For the first time that day, her expression looked almost like the daughter I knew.
“Well, you do forget everything.”
“See?” Mark said to me. “Even my own child has joined the management team.”
Emily laughed.
It was brief and a little uncertain, but it was real.
And I found myself holding on to the sound.
The following Monday, Emily returned to school.
I drove her myself.
She sat beside me in silence, watching the buildings pass outside the window.
When we reached the school entrance, she didn’t immediately open the door.
“Mom?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“What if they start again?”
I turned off the engine.
“Then we deal with it. You tell us, we document what’s happening, and we work with the school. You won’t be expected to handle it alone.”
“What if they call me a snitch?”
“Then they can say whatever they want. Reporting harassment isn’t wrong.”
