There's Always A Rainbow After Rain!

It was a wet and dreary Saturday afternoon. Juliette had just gotten back from her morning ballet class, and we had nothing to do. 


I should amend that statement. We had nothing FUN to do. Being enrolled in a boarding school means a pile of homework every weekend, and like every good student, Juliette and I are exceptional at procrastination. Which means that we'd put off lots of projects until the very last moment. 


"Oggi non voglio fare i miei compiti," I sighed aloud, closing my Italian textbook, "I want to go outside, not be stuck in here doing homework. Why does it have to rain on Saturdays?"

 "Aides-moi, Sophie. J'ai besoin de pratiquer l'anglais," Juliette looked up from her English homework, "Pourquoi est-ce que la grammaire de l'anglais est très difficile à comprendre?"


I stood up and walked over to my sister's side. Juliette was having difficulty understanding her English grammar homework. I could empathize with her, having been in her place several years ago. Of course, I'd had no one to help me, and I wasn't even great at French grammar. Science has always been my strongest subject, after all, not grammar. 


"Du moins l'alphabet est le même! L'anglais est plus facile que le russe," I mused. I tried to make her feel better by reasoning out that English had the same alphabet as French and that it was easier than a language like Russian, if you took that into consideration. 


"Je suppose..." Juliette nodded in agreement, before turning back to her English assignment. 

"Il pleut comme vache qui pisse aujourd'hui!" someone exclaimed, making me jump. Looking up, I was just about to reprimand whomever had decided to barge in without knocking, when I let out a small gasp instead. The girl standing before me laughed. Whether it was at her own statement or the act of taking me by surprise, I wasn't sure. "Eh bien, je pense que tu pourrais prendre la peine de dire bonjour," the girl said, when I didn't say anything. 

 "Bien sûr! J'ai pensé que j'ai vu un fantôme..." I trailed off, feeling my face redden slightly. 


"Un fantôme! Comme si je suis morte! J'ai dit que je serais revenue...et voilà!" The girl said, winking at me.

I couldn't avoid her. She was my best friend, for crying out loud! At least, she had been my best friend, and I knew we could easily pick up from where we'd left off in 2009, when I'd last seen her. I rushed over to her side and gave her a big hug, then switched to English, "Oh Nathalie, it is SO good to see you again! I just about DIED when I came back to Fair Hollow only to discover that you'd left without saying goodbye! I missed you SO much!"

Nathalie Caroline Thibodeau, my best friend, was from Montréal, Québec. We'd met in 2008 when we were both visiting Prince Edward Island. I'd convinced her to join me at Fair Hollow School for Girls, and the rest was history. We became inseparable very quickly. I was the Diana to her Anne, to use a metaphor from Anne of Green Gables, her favorite book. She taught me to ice skate, encouraged me to listen to Céline Dion's music, and was just there as a shoulder to cry on. She was pretty much devastated when I set out  to travel the country in 2009, and according to Chiara (our mutual friend), she wasn't the same while I was gone. She'd packed up and left for home last summer without so much of a goodbye. Of course, I felt like I'd deserved that, not having been such a great friend myself. I figured she'd never want to see me again, which made me feel worse. But here she was!

She smiled apologetically, "Oh Sally (her pet name for me), I'm so sorry! It's just that I had NO idea when you'd be back, and I missed my family SO much! I'm sure you can relate to THAT," she said, glancing at Juliette, "I NEVER intended to be gone forever. In fact, I told Chiara to tell you I'd be back. I'm sorry if I upset you. I hope we can pick up where we left off and still be bosom friends. I need my Sally, my Diana ... my Sophie!"

"Jillybean (my pet name for her), how could you think that I could stay upset with you?! Of course we can pick up where we left off. I'm just glad you came back! I honestly think I deserved losing you for a few months. You had to do without me for two years. With the way I treated you, it would've served me right had you never come back," I said a little guiltily.

  

"But, now that you're here again, I'd like to introduce you to someone, " I said, gesturing to Juliette. Now, finally, the two most important people in my life (save my parents, of course) will get to meet. "Nathalie, je vais vous présenter ma soeur jumelle, Juliette. Et Juliette, voici ma meilleure amie, Nathalie."

Nathalie turned to Juliette, "Je suis enchantée de faire votre connaissance, Juliette. C'est bonne que tu es ici. Je suis sûre que nous serons les amies rapidement." Juliette nodded in affirmation, and I knew that the two of them would be friends in no time at all. 

