Chapter 17

I graduated with honors.
My mother cried through most of the ceremony.
Ms. Alvarez cried too and denied it.
I received the arts scholarship publicly.
When I walked on stage, I wore the same repaired dance shoes.
Not because I had to.
Because I wanted to.
Afterward, a younger dancer approached me.
She was fourteen.
Tiny.
Nervous.
She whispered, “People hide my stuff too.”
My stomach tightened.
I knelt to her level.
“Tell Ms. Alvarez. Tell me. Tell your mom. And check your shoes.”
Her eyes filled.
“Will they believe me?”
I looked toward my mother.
Then Ms. Alvarez.
May you like
Then Alicia, standing near the back because she said she “just happened to be in the area,” which was a lie.
“Yes,” I said. “We will.”