Why she had hidden her shoes.
Why she had looked at me as though I had betrayed her.
“He said you were being nice to my face because you felt bad,” she whispered. “He said eventually I would understand.”
Tessa began crying.
“I thought you were ashamed of me.”
I pulled her into my arms.
“No. Never.”
She stood stiffly for a moment before finally holding on to me.
Then she told me everything.
Colin had started making comments during their drives. At first, they seemed harmless.
Maybe the program was too demanding.
Maybe Tessa should focus more on school.
Maybe advanced ballet wasn’t worth the stress.
Then the comments changed.
He told her Ms. Hart had concerns.
He claimed Graham and I had spoken privately about pulling her out.
