Invisible

The hum of the car as it hurled itself along the empty road was obsolete, though in a silent car it would have been deafening. Sophie would have been content to just sit and listen to the sounds of life, or to silently observe the passing landmarks, however Elaine had another plan. Elaine never had been someone to sit still, and she, being quite obviously Type A, had always been the first to initiate, and likewise end conversation. While the girls were noticeably different, with people often wondering how on earth they could stand each other, they also had a lot in common. Each liked to read, sing, and do other normal seventeen-year-old girl things, but their most important similarity, at least in their minds, was their ability to talk about anything, no matter how trivial or private it may have been.
Sophie let her long black bangs fall into her eyes as she stared longingly onto the terrain outside her window. This area was known for its dry, hot desert, and the road they drove along was no different. Sophie noticed the heat visibly rising off the horizon, and then fell into her habit of focusing on an object in the distance, and watching it until it passed behind them, disappearing from view. It evaporated from her memory as fast as the water on those hot days, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she, quiet little Sophie, also vanished from the memory of the people she had met throughout her life. She turned towards the driver’s seat, looking at Elaine, who was still blabbering on about her week. Sophie wasn’t interested, and didn’t pretend to be, but that was another great part about the friendship they shared; they never had to do, say, or listen to anything they didn’t want to.
Elaine was absentmindedly talking about nothing. She turned to glance into the rearview mirror at her reflection, and practiced fluttering her long eyelashes on her big blue eyes that were caked in make-up. Today was the last day of her junior year, and she intended on it being special. Senior year would be surrounded with college preparations and straight-A’s and accelerated coursework, but before any of that, she was going to have some fun. Despite being a partier, she was also an all-around good-girl, never really getting into any trouble except when her sometimes tactless self got into tiffs with other girls at the school. Sophie, too, was a ‘good kid,’ though not everyone knew it. Sophie was too non-verbal for anyone other than Elaine to really know anything about her. How Elaine and she ever became friends was beyond anyone that knew the two of them.
When they arrived at their destination twenty minutes later, Elaine leapt from the car, grinning like a little girl that had just received the pony she had always wanted. Sophie simply got out of the car, in her normal way. The other people that were arriving at the party smiled and waved when they saw Elaine, but Sophie felt as if she were invisible. She blended so well into the surroundings that she could have just ascended into the sky without anyone really noticing. She knew it would be ‘that’ kind of night. The sort of night when people like her came to parties, but only because someone had refused to show up without them.
Sophie knew other girls at the high school found her strange. She was silent, rarely speaking in class unless called on. No one recalled her speaking in front of a class, though when one thinks about it, she must have done so at one point in time. In fact, she had given speeches on many an occasion. No one ever seemed to remember Sophie, even as she stood right in front of them. A chameleon, her father had called her as a child, it seemed her skin could transform into the hues around her.
As the night progressed, Sophie felt more and more alone. As her classmates ran around and acted as if nothing else mattered, she sat alone in a dark corner, slowly sipping the wine cooler she had been handed by Elaine only thirty minutes before.
“Loosen up!” Elaine had told her, “Enjoy yourself!” Elaine loved Sophie as a mother loves her daughter, but not even Sophie’s somber attitude could prevent anyone from having a good time tonight. If Sophie wanted to sit alone in a corner all night, let her.
Sophie had, of course, resented Elaine trying to tell her to behave differently. After their six years of friendship, hadn’t Elaine learned by now that Sophie wasn’t going to change? The loud rhythm of the music throbbed in her ears, as if they were trying to drum out the tune. People were, it seemed, dancing in slow motion, and Sophie marveled at the sight. She stared at Elaine, dancing in the center surrounded by five or six guys, her tight ocean blue mini dress hugging her curves in all the right places. Sophie knew that no one could forget Elaine, not even if they wanted too. They were complete opposites, and Sophie had to get out of there.
Elaine walked onto the front porch at one o’clock that morning, mumbling under her breath, angry at the missing Sophie.
“I think I saw her walk outside hours ago, but I can’t be sure.” One of the boys had told her. Elaine glanced around, and not seeing her in the front, walked around the back of the house. Sophie was no where too be seen.
“Sophie, this isn’t funny. Come on, we need to get home.” Elaine yelled. She didn’t have time for this. It was at least a half hour drive home, and she was already an hour late. She walked a little farther into the back yard, distancing herself from the house. The air was getting cooler, as it often did on desert nights, and Elaine shivered in her strapless dress. A wind blew, hitting her in the face.
Sophie had walked outside that night, trying to get a breath of fresh air. She was tired of always being the one no one thought about, the one no one cared about. What if, she thought, I just disappeared and didn’t go back tonight. She laughed it off, but in the back of her mind, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t do it. She sat on the deck, thinking of what it might be like to not exist, wondering if anything would really have changed if she had never been born. It wasn’t long before the night time chill enveloped her, and she traced her name in the dust near the house, waiting for Elaine to emerge. She saw her, a few minutes later, looking angry and fiddling with her keys. She seemed to be looking for someone.
“Sophie…isn’t funny…need to get…” Sophie heard her call out, but it was faint, some of the words getting lost on the long journey to Sophie’s brain. Sophie tried to respond, but suddenly her throat clamped up, and though her lips and tongue moved to form the words, nothing came out of her mouth. She was sure Elaine looked directly at her twice, but for some reason, Sophie couldn’t be seen. What was happening? Sophie tried to move, but her feet seemed rooted to the spot. She watched Elaine as she came nearer and nearer, looking desperate and growing fearful for her missing friend. Finally Elaine stood right next to Sophie, her face only inches away, and still, Elaine seemed to be unaware of her presence. In one last, desperate attempt to get the attention of her best friend, Sophie blew into the face of Elaine, which only made Elaine’s eyes water. After a life of thinking she was as transparent as glass, Sophie finally felt the harsh breath of invisibility.
Elaine, startled by the sudden breeze, dropped her car keys on the ground beside her. She was starting to wonder what she was doing out there in the first place. She realized that she was looking for someone, but for who? Bending down, she saw the name SOPHIE drawn carefully into the dust. As she lifted her keys, the word, the only reminder of Sophie, slowly vanished letter by letter.