The shrill blare of her alarm shattered the quiet, dragging a groan of pure annoyance from Sofía's throat as she blindly reached out and shut it off. Morning sunlight slipped through the narrow gap between the curtains, soft golden rays brushing against her bare arms as if coaxing her awake.
She yawned lightly, stretching before forcing herself upright and pushing the fluffy blanket aside. Leaving the warmth of her bed felt almost painful, but lingering wasn't an option. It never was.
With her hair a tangled mess, she padded into the bathroom and took care of her morning routine. A quick shower chased away the last of her grogginess, leaving her feeling clean if not entirely ready for the long, exhausting day ahead.
She was Sofía Ana Rodríguez.
Seventeen years old. A girl. Or, as her classmates liked to label her, a nerd.
She lived alone in the aging apartment her grandfather had left behind. It wasn't impressive by any stretch of the imagination, but it was hers and that made it home. Her bedroom was modest in size, with a double bed positioned in the center. A small study table occupied one corner, a cupboard standing close beside it. On the opposite wall sat a wide window, her favorite spot in the entire apartment, a couch tucked beneath it where she often found comfort staring out into the world beyond the glass. An attached bathroom old but functional came complete with a bathtub she was grateful for.
Just outside her room was a small lounge, an open kitchen stretching off to the left. A couch sat in the lounge facing a tiny table, and an old television rested across from it, relic-like but still working.
That was it.
That was her whole world.
Her parents had died when she was only thirteen. After that, her grandfather had been all she had left. He took her in, raised her, protected her until God took him too. She was sixteen when he died of a heart attack.
And just like that, she was alone.
Alone in a vast, unforgiving world.
It had been hard. It still was. But Sofía had learned to survive on her own. Her neighborhood wasn't safe in fact, it was notorious for crime and illegal activity but she reminded herself daily that at least she had a roof over her head.
Tying her hair into a ponytail, she slipped into her knee-length skirt and buttoned up her baggy shirt as coffee brewed. She drank it quickly, grabbed her backpack, locked the apartment behind her, and headed out at a brisk pace.
The area she lived in was no place for someone like her. A girl like Sofía was nothing more than a lamb among wolves.
By the time she reached the bus stop, her steps slowed and she bent slightly, catching her breath. Ten minutes later, the bus arrived, and she climbed aboard, heading straight for her usual seat third from the back.
As the bus rumbled forward, dread began to coil tightly in her chest.
She was a good student. No better than that. She was on scholarship, one of the top students at Domingo Faustino Sarmiento High School. That scholarship was everything to her. Without it, she wouldn't be able to afford the crushing tuition fees. With no guardian to stand behind her, her education depended entirely on her performance.
So she worked hard. Kept her head down. Tried to disappear into the background.
But it hadn't worked.
She had been noticed.
Her weight had been noticed.
And that was where everything began to fall apart.
For two years, she had endured relentless bullying from a group of wealthy students who thought the world existed beneath their feet. She knew she was fat that was why she hid beneath oversized clothes, hoping to escape their cruel gazes. But no matter how much fabric she wore, it was never enough.
They called her names. Mocked her openly. And at the same time, those same boys looked at her with unsettling interest, their stares crawling over her skin while the girls shot her looks sharp enough to cut.
She grew painfully self-aware. Tried dieting only to land herself in the hospital, sick and weak.
So she chose a different path.
She ignored them.
Their words. Their pranks. Their ridicule.
But they never stopped.
Now she was in her senior year.
Just one more year in this hell, she reminded herself. Then she would be free.
Letting out a quiet sigh, she stepped off the bus and headed toward the school. Her hands curled into tight fists when she spotted them standing near the main entrance, clustered together like predators waiting for prey.
For a fleeting second, she considered turning back.
But she wasn't a coward.
She endured them because they were rich because one phone call from their parents, who held power within the school, could destroy her future. And she had no one to protect her. No one to fight for her. Ignoring them had always seemed like the smartest choice.
Unfortunately, they rarely allowed that.
She quickened her pace, slipping alongside them, silently chanting, Please don't notice me. Please don't notice me.
Luck, as always, betrayed her.
A tall figure stepped directly into her path, forcing her to halt abruptly and stumble backward. She closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself before looking up.
Miguel.
Though in her head, she called him Jackass.
Without a word, she tried to move past him but he merely grinned and blocked her again. For him, this was entertainment. For her, it was humiliation wrapped in misery.
"Where do you think you're going, fatty?" Miguel sneered.