Nobody spoke.
“I was so scared to tell you,” she whispered. “I thought you’d look at me differently.”
“Lily.” I held her face in my hands. “You don’t have to have all the answers at sixteen. But you do have to answer for how you treat people. What you did to Annie was cruel.”
She flinched.
“We’ll deal with it together. At home, at school, and with Annie. You don’t have to run away for that.”
She nodded against my palms and finally let me take the bag from her shoulder.
“You don’t have to have all the answers at sixteen.”
That morning, I learned how easily a child can hide a whole life when she’s afraid the truth will cost her your love. Being close to your kid isn’t knowing everything about her. It’s making sure she’s never afraid to come to you when the truth is at its worst.
