Different principal.
They were there for a student wellness program.
Someone introduced Ethan as:
“The boy who grew his hair for his best friend with cancer.”
He smiled
politely.
Then corrected:
“One thing I did when I was fourteen.”
Small distinction.
Important.
During questions, a seventh grader asked:
“What should you do if your friend is really sick?”
Ethan thought.
Then said:
“Ask what they need.”
The kid frowned.
“What if they say nothing?”
“Believe them for the moment.”
“What if you want to help anyway?”
“Tell an adult if you’re worried.”
The child nodded.
Then Lily added:
“And don’t make their illness your homework assignment.”
The room laughed.
She continued:
“You can care about someone without being
responsible for making them okay.”
That was the sentence.
The one all of us had spent decades learning.
Afterward, Ethan and Lily walked through their old hallway.
Same lockers? No.
