Maya looked down. “I didn’t really protect him. They still said things.”
Liam answered before anyone else could.
“You stayed.”
Those two words carried more weight than any speech an adult could have made.
Maya took the wrapped ponytails from her backpack and handed them to Noella.
“We don’t know whether the organization can use all of it,” I explained.
Noella held the bundles against her chest. “Even if they cannot, this gift matters.”
