My daughter had not simply been a generous classmate.
She had also participated in bullying.
I watched the recording again, hoping I had misunderstood something.
I had not.
I could barely reconcile the girl on the screen with the daughter I thought I knew.
How could someone who spent nights creating a beautiful dress for another person also participate in making that person feel small?
The answer, I would soon discover, was complicated—but it did not excuse what she had done.
When Kindness and Cruelty Exist in the Same Person
Annie eventually explained that she and Lily had once been close friends.
Their friendship had deteriorated, and Lily had become increasingly concerned about fitting in with a different group of students.
When Annie shared vulnerable feelings with Lily, Lily panicked about how the other girls might react. Rather than defending her former friend, she joined in their ridicule.
What began as an attempt to protect her own social position became a pattern of behavior that hurt Annie deeply.
