Betty stared at my name tag, then dropped her earring into the sink.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeah?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Her voice came out thin.<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA moment earlier, she\u2019d been smiling at me through the restroom mirror and telling me she loved my dress. Now, all the color had drained from her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m Leah. Remember me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Betty stared at my name tag.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nShe took one step back, then another.<\/p>\n
Before I could say anything else, Betty turned, rushed into the nearest stall, and locked the door.<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA few seconds later, I heard her crying.<\/p>\n
I stood beside the sinks and looked at my reflection.<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nTen years earlier, Betty had been the reason I avoided mirrors.<\/p>\n
Now, she couldn\u2019t look at me.<\/p>\n
I heard her crying.<\/p>\n
<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIf you\u2019d told me in high school that I\u2019d one day attend our ten-year reunion, I would\u2019ve laughed.<\/p>\n
Back then, I weighed more than 300 pounds.<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nI had severe acne, kept my head down, and spent most days trying to pass through the halls without anyone noticing me.<\/p>\n
It never worked.<\/p>\n
I weighed more than 300 pounds.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nPeople knew who I was.<\/p>\n
I was the girl who took up too much space in class photos, checked chairs before sitting down, and pretended not to hear the whispers behind her.<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t bullied every hour of every day. That almost made it worse because I never knew when the next comment would come.<\/p>\n
Betty was good at timing them.<\/p>\n
People knew who I was.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
She was beautiful, popular, and eventually crowned prom queen. She also knew how to make me feel invisible with a single laugh.<\/p>\n
Once, during lunch, I walked toward an open seat at her table.<\/p>\n
Betty placed her bag on it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cSorry,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re saving this one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor who?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re saving this one.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
She looked at my tray, then at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone who only needs one chair.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Everyone around her laughed.<\/p>\n
So did I because my only other option was to cry.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
After graduation, I realized I couldn\u2019t keep living that way.<\/p>\n
Everyone around her laughed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
At first, I thought losing weight would solve everything. Then I learned that a smaller body didn\u2019t automatically give you a louder voice.<\/p>\n
The change took years.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I learned to cook differently, started walking after work, and eventually joined a gym.<\/p>\n
At first, I barely made it around the block, and I assumed everyone was watching me.<\/p>\n
Most people weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n
I thought losing weight would solve everything.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Slowly, I stopped seeing myself through old eyes.<\/p>\n
By 28, I\u2019d lost 150 pounds.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
But the bigger change had nothing to do with a scale.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d learned to say no.<\/em><\/p>\n
I\u2019d learned to ask questions when something felt wrong.<\/em><\/p>\n
I\u2019d learned that confidence wasn\u2019t walking into a room without fear. It was walking in while fear came with you.<\/em><\/p>\n
I\u2019d learned to say no.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Then the reunion invitation arrived.<\/p>\n
I almost threw it away.<\/p>\n
For three days, the invitation sat unopened on my kitchen counter.<\/p>\n
On the fourth morning, my boyfriend, Andrew, picked it up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to go.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you haven\u2019t thrown it away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then the reunion invitation arrived.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to become a before-and-after picture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew set the invitation down. \u201cThen don\u2019t go for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho would I go for?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer landed harder than I expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen don\u2019t go for them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
A few days later, I bought a blue dress.<\/p>\n
On reunion night, I sat in Andrew\u2019s car and pulled the fabric over my stomach.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want me to drive around the block?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cWe can go home, Leah.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the bright entrance. \u201cI want to go in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can go home, Leah.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Andrew reached for his seat belt. \u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not pushing you.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
My fingers tightened around the dress.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know. I want to go in because I want to stop letting 17-year-old Betty decide where 28-year-old me is allowed to stand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Andrew nodded toward the door. \u201cThen let\u2019s get you inside before fear changes its mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened the door.<\/p>\n
At check-in, the woman found my name on the list, then looked up at me twice.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeah?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes widened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I just didn\u2019t recognize you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened the door.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Andrew smiled.<\/p>\n
For the first few minutes inside, no one paid much attention to me.<\/p>\n
Then a woman in a red dress bumped into my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, sorry!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cNo worries,\u201d I said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
She froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew smiled.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I studied her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her mouth dropped open.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeah?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah called two other women over.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cYou look like a different person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much did you lose?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cOne hundred and fifty pounds,\u201d I said carefully.<\/p>\n
After the fourth compliment, I said, \u201cI also learned how to change a tire last year, but no one seems nearly as excited about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne hundred and fifty pounds.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Sarah gave me a small, uncertain smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were always funny.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I wondered whether she really remembered that or had simply run out of compliments.<\/p>\n
The room started to feel too warm.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need a minute,\u201d I told Andrew.<\/p>\n
The room started to feel too warm.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cComfort, honesty, or five quiet minutes?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive quiet minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be near the desserts.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I headed for the restroom.<\/p>\n
That was where I found Betty.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
She stood at the mirror, adjusting an earring.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive quiet minutes.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ten years had changed her, but not enough to make her difficult to recognize.<\/p>\n
