It was possibly the saddest thing Connie had ever heard come from a student's mouth but she found herself unable to entirely contradict Holly. She was certainly not friendly, though for whatever reason she seemed at ease in her company, and Connie was beginning to consider that in itself may be part of the problem.

Would forced loneliness compel Holly to make friends her own age, or just make her isolation worse? Was it worth the experiment to lose the trust it had taken her years to build up?

"You may find that things change in the years to come. Once everyone begins to catch up with you," she suggested carefully. Hopefully. Possible untruthfully.

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MJ made me beautiful