Stereotypes In High School

I stood outside the doors of the room the math competition was being held in. I was trying to mentally prepare myself for going inside but the thought of boys exceeding girls in math lingered on my mind. I had discovered a long time ago in America there were obvious sexist values and double standards. So to be the only girl on the math varsity team at my highschool is a bit of a challenge at times. I love math and solving problems as i would hum a tune to help me focus, but it was clear i was different and didn’t fit in. Being an outcast became the usual for me since it has been this way since i arrived to american schools which was when i was 9 years old. Math wasn’t something i planned on giving up on just because of my peers judgement but
Despite the weird stares i would get as i hummed “re mi la” to myself. other girls or “normal girls” were focused on their makeup and hair and practically every detail of their looks, while i was focused on trying to solve math equations . I never understood the need to worry about looks and found it hard to relate to other girls. There was this one time i overheard two girls talking, one girl asked her friend “should i get the violet or indigo dress” it was really bizarre to me because to me the dresses looked practically the same, both seemed to be simple purple dresses and i didn’t understand the true difference between the two but i guess to those girls their was a huge difference because they spent nearly an half hour debating about which one they should get. I shake the silly thoughts out my head and try to focus on my math, coming up with math questions and quickly answering them to the best of my ability. My focus was soon interrupted as heard a voice coming from down the
Chanming was the only other asian on the math team and he’s the only person i really talk to at this school
“I’m as ready as i will ever be” i say and give him a reassuring smile.
“Don’t let the others get to you, you're great” he says in attempt to boost my confidence.Even my own teammates resistente me just because i was a female. Chanming was my only supporter i had being that we come from the same background, he didn’t find me weird at all and he understood my struggles and always tried to calm my nerves just before a competition. Which i always seemed to needed because i was most nervous just before a competition. The pressure was high because it was like everyone expected flaw from me. I felt like if i made a mistake i would completely fail and everything would crumble and all their doubts would just be proven. Chanming notice the worry on my face.
“Seriously you need to relax you’ve done this billions of times before” he says i take deep breathe in hailing as much air as possible and then exhaling. Looks a chanming.
“Thanks i think i would have a break down if it weren’t for you” i say and smile. The rest of the team shows up moments later.
“Hey you better not mess this up for us” Henry said his voice full arrogance. I roll my