“Mom! They’re gonna laugh at me!”

“Honey, no one’s going to laugh. And if they do, you just stand up tall and ignore them.”

“Mom! Standing up tall doesn’t fix anything!” But I go in anyway, scared out of my wits. I try to do what Mom says, but walking into a sophomore homeroom with a baseball cap over my bald head is unfortunately going to take a lot more than that.

Taking care not to look any of my classmates in the eye, I walk through the doorframe. Heads turn, people immediately begin to stare at me for a moment, then catch themselves and pretend they didn’t see me at all. I slide into my seat, hoping no one will talk to me. The teacher gives me a sympathetic glance.

No one said a thing. In fact, no ones talked to me all day, except Ashley, but she knows. She’s the one who yells at the kids who stare, who walks with me so I don’t feel so alone. I want to scream at everyone, these kids who I’ve known since junior high, “It’s me, Katie! So I don’t have hair! I’m still the same girl! Talk to me!”