With only a few weeks left of school, Mom decides it's Time for me to go in again. Most of the bruises have faded by now, and the ones that haven't are easily covered by makeup, so I take a little extra Time in the morning to apply my concealer.
As soon as I walk into the kitchen, everyone turns to look at me. Taky asks if I want some pancakes in a bid to lighten the mood, but I tell him I'm not hungry.
"Your face looks better," Olly says at breakfast. "Less killer clown and more Mr. Potato Head."
Layla is looking at me through her coffee cup. She's been doing it a lot these last few weeks, staring at us both as if she's trying to put together puzzle pieces, only half of which are ox, so she has no idea what the puzzle even looks like.
"Your mother and I have been talking, and she wou
