“Will I be okay, Hugh?” she asked then, looking up at me like I had the answers. “Will I ever be normal like the other girls?” Her words tore strips out of my heart and I felt an intense urge to soothe her fears. “Listen to me, because I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” “You are?” “Mm-hmm.” Reaching for her arms, I gently pulled her into a sitting position before smoothing her matted hair over her shoulders. “There’s no such thing as normal, Liz. It doesn’t exist. It’s just a word someone invented to make everyone behave the exact same way so they can tick the exact same boxes.”
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