“Emily hasn’t been in class all week,” her teacher told me. That made no sense — I watched my daughter leave every morning. So I followed her. When she stepped off the bus and got into a pickup truck instead of going inside, my heart stopped. When the truck pulled away, I drove after them.I never thought I’d be the kind of mother who follows her child, but when I discovered she’d been lying to me, that’s exactly what I did.Emily is 14. Her dad, Mark, and I split up years ago. He’s the guy who remembers your favorite ice cream but forgets to sign permission slips or book appointments. Mark is all heart but no organization, and I couldn’t carry it all by myself anymoreI thought Emily had adjusted well.But the terrible teens have a way of bringing problems to the surface.

Emily seemed like her usual self.She was a bit quieter, maybe a little more glued to her phone than usual, a bit overly fond of wearing oversized hoodies that covered half her face, but nothing that screamed “crisis.”She left for school every morning at 7:30 a.m. Her grades were good, and when I asked how school was going, she always said it was fine.Then I got a phone call from the school.I answered right away. I assumed she had a fever or forgot her gym shoes.I almost laughed; it was just so out of character for my Emily.”That can’t be right.” I pushed back from my desk. “She leaves the house every morning. I watch her walk out the door.”There was a long, heavy beat of silence.”No,” Mrs. Carter said. “She hasn’t been in any of her classes since Monday.”