“Allison has promise, and we’re not giving up a promising future for an average one.”

The words hung in the air like a physical weight pressing down on the small room.

“You think I’m just average,” I said.

“You’ve never excelled in advanced academics or competitive sports,” Richard said.

He talked about my whole thirteen years of life as if he were reading from a quarterly loss report.

“You’re a solid C student with no particular talents, and now you’re a catastrophic medical liability,” Richard said.

I looked at Linda, waiting for her to step forward and stop him.