“It was worth it,” I said. “Even though it hurt. It was worth it to hold on to who I was and not let anyone take that away from me. It’ll be worth it for you too, I promise you. I know it sucks. It hurts to stand up to people you love. It hurts even more when they reject you. I honestly don’t know if that pain ever goes away. But even if it hurts for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t take it back.”