The obligatory introductions out of the way, I turned to Nathalie, with more important things to discuss. "By the way, Nathalie, whatever happened to your lovely long hair?!" I asked, reaching over to touch her shorter, reddish locks.


"Oh, I knew this would come up! THAT is a long story," Nathalie said, reddening slightly, "But I suppose I could retell it. It really is quite amusing, when you think about it. Shortly before I left Fair Hollow, I was suffering from low self esteem. I really didn't like how I looked. I wasn't even sure I wanted to be a redhead anymore. In fact, I wanted your dark hair! So, when I got back to Montréal, I bought some hair dye. Only I must've purchased the wrong color by mistake because my hair turned out GREEN!" At this point, Nathalie paused long enough to pull a photo out of her bag, proving the hair dye mistake. When she handed it to me, I stifled back laughter:

Nathalie shrugged, then continued on with her story, "It's alright, go ahead and laugh. Anne-Marie and Cécile, my sisters, wouldn't quit laughing for an entire week! Luckily, I'd done a horrid job trying to dye my hair, so most of it was salvageable. I could continue life as a redhead without walking around as a green-haired punk kid. Somehow I'd decided that life as a redhead was ten times better than life as a 'green-head,' and maybe that was because I watched Anne of Green Gables again, I don't know. Actually, I like my shorter hair. It is so much easier to take care of and suits my on-the-go lifestyle. I was really getting tired of that long, layered hair. And, maybe it's just me, but my shorter hair makes my eyes look greener, which I love."

She paused, then glanced my way, "Speaking of hair disasters, I see that I wasn't the only one having second thoughts about my hair color."

It took me a few seconds to figure out what she was talking about, but then I remembered the orange streak. "Oh, that! It's not real. It's just an extension that I put in because, frankly, I was missing you so much - as if wearing an orange hair extension would make you come back. Silly, I know, but apparently it worked," I laughed.

Nathalie walked around behind me, fumbled a bit with my hair, removing the hair extension. "Sophie, trust me on this, okay? You do not look good with red, or orange, hair. You look no better than I did with green hair. Well, maybe a little better, but your hair is way too gorgeous as is to modify."

"Yes, ma'am!" I laughed, pretending to salute her. Nathalie always did know how to keep me in line. I knew I would be much saner with her around. "To tell you the truth, I wasn't digging the orange hair anyway. Besides, with an orange hair extension, I can't be your Diana or your Sally! You're right, as usual. I like my hair as is. Dark hair suits me, like red hair suits you."

I paused for a moment, then turned around to face her, "Nathalie, I am SO glad you're back! Don't ever leave again, okay?

"Oh, Sophie, I won't. You have my word! Best friends forever?"

"Best friends forever," I said, really emphasizing the last word, "or, rather, bosom friends forever!" At that point, Juliette brought her camera over and took a photo of Nathalie and me together. If I'd have been in her place, I probably would've been jealous, but Juliette isn't exactly like me. She has her friends, I have mine, and sometimes we have mutual friends. I'm sure, as I said before, that Nathalie and Juliette will get along great in time.

Love,
(a very happy) Sophie

P.S.  I'd like to give a huge THANK YOU to The Doll Wardrobe for purchasing Nathalie's airfare! As Nathalie said, it was inevitable that she would've come back to Fair Hollow, but the amazing person behind The Doll Wardrobe really made it possible to expedite her return. :D

Isabel's Visit!

This past Sunday, Fair Hollow had a visitor: Isabel Cohen! Some of you might remember Isabel because she used to go to school here. Last summer, she applied and was accepted into another boarding school. She wasn't happy here and figured that she needed a fresh start. (Human Note: Actually, I decided to send her to my 6-year-old cousin for her birthday!).

Anyway, Fair Hollow held their annual post-Valentine's piano recital Sunday, and Isabel - once a piano student herself - decided to surprise everyone with a visit. We were all delighted to see her, especially me since I was still out traveling when she left. She's always felt like the little sister I never had.

After the piano recital, I invited Isabel up to my room. Juliette was off somewhere with some of the other girls, so it was just us. We hugged, excited at the prospect of catching up, but silly Isabel couldn't keep her eyes open. She admitted that she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, so I let her take a brief nap on my bed.

While Isabel was sleeping, I figured I'd take advantage of the spare time and do some homework. After booting up my laptop, I started work on my Reading Response questions. We are reading The Bell Jar in English class, and the teacher assigned us ever so many discussion questions to answer!