Her hair was shorter, and there were fine lines beside her eyes. However, she still carried herself as though the room would move around her.<\/p>\n
She glanced at my reflection.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat color looks beautiful on you.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ten years had changed her.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cI\u2019m Betty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled and returned to her lipstick.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone knows everyone tonight, I suppose.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cSomething like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
She capped the lipstick.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m Betty.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s strange, though. People walk in with new hair or clothes and expect us to forget who they were.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople change.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot that much.\u201d<\/p>\n
I met her eyes in the mirror.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe they want a fresh start.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Betty laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople change.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t erase the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cYou can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was when she noticed my name tag.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Now, she was crying behind a locked stall door.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
The old Leah would\u2019ve rushed over. She would\u2019ve knocked three times, apologized, and asked what she\u2019d done wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t erase the past.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This Leah turned on the faucet and washed her hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetty?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeah, I can\u2019t do this.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the one who ran into a stall.\u201d<\/p>\n
I faced the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease leave.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to ask three times. You can tell me, or I can leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stayed where I was.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The lock clicked.<\/p>\n
Betty stepped out with mascara smudged beneath her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy daughter is going through what I put you through.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a moment, I said nothing.<\/p>\n
The lock clicked.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cYour daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLayla. She\u2019s nine.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Betty gripped the sink until her knuckles paled.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has a thyroid condition. Her doctors are still adjusting her treatment, and her body changed before she understood what was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour daughter?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cWhat happened at school?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo girls started whispering whenever she walked past. Then someone edited her face onto a picture and sent it around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betty wiped beneath her eyes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cLast week, I found her cutting herself out of a class photo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My anger shifted, but it didn\u2019t disappear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened at school?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat those girls were jealous and probably insecure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t believe that.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Betty stared at me. \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you weren\u2019t cruel to me because you hated yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cMaybe you were insecure,\u201d I continued. \u201cBut you kept doing it because people laughed.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery laugh gave you attention, approval, and a place at the center.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betty\u2019s shoulders dropped. \u201cI never meant to ruin your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t ruin it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never meant to ruin your life.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cBut you made parts of it miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you hate me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
She flinched.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I got tired of giving you that much space.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betty reached for a tissue.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you hate me?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cWhen Layla asked whether I\u2019d ever treated someone that way, I lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI said no.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cThen your first apology isn\u2019t to me. I\u2019m truly sorry she\u2019s going through that. She\u2019s only nine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pushed open the restroom door.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeah, wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I stopped but didn\u2019t turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you speak to her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell her the truth first.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Then I walked out.<\/p>\n
Andrew was waiting near the ballroom doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look ready to leave,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you speak to her?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can get the car.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Through the glass doors, I saw Betty return to the room. She stood near the back, alone.<\/p>\n
I loosened my grip on my purse.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, wait. I\u2019m tired of leaving rooms so other people can stay comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
We went back inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m tired of leaving rooms.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Minutes later, the host tapped the microphone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe asked a few people to share one thing they wish they\u2019d understood at 18.\u201d<\/p>\n
A man joked about his haircut, and a woman mentioned ignoring her mother\u2019s advice.<\/p>\n
Then Betty crossed the room and took the microphone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish I\u2019d understood that popular people can be insecure too.\u201d<\/p>\n
A man joked about his haircut.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Her eyes found mine.<\/p>\n
She waited for me to rescue the sentence.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t.<\/em><\/p>\n
Betty inhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. That isn\u2019t honest.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The room quieted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was crowned prom queen ten years ago. Some of you remember me as confident, perhaps even kind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes found mine.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
A woman beside the stage shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I targeted someone because she rarely fought back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBetty, what are you doing?\u201d the woman whispered. \u201cWe were kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betty turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so was Leah.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
My name moved through the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetty, what are you doing?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
People turned.<\/p>\n
Betty continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mocked her body. I encouraged people to exclude her. I watched her pretend she couldn\u2019t hear us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her fingers tightened around the microphone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had attention, and I used it to make another girl feel small.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mocked her body.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cLeah, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one clapped.<\/p>\n
