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Carly dabbed at the tears. “So they left me, and when I saw them after school, I tried to say hi. But they both ignored me. Everyone was watching too, so now the whole school knows that I was ditched.”
Anita’s mind raced. “Wow. That was really rude of them.” Was this just a tiff? Was it serious? Was it bullying?
“Honey,” she said, rubbing Carly’s shoulder. “If they really ditched you, then you’re better off without them. Also, you can have your own opinion about things and not always have to go along with a poor choice in order to maintain a friendship.”
Carly frowned. “That’s such an adult thing to say.”
“Well, I am an adult.”
Carly’s mouth lifted. “True.”
Anita smiled, then sobered. “I’m really sorry they were mean to you, but I’m really proud of you too. Standing up for yourself is so important, and it doesn’t end in middle school. It’s just a hard thing to do when you’re friends with someone who doesn’t care about your well-being.”
Carly’s brows lifted. “They care. Or at least they did when we were friends.”
Anita touched the edged of her braid. “Friendships can be complicated, no matter how old you are. But if a person doesn’t care about you getting into trouble, then they aren’t your real friend in the first place.”
Carly bit her lip, her gaze falling. “Yeah, maybe.” She rested her chin on top of Sassy’s head. “What if they call me and want to be friends again?”
Anita was more than happy to tell the two girls “good riddance,” but she knew Carly had to navigate this herself. “If they do call you, and if you do want to forgive them, you should still tell them you aren’t going to do things that will put you in a tough spot.”
Carly nodded, and she felt gratitude rush through her. Maybe her parenting skills were finally spot-on tonight.
“I think that’s a good plan.”
Anita smiled, but not too wide. “Okay, great. Now, are you hungry? Maybe after dinner, we could go get some ice cream?”
Carly’s eyes lit up. “Okay. That would be great.”
Anita tried not to do a victory jump after leaving Carly’s bedroom. She hated to see her daughter in pain, but if that pain gave her more wisdom and helped her mature, then maybe it was a blessing in the end.
After dinner, when they loaded into the car and headed toward the ice cream shop, Carly said, “I guess we’re both starting over.”
Anita raised her brows. “What do you mean?”
“You dumped Glenn, and I have to find a new circle of friends.”
She reached over and squeezed her daughter’s hand. “I have no doubt you’ll find those friends. What about Sara? You’ve done a couple of things with her—before you became friends with the others.”
“Yeah, she’s cool,” Carly said, twisting a piece of hair around her finger. “She asked me to do something a couple weeks ago, but I already had plans.”
“See?” Anita said. “You’re an easy person to be a friend with. Maybe call her tonight. You can make plans for tomorrow night if you want.”
“Am I done being grounded?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” she said. “You showed a lot of maturity sticking up for yourself today, so I think you’ve learned your lesson.”
“Yes!” Carly pumped her fist in the air, and Anita laughed.
It felt good to be on the same page with her daughter once again.
“What about you, Mom?”
“What about me?”
“You know. Are you going to find another man to date?”
“I’ve never really looked,” Anita said in a light tone, although her stomach felt pinched. “I’m perfectly happy with how things are right now. You’re my priority, then my art comes second. A man just muddles things up.”