When Isabel woke up, I set aside my English assignment and sat up next to her on my bed. We talked about her new school, and she told me about how much she loves her teacher, Miss Maeve. I told her about visiting Inky in New York (Isabel has always admired Inky!) and going on a cruise to Alaska. I told her about how Juliette finally came to the States and how glad I was to see her.

Of course, we tried not to talk about how much we missed each other. Although she is very happy at her new school, Isabel did miss me, Anya, and - most of all - her very best friend, Susanna. Of course, I know how that is. I left many good friends and family members back in Paris! I miss them every day, as much as I love my life here. It's very normal - in fact, it's expected - to miss people, and I reminded Isabel of that. It just means that we have to visit each other more!

Later, Isabel and I decided to dress up and have dinner together in a fancy restaurant, before saying our goodbyes. Although it was a short visit, I really enjoyed seeing her. I hope we can visit again. I know I'd LOVE to visit the American Girl store with her someday.

Have you ever left a friend behind or had a friend leave you? Do you ever visit each other?

Sophie

An Unexpected Homework Distraction

It was a Tuesday afternoon, and I had finally gotten up the motivation to sit down at my desk, crack open a book, and start working on my Art History report. We had been asked to write a page about the artist of our choosing, and I'd picked Leonardo da Vinci, my very favorite artist. Problem was, I couldn't seem to get started! There were just too many other things that I wanted to be doing, too many distractions. The virtual cheerleading game on InnerStar University was beckoning to me, as if my computer was actually saying, "Oh, come on, Sophie, just one little game won't hurt!" I actually got as far as the Fun for Girls homepage when my conscience kicked in, pulling my attention from the delights of InnerStar U to the task at hand: this written assignment on da Vinci.

After I'd written a few sentences, I heard a knock on my door. Without turning around, I stopped writing and listened as the door squeaked open.

"Um, I'm sorry to disturb, but I'm looking for Sophie Moreau. Have you seen her?" The voice at the door was a little quiet, but unwavering and was in an accent I wasn't used to hearing. The strange thing was that I could've sworn I'd heard it before, but I couldn't place it.

I swiveled around, about to reprimand the obvious stranger from distracting me from my studies.

"Helloooo! Can't you see that I'm busy - " but one look at the girl standing in my doorway was enough to stifle the rest of my sentence. "Ce n'est pas possible," I muttered to myself, hardly daring to breathe, in case who I saw before me was only a figment of my imagination, or perhaps this was only a dream?

I wanted to get up and rush over to her, but for some reason, my body resisted. In an effort to stand up, I ended up sliding lower down the chair, and if

I hadn't caught myself just in time, I would have fallen flat on my butt!

The girl spoke, a little indignantly but not enough to raise her voice, "Eh bien, tu ne me reconnais pas? Je sais que nous n'avons pas vu l'un l'autre pour 5 années, mais sérieusement...? "

"Recognize you? Of course I RECOGNIZE you! I nearly fell off my chair because I recognized you! I mean, I just wasn't expecting you to visit. Quelle surprise!

Frankly, I wasn't sure you WOULD visit because of the way we left things between us when I left home...and, anyway, aren't you a student at the Paris Opera Ballet School? Surely they wouldn't just let you take time off, would they?" I asked, all the while still staring incredulously at the girl in front of me.

At first, I didn't think she heard me, but then I realized that she was crying softly. I could hear her shallow attempts at breathing through her sobs.

At last, she spoke,

"Sophie, ne sois pas idiot! J'adore le ballet, mais Sophie, tu es ma soeur jumelle, mon meilleure amie de la naissance. Je peux être une danseuse ici. J'adore mon école du ballet, mais j'ai besoin ma soeur. Tu m'as manqué terriblement!"

I was really touched by her choice of words, so touched that I was close to crying myself. The very fact that she'd chosen to come all this way just to drop in on me, after we hadn't seen each other in several years, was REALLY touching - let alone the fact that she'd apparently dropped out of ballet school because she missed me! Had she known I had been missing her like crazy over the past year in particular? Maybe we did have that telepathic connection we'd always thought we had?

After dropping her suitcase and purse on my bed, the girl carefully removed her sunglasses, wiping her tear-stained eyes with her sleeve. Still sniffling, she walked over towards me, where I had finally composed myself enough to stand up.

She continued, "J'ai pensé que tu as été fâché avec moi. Cela étant le cas, je n'ai pas écrit les lettres, et je n'ai pas téléphoné. J'ai pensé que tu as été dans une meilleure situation sans moi à limiter toi."