For once, the silence didn\u2019t feel empty. It felt as though the truth had finally taken up space.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
The host stepped forward, but I was already moving.<\/p>\n
My knees felt weak, yet I crossed the room before fear could talk me out of it.<\/p>\n
Andrew didn\u2019t follow. He knew I needed to do this myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeah, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
***<\/p>\n
Betty handed me the microphone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to say anything,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d I said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m choosing to.\u201d<\/p>\n
I faced the people I\u2019d spent years avoiding.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cI lost 150 pounds. I know that\u2019s what most of you noticed when I walked in, but losing weight didn\u2019t make me worthy of kindness. I was worthy of it then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m choosing to.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Someone started clapping.<\/p>\n
I raised my palm.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t. I didn\u2019t come up here for applause. I came because I spent years waiting for my life to start after I looked different. It didn\u2019t. My life started when I stopped asking everyone else for permission to exist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betty wiped her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t come up here for applause.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cLeah, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe you,\u201d I said. \u201cBut don\u2019t turn my body into proof that cruelty worked out in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
She lowered her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cThe girl you hurt didn\u2019t vanish because I became smaller. She grew up and built a life. Tonight, she chose not to hide.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeah, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The woman who had defended Betty folded her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all laughed at dumb things back then.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, but not all of us were the joke.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
A man near the dance floor cleared his throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember hearing it. I should\u2019ve said something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all laughed at dumb things back then.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Another woman nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI laughed once. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I handed the microphone back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not asking for a line of apologies. I\u2019m asking you to stop calling it harmless.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Later, I found Betty in the hallway, twisting a napkin between her fingers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you speak to Layla, please?\u201d she asked again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not asking for a line of apologies.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cNot until you\u2019ve told her the truth about us. That\u2019s my condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cAnd she chooses whether to meet me. You don\u2019t arrange my forgiveness through your daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betty nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll talk to her about confidence, school, and speaking up. I won\u2019t be used as a before-and-after lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t arrange my forgiveness through your daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cDo you?\u201d I asked. \u201cBecause an hour ago, you thought my smaller body was the happy ending.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right. I still had it wrong.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cTell Layla what you did. Then ask what she needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I won\u2019t ask you to forgive me tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell Layla what you did.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That mattered more than another speech.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
***<\/p>\n
Over the next two weeks, Betty met with Layla\u2019s teacher about the edited photo. After Betty told her the truth, Layla decided she still wanted to meet me.<\/p>\n
They met me at a coffee shop.<\/p>\n
Layla kept her sleeves pulled over her hands.<\/p>\n
Layla decided she still wanted to meet me.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cMy mom told me what she did to you,\u201d Layla said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat must\u2019ve been hard to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was. I got very angry with her.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cYou had every right to be angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betty swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat must\u2019ve been hard to hear.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cShe asked me why I lied. I told her I was ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Layla looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen she said you might understand.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cI understand what it feels like to think a picture can prove something bad about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened my bag and placed my school photo on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her I was ashamed.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s you?\u201d Layla asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cYou look sad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was, but I was also funny, loyal, and good at fixing things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betty reached into her handbag and pulled out a creased class photo. One corner had been cut away.<\/p>\n
Layla\u2019s chair scraped backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look sad.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI found it in your trash,\u201d Betty said. \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have taken it without asking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Layla stared at the missing corner.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I put it here?\u201d Betty asked.<\/p>\n
Finally, Layla nodded.<\/p>\n
The two photos sat side by side.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I put it here?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cHow did you lose the weight?\u201d Layla asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI changed my habits because I wanted to feel healthier. But I wasted years thinking my life would begin after I looked different.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat changed?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cI stopped waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betty touched the cut edge of Layla\u2019s photo.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re just jealous,\u201d she began, then stopped. \u201cNo. What they\u2019re doing is cruel, and I\u2019m going to help you deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI stopped waiting.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Layla looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor real?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor real.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I slid my photo toward Layla.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat girl deserved to stay in the picture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Layla pushed her own photo beside mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo does this one,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat girl deserved to stay in the picture.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
***<\/p>\n
When I reached my car, I didn\u2019t hide my old photo.<\/p>\n
I placed it on the passenger seat.<\/p>\n
For years, I had told myself that high school was in the past while carrying it into every room.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
Betty had once taught me to disappear.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
Layla reminded me why I never would again.<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n