“I’m illegitimate.” “Join the club,” said Ronalda. “No,” I said. “It’s worse. I’m a secret.” “Oh,” Ronalda said. “You’re an outside child?” “Yeah,” I whispered. “That’s okay,” she said. “A lot of people are.” I let go of a breath I hadn’t even known I was holding. This was what it was to have a friend, someone who knew exactly who you were and didn’t blame you for it. I twisted to look at her, but if she knew something important had passed between us, her face didn’t show it.
