I was sitting in the Board of Communications meeting room when she walked in, glared at me, and walked away with a smirk. Looking the other way, it was my goal not to make any more eye contact with Sophie for the rest of my time here.
“Soon you’ll be out of here and not around these stuck up people. Just keep the presentation short and simple.” I told myself as the lights were being turned off and everyone started to get quiet and sit down. I stood up and softly spoke while shaking,
“Hi. I’m Hannah,” I managed to say while looking down. Something doesn’t feel right I thought to myself. I was now feeling like everything got sucked out of me and I could feel my skin getting clammy.
“Are you okay”? Sophie laughed in a sassy tone. I needed to leave. I felt everything in the room and ran out before I could think about what everyone was thinking of me in there.
I ran into the bathroom, laid on the floor, and started to cry. Sounds of high heels were getting closer and closer so I quickly made myself shut up and not be seen. I looked at the red stilettos from under the stall.
“What a childish thing to do.” Sophie spoke.
“There’s no escaping her,” I thought to myself.
I sat up, wiped my nose and eyes, and marched out of the stall. Sophie started giggling and I tried to ignore it. I washed my hands at the sink behind her, not wanting to make eye contact. She started to open her mouth so I sped up and went out of the bathroom.
“She’s not even worth your breath.” I heard someone whisper. No one is around so it must’ve come from my head.
“Down here!” 
I heard the small voice again. I gazed down and saw a little girl laying on the floor with a baseball cap on.
“How do you not try to stick up for yourself?”
I didn’t know how to respond to a little girl who knew the biggest question I had about myself without even telling her.
“It’s complicated” I speak out, trying to avoid the conversation about Sophie that I knew we were going to have anyway. 
“Don’t let her keep treating you like this. Why not talk to someone about it? Why not leave if you are always miserable here? Why do you put up with this?”
Whoever this little girl is – she’s going far in life I thought to myself while starting to think about what she asked. Also, why is she in the hallway of the Communications Office?
“I don’t know. I guess I don’t like confrontation.” That’s the only reason I could come up with.
I started to walk away because I knew how pathetic I was looking in front of this 11 year old girl who is already so much wiser than me. She told me to hold on and she ran up to and stopped right in front of me, with me about to fall over on top of her.
“I know you are unhappy and I want to help you and I’m here for you.”
All I could do is smile and keep walking. Now thinking about how to end this Sophie flame.
The next morning at work I went up to Sophie, imagining that little girl on my shoulders, telling me exactly what to say.
“This needs to stop.” I said relatively loudly but then regretting the loudness because of all the eyes that are now on me.
All Sophie did was chuckle and walk away. I did the ‘little girl’ move and sped up to her and stopped right in front of her.
“What are you doing?” she asked in her usual sassy tone.
“I’m ending this. This whole thing with you getting to do whatever you want and I have to take in the hurtful things you say and do to me. I want it to stop.”
Everyone standing around gasped, shocked that I actually stood up for myself.
“Fine.” She spat while walking away with her now only friend in the office. I feel completed and proud. Others felt the same for me too.
I had to learn the hard way to not let people like Sophie affect me. People like her, people who like to bring other people down to make herself feel better. Life is so much better when you cut people out like Sophie. Don’t ever let anyone bring you down.