And Other Mistakes

Aaliyah begins senior year determined to recover what junior year took from her. Being outed by a church elder disrupted her friendships, her home life and her confidence as a cross-country runner. Now she wants to return to the team and move forward on her own terms, without allowing other people's expectations to define her. That resolution is harder to sustain amid teammates who remain wary, old relationships that still hurt and new friendships she does not yet know how to trust. Tessa, a new girl who gives her butterflies, adds another unfamiliar possibility. Aaliyah's challenge is to make room for hope without treating every setback as proof that she has failed.