I almost wore black to my ten-year reunion because part of me still wanted to disappear.
Instead, I walked into that hotel ballroom wearing red, and nobody recognized me.
Not the girls who spent years making me dread walking into school.
Not the classmates who laughed when I answered questions in class
Not even the people who once seemed determined to make me feel like I took up too much space.
For the first time in my life, I had a choice.
I could introduce myself immediately.
Or I could stay quiet and find out whether any of them had actually changed.
The red dress hung from the closet door of my hotel room while I stood in front of the mirror holding a black cardigan against my chest.
