Chapter 1 : Dear diary
Dear Diary,
Have you ever looked back at your life and wondered if everyone else knew who you were... except you?
Because that's exactly how I feel.
When people think about Westbridge High, they remember the Top Three.
Not the student council.
Not the valedictorians.
Us.
Sofia.
Sonia.
And me.
Sophia.
Or rather... Sophie.
The three girls everyone wanted to be, everyone wanted to date, and everyone was too scared to offend.
People called us "the queens of campus."
Others preferred "the three bitches."
Neither bothered us.
At least, not back then.
Sofia was the star everyone expected her to be. She had been winning debate competitions since middle school, and somehow she still had time to captain the math team. Watching her argue was like watching a lawyer destroy a witness. She always knew the right thing to say.
She was also dating Ethan, the captain of the soccer team. Together they looked like they had walked straight out of a teen drama. They were the school's golden couple, and honestly, nobody could imagine them apart.
Then there was Sonia.
Beautiful. Graceful. Brilliant.
She was our head cheerleader, but that wasn't even what made her famous.
Painting was.
Her artwork had won more awards than I could count. Galleries wanted her pieces before she had even graduated. She saw colors where everyone else saw empty walls.
She met George in an after-school art class.
He was an upcoming musician with an old guitar, messy hair, and dreams far bigger than his wallet. They fell in love over paint stains and unfinished songs.
It was disgustingly cute.
Looking at them, I honestly believed soulmates existed.
And then...
There was me.
If someone asked what Sophie was famous for...
I wouldn't know what to answer.
Sure, I had good grades.
I was on the student council with Sofia and Sonia.
Teachers liked me.
Students knew my name.
But if you asked them why...
Would they have an answer?
Sometimes I wondered if I was only standing under their spotlight.
The girl who happened to be friends with Sofia.
The girl who happened to grow up beside Sonia.
The third member of the Top Three.
Nothing more.
People smiled at me.
Invited me to parties.
Asked for selfies.
Whispered my name in hallways.
But did anyone actually see me?
Even I wasn't sure.
I laughed when everyone laughed.
I wore what was fashionable.
I smiled for every picture.
I acted confident.
Maybe if I pretended long enough, I'd eventually believe it.
But every night...
I'd open this diary.
And the girl writing inside these pages wasn't the confident Sophie everyone admired.
She was confused.
Lost.
Afraid.
I had spent so many years being part of "us" that I never stopped to ask who "I" was.
Maybe that's why life has a funny way of forcing us to find the answers we've been avoiding.
Looking back now...
I think high school wasn't where I found myself.
It was where I lost myself.
And this diary?
This is the story of how I finally found my way back.
