Secrets

Chapter Ten

Different hues of blue scattered across my face made me want to hate the color. Especially the deep indigo on my nose staring back at me in the mirror. After losing the fight to Rowan, Cato took me to the infirmary to get some ice on my eye. We didn't talk to each other, but his presence felt comforting knowing he had some guilt buried in him for making me want to fight such a beast.

The knock on the bathroom door made me jump, "Yeah?"

My mom's voice on the other side was soft, "Honey, I just got home and brought dinner. Come eat."

A quick glimpse in the mirror at myself made my stomach turn. I had to think of a lie fast when my mother's eyes widened at my bruised face, "What happened?"

"Today in my advanced history class we got to train for fun in the new gym. I got into a bit of an argument with one of the girls."

My mom pursed her lips and lightly touched the bruise on my jaw and sighed, "Sweetheart, what have we told you about training?"

"It was for class mom."

"It doesn't matter." My mom took a deep breath and began walking down the stairs.

"This is your fault," I blurted out, balling my fists at my sides.

My mom stopped in the middle of the stairwell and looked up at me, eyebrows pulled into a look of frustration, "What?"

"Me being bruised up. It's your fault."

"How is it my fault? You had a choice to fight and you did, Clove." My mom begins to walk back up the stairs but I quickly meet her halfway.

"All my life you have hidden me from this," I gesture to my wounds, "and because of that, I don't know how to defend myself. I have no idea how to fight. Half the kids here grew up normalizing this, but for me it's foreign. It's untouched territory and because you and dad hid it from me, I lost a fight I should have won."

It takes a while for my mom to respond, swallowing whatever she was going to say before, "Go get washed up and eat dinner. Your dad will be home late and I want you in bed before he arrives."

"See," I stare at my mom, "you just proved my point."

-----

I managed to get out of the house before my dad saw me this morning. My bruises are now a deep brownish color. The small bruise from Cato on my jaw is now a light yellow, but Rowan still carries on. The worst wound would probably be the one on my left eye. The bruise is so intense I'm almost squinting and I even considered wearing an eyepatch so I wouldn't look ridiculous until I realized I would have looked even worse with it on.

When I walk into the first hour Mr. Kent is seated at his desk, nose deep in a stack full of papers. I'm assuming their our grades for our presentations. My eyes drift over a tall figure when his shoulder collides into mine. Cato glances back at me for a brief moment before Rowan shoves by me, knocking me into Valerie who mouthes sorry.

"Watch where you're going," Rowan sneers at me, a smirk crossing her face, "or can you not see with that pretty black eye of yours?"

"Fuck off Rowan," Valerie cuts in.

Rowan sends her a sharp look than plops into her seat by Cato, who avoids my gaze.

"Just ignore her," Valerie's voice creeps in and I turn to face her.

It's not until now that I notice the soft yellow tint in her skin on her cheek that I ask, "What happened to your cheek?"

Valerie flinches, but smiles politely, "I could say the same about yours."