I went upstairs and changed into a soft blue dress Emily had helped me choose two summers earlier.
When I had tried it on, she had smiled and said, “You look like a mom.”
At the time, I’d laughed.
That afternoon, the words nearly broke me.
I drove to the school.
The auditorium was already filling when I slipped inside and took an empty seat near the back.
The choir stood beneath the stage lights.
There was Emily.
Third row.
Her short haircut fully visible.
Beside her stood another girl.
Maya.
I recognized her from Emily’s stories.
Then I heard whispering from the side aisle.
Three older girls were sitting together.
One whispered, “The gum should’ve been right at the roots.”
My stomach turned.
The concert began.
After the first song, Emily stepped toward the microphone.
Her hands were shaking.
“Recently, something happened to my friend Maya.”
Maya lowered her eyes.
“Some girls put gum in her hair. A lot of it.”
The auditorium became completely still.
“She was crying in the bathroom because she thought everyone would laugh when they saw her.”
I stared at Maya.
Then I looked closely at her hair.
Short.
Almost exactly the same length as Emily’s.
Emily continued.
“I called Grandma. She came and took us to a salon.”
My throat tightened.
