what does "held tight"mean?
“I didn’t let him hurt me. Not this time.” Abra clamped a hand on her mouth as the tears came. “Not this time.”
Maureen sat beside her, drew Abra into her arms and rocked.
“Sorry. Sorry.”
“Shh. You’re okay.”
“I am okay.” But Abra held tight. “I should be dancing. I didn’t fall apart—until now. I did everything right. He didn’t hurt me. I didn’t let him hurt me. It just . . . it brings it back.”

Question

what does "held tight"mean?
“I didn’t let him hurt me. Not this time.” Abra clamped a hand on her mouth as the tears came. “Not this time.” 
Maureen sat beside her, drew Abra into her arms and rocked. 
“Sorry. Sorry.” 
“Shh. You’re okay.” 
“I am okay.” But Abra held tight. “I should be dancing. I didn’t fall apart—until now. I did everything right. He didn’t hurt me. I didn’t let him hurt me. It just . . . it brings it back.”

Answer

Maureen is hugging Abra to comfort her; even though Abra says she's okay, you can tell that she's still upset because she's hugging Maureen back, holding on tight to her for comfort. "A strong grip" has a similar meaning, though it's not as pretty and might sound odd in this context :)

Answer

I can't see "held tight" in your excerpt.  Can you copy the excerpt which includes this expression?