Almost everyone has left the changing room before I get there. Ashley’s still there, though, so I’m not all alone. She’s already back in street clothes, though, her ballet stuff all packed away as I peel off my leotard.

“Hey, Katie, what’s that?” She asks.

“Nothing,” I say. “Just a bruise.”

She shrugs, and I finish packing up.

_~

The doctor’s been talking to my mom for a long time. Why won’t they let me listen? My shoe scuffs the tile floor, my eyes stray to the pamphlets displayed all over. What’s wrong with me? I’m not sick…I don’t think…It was just a bruise, probably just from dance.

My mom walks back out. She’s pale, and the doctor has an arm around her. A nurse does all of the talking, while my mom looks ready to pass out.

She’s using a lot of medical language, stuff I don’t understand. I’m only fifteen! But one word, used over and over, sinks in.

“Cancer.”