The morning started with so much promise, but the reality of the St. Jude Elite Preparatory Institute was far colder than the marble floors of the White House.
Hanalei stood in the center of the playground, clutching the straps of her new backpack so hard her knuckles turned white. She had spent all morning admiring her self-cut bob in the mirror, feeling like a leader, but to a circle of six-year-olds, she just looked... different.
"Why do you look like that?" one girl giggled, pointing a finger at Hanalei's head. "Did a lawnmower get stuck in your hair?"
"Are you a boy?" another boy chimed in, leaning forward to inspect the uneven strands. "Only boys have hair that short. My mommy says girls have to be pretty."
The laughter started small, like a ripple, before it turned into a wave that crashed over her. Hanalei tried to keep her chin lifted—just like her father's always did—but it was hard when they started mocking the way she moved.
