Growing Up

Chapter 1

Her whole life, Sophia Hargitay, grew up in her mother's shadow. She never really knew how to be her own person because she was too busy trying not to get into trouble and tarnish her mother's famous name. Sophia only knew how to be quiet and well behaved, because when she did get time with her mother, it was late and her mother was exhausted from taping SVU all day. She just wanted to have a few good hours with her mother before she had to go to bed. She couldn't remember a time when she woke up and her mother was waiting for her. Her mornings were always lonely and without her beloved mother.

Her father was another story. Because she never met him. Something happened between him and her mother and when she was born, he wasn't around and never has been.

Now, at 15, Sophia is almost silent. She isn't as beautiful as her mother, or at least she doesn't think she is. She has to wear glasses 24/7, and she is forced to have braces, and all she does is read and do homework.

"Alright, Rish, we are on set in five minutes." Danny Pino spoke, as he walked into Mariska's trailer. Sophia hadn't even been noticed by her mother, and they've been in the same room for nearly two hours.

"Okay, I just have to call Sophia and see if she went home." Sophia's mother sighed, and Danny looked around and smiled.

"Hey there, Soph. How are you today, kid?" Danny asked, and Mariska turned around quickly to see her daughter sitting in the corner, a book in her hands.

"I'm okay," Sophia whispered.

"I didn't know you were still here. Uh, are you going to go home or stay until I'm off?" Mariska asked her daughter.

"Do you want me to leave?" Sophia whispered.

"What?" Mariska questioned because she couldn't hear what her daughter was saying. She knew that her daughter was quiet, but as the years went on, Sophia got even quieter.

"I think she wants to know if you want her to leave." Danny frowned.

"No, it's okay. If you want to go home you can, but if you want to stay you can." Mariska spoke, as she stood and grabbed her fake gun and badge.

She left her trailer without saying another word to her daughter. Sophia frowned deeply, as she stood and started to pack up her items. She tucked everything into her backpack, before tossing it over her shoulder.

"I guess I'll be seeing you at home, Mom."

===

Sophia went home and since the housekeeper was busy doing laundry, Sophia made herself dinner. She made extra and sat the bowl of pasta on the counter with a note for the housekeeper so she could help herself.

Sophia went into the living room and watched her mother on SVU because that was really the only time she saw her. She watched an episode before taking her bowl into the kitchen and washing it. She put it away and then went out and headed up the stairs to her room. She opened the door and shut it before going over and opening up her laptop. She knew there were no messages from any of her friends because she had no friends. She just started to scroll through some random pages, before giving up and heading to her bed. She laid down on her back and looked through the skylight. She could see as the stars twinkled, and for once they looked brighter than the star that is her mother.

"I just wish that I was important to her, as her stupid show is..." Sophia whispered, as she slipped her glasses off and set them beside her. She ran her hands over her cheeks as she started to cry.

No one knew how dark her life was. No one knew that she cried herself to sleep every night. She knew that she wasn't wanted by her mother, and that clearly she wasn't wanted by her father either. She felt like there was never going to be a happy day. Her mother forgets her birthday every year, and Sophia has to go to all of her appointments alone and all of the important meetings or art shows at the school, her mother never went to any of them.

She didn't have her mother. Her father. Or any friends at all.

===

Mariska finished taping for the night and she went back to her trailer. She opened the door and sighed as she slipped her boots off. She knew that she had an early morning ahead of her, so she decided that she'd just stay here tonight.

"Sophia, are you going to bed soon?" She asked as she ran her hands through her hair.

"What?" Mariska sighed. Her daughter barely talked above a whisper, and now she couldn't even hear her.

She looked around the room and saw that her daughter wasn't even here. She sank down onto her bed and she frowned.

She didn't even notice that her daughter wasn't even here anymore. And she didn't even want to go home to her. It was always like that. She loved her kid, but she didn't spend time Sophia in the best of ways. And once Chris just up and left one day, she had a hard time looking at her daughter anymore.

===

Sophia woke up to her alarm and went straight into the bathroom. She showered and got ready for school. It took her a while, but eventually, she walked out of her room and headed downstairs. When she arrived in the kitchen, Donna, their housekeeper, was making her breakfast.

"I hope that you decided you wanted eggs because it's what I made." She smiled, and Sophia nodded.

"That's okay." She whispered. She walked over and sat at the table, and after a few moments, Donna sat down and they ate breakfast together. They were both silent, but Sophia preferred this over sitting in silence with her mother.

"Alright, now I'll drive you to school and then I'll see who will pick you up," Donna spoke, and Sophia shook her head.

"I can take the subway. I'll be okay." Sophia replied, just as quietly as she says everything.

"Are you sure?"

"It's not like my Mom will come to get me. So being alone is okay."