When I was twelve, I saw my older brother take money from our mom. It felt really bad, like he had done something wrong. I wanted to tell Mom right away, but my brother got mad and told me not to. He said if I told, he would hurt me.
It was a really hard choice. I loved my brother, but I also didn't want Mom to be sad. I was scared of him, but I also felt bad keeping it a secret. For days, I thought about what to do. It felt like I had been doing something wrong by not telling Mom.
In the end, I was too scared. I didn't tell. I told myself I was protecting my brother, but I knew it wasn't right at the time. It felt like I had been betraying Mom, too.