You step through the front door after school and drop your bag in the hallway. The apartment feels unusually quiet. Then your mother calls your name, her voice calm and strangely cheerful.

“I have a surprise for you, sweetie,” she says, gesturing toward your room.

You open the door and stop cold.

The walls are now covered in bright pink wallpaper. Every shelf that once held your games, books, and old belongings is empty. Your posters are gone. Your console is gone. In their place are glittering decorations, pastel pillows, makeup kits, and neatly arranged girls’ accessories. Everything looks shiny, soft, and completely unfamiliar.

In the center of your bed lies a carefully folded dress, placed there as if it has been waiting for you.

You slowly turn around, stunned. Your mother stands in the doorway with her arms crossed. For the first time since the divorce, she is smiling. A slow, satisfied smile.