“There’s always a kid sitting alone,” she said softly. “Someone who feels invisible.”
Her voice gentled even more.
“Go find one of them, Mom. Help them… the way you helped me.”
Tears streamed down my face.
“And don’t do it for me,” she added with a small smile. “Do it because you’re still here.”
The screen went black.
We sat in silence.
“I think she just planned my next step,” I whispered.
Judy smiled. “Sounds like her.”
The next morning, I woke up early.
For a moment, I didn’t know why.
Then I saw one of her letters on my nightstand.
“Open when you can’t get out of bed.”
I read it.
Then I whispered, “I’m getting up.”
And I did.
I went to her school.
My heart pounded the entire way.
When I reached the library, I saw her.
A girl in the corner. Alone. Hood up.
For a second, my breath caught.
She was wearing a gray hoodie just like Lily’s.
Something shifted inside me.
This time, I didn’t hesitate.
I walked over.
“Hey,” I said gently.
She looked up, startled.
“Hi…”
“Mind if I sit?”
She shrugged.
I sat down.
“What are you reading?”
“Nothing important,” she muttered.
I smiled softly. “Those are usually the best ones.”
She smiled a little.
And just like that… something small began to grow.
Lily had made a promise.
Not to herself.
To me.
She had prepared me for a world without her… without ever telling me she knew it was coming.
And for the first time since losing her, I wasn’t frozen anymore.
