I left them to their celebration and drove to the community center.

Nadia was helping a student fill out a scholarship form.

Selena sat on the floor beside a younger girl, showing her how to create a simple budget for school supplies.

“Can you tell me how many students applied this week?” I asked Nadia.

“Six completed applications,” she said.

“Three more have drafts.”

The numbers steadied me.

Not because they erased what Gavin had done, but because they proved that the loss had not been the end of every story in the room.