attend any wild
parties or drink alcohol. She never dated a boy from her school or let peer
pressure dictate her choices. But she found something far more valuable: a
friendship that transcended differences, a bond built on mutual respect and
understanding.
The ridicule from classmates didn’t
stop, but Sophia found it easier to bear with Lina by her side. She learned
that being different wasn’t a weakness but a kind of quiet power. And though
she still adhered to her beliefs, she began to understand that true strength
lay not in isolation, but in the courage to be herself, no matter what.
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