Hiding Isn't Forever

Book excerpt: Hiding Isn't Forever is about a sixth-grade girl named Katy Rivera, who gets bullied at school. She doesn't confront her abuser; instead, she ditches school to avoid the embarrassment. Nor does she tell her parents or anyone of authority. Instead of Katy finding out the reason she's the one who's getting bullied, she ignores it, and one lie comes after another. Katy now becomes an expert in lying, but she doesn't stop. Lying has become such an easy obstacle for Katy that she realizes at one point it's the easy way out-betraying everyone who ever trusted her and loved her. Katy does feel bad, but it's not them who's getting bullied, and no one can relate to the torture that she endures coming from her classmates. She tells her friends, Lacy and Jassmyn. After being told to confront her teacher and her parents, she shuts down the only two best friends that she has. All the lying stops after Mrs. Rivera (Katy's mother) bumps into Ms. Nellie while shopping. Ms. Nellie informs Mrs. Rivera of Katy's continuous absences from school. At this point, Katy has no choice but to confront her abuser.