The floor was sticky, the music was loud, but it was perfect. Alex gave me a bracelet with tiny star charms. “Because you deserve sparkle,” he said with a smile.
As I danced with my friends and even Hailey, I realized prom wasn’t about the dress or even the drama it was about reclaiming my voice and my dreams. When I got home, a note waited on my mirror in Aunt Carla’s handwriting: “Your mom would have been proud. C.” I smiled through happy tears, knowing she was right.