Oh, mon dieu! She HAD read my mind. But how could I tell her that things had changed? That my whole perspective on things between us was different now?

"Exactement. I was mad at you. I was so mad at you that I couldn't see straight, that I had to get away from you as soon as possible. And, even more than that, I was jealous. I was jealous of you because you got into ballet school, and I didn't. You seemed to be the apple of Maman's eye because of your accomplishment, while I was the loser who didn't get in. And, more than that. I just was tired of being a twin, being someone's clone. I didn't want someone to constantly compare me with you - someone so much better at EVERYTHING. I came to America, I took on a new identity ("Sophie Neveu"), and I tried to forget all about having a twin. But, it's different now. I've realized my rash decision was a stupid one, and I wish life gave us do-overs," I finished, wiping a tear from my cheek.

We hugged, and without pulling away, she continued (this time in English!), "But, Sophie, did you ever stop to think for a moment that I might feel the same way as you? That I might wish I didn't have a twin? But, the thing is, Sophie, we've got something that many people can only dream of having - we've got that specialness of being identical twins! Have you ever thought of using that to our advantage? And, sure, we each have our different strengths and weaknesses, but we can help each other, can't we? I can help you with your dancing, if you want, and you can tutor me - you're so smart in school!" she smiled.

Whispering into her ear, I apologize, "Je suis désolée, Juliette." At this point, it was impossible for me to try to hold back tears anymore, and I began to cry. Juliette hugged me tighter, soothing me until I calmed down (She was always good at that!). When we finally separated, we went over to sit down on one of the beds for a nice, long sisterly chat. We have a LOT to catch up on! We're going to call Maman and Papa later to tell them that all in well between us - they'll be glad to hear that!

So, everyone, that would be Juliette Adrienne Moreau, my twin sister. When I first came to America in late 2006, I wouldn't have admitted that I had a twin. In fact, I'd changed my last name to be sure no one would find out. But, since then, I've slowly come to realize how very wrong it was to deny her existence. I love her, I do. She'll always be my first best friend, the one I turn to before anyone else, even though I may have several other best friends scattered around the world. And, sure, we have a lot of issues to work out, no thanks to me denying her existence for about five years, but that's what therapy is for, right?

Is there someone in your life - a parent, a sibling, a twin, a friend - that you don't always get along with, but deep down, you know you would never be the same without her/him?

Thanks for reading this long entry!

Sophie

Les misères avec les devoirs...

Pourquoi je fais mes devoirs à la dernière seconde? Cette semaine a été "Spring Break," et j'ai eu beaucoup des temps à faire mes devoirs....mais pourquoi je n'ai pas finit avec mes devoirs sur le samedi avant les cours commencent encore? Peut-être c'est parce-que je suis paresseuse, mais peut-être c'est parce-que je déteste la géographie! Bien sûr, j'adore voyager à les autres pays, mais la classe de la géographie? Ugh. Bien sûr, je déteste la prof et cet projet! Si la géographie a été comme la mathématique ou les sciences, alors cet projet serait facile.

Why do I do my homework at the last second? This week was Spring Break, and I had a lot of time to do my homework...but why am I not finished with my homework on the Saturday before my classes begin again? Maybe it is because I am lazy, but maybe it is because I dislike Geography! Of course, I love traveling to other countries, but Geography class? Ugh. Of course, I dislike the teacher and this project! If Geography was like Math and the sciences, then this project would be easy.

Mon amie, Nathalie, est venue avec la cuisine chinoise. Elle est finit avec son projet de la géographie, mais elle a promis à aider moi avec mon projet...heureusement!
My friend, Nathalie, came with some Chinese food. She finished with her Geography project, but she promised to help me with my project...luckily!

I just hate how I save everything until the last minute. I don't want to, but then I end up watching TV, hanging out with friends, or anything other than doing what I should be doing. It'll be nice when I'm out traveling and free from responsibility...although my teachers have promised that I'll have some sort of assignment to do on my travels. Darn.

Oh, did you notice my glasses? Sometimes the computer screen hurts my eyes, so glasses help remedy the situation. I don't need them otherwise.

How do you like my new header picture? I think I like it much more than the last one, especially with the wicked sweet polaroid effect.

~Sophie

Ugh, italiano!

Italian is messing with me!  :0 I'm supposed to be fluent in French, but I'm losing my native language because I keep writing "for" as the Italian "per" and not "pour"! Arrggghhh!