After My Daughter Died, I Regretted Everything

Penny Miller is the daughter her mother cannot bear to mention. Her son, Ethan, wins trophies and tops his grade, while Penny, an eighth-grader who barely speaks, is mocked by other parents and scolded at home. Her mother, a college professor, hides her shame behind excuses and wishes the girl had never been born.

At Ethan's parent-teacher conference, Penny's teacher, Ms. Evans, calls about her failing grades. The mother brushes her off, then turns her anger on Penny that night, refusing her dinner. The next morning, running late, she reaches into her purse for cab fare for Ethan and finds the inner pocket where she keeps her small bills completely empty.