“It’s okay, pal, she’s fine,” I said, reaching over to grab his hand to reassure him. “Why don’t we go to my room, we can snuggle, and I'll read you some more from the Harry Potter book you got from school.”
“Really?” he asked, bouncing up and down on the couch.
I laughed. “Yeah, really,” I said, enthralled over his enthusiasm for the book his teacher had lent him.
We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening lost in the world the author had created. “That was the best book ever,” Kevin said as I turned the last page.
“It was really good,” I agreed. “If your teacher has the second one, bring it home and we'll read that one too,” I said, ruffling his hair as he climbed off my bed. “Night, punk.”
“Night, Katelyn, I love you.”
“I love ya too.” I said, shooting him a smile.
My smile turned to a grimace once he was out of sight. The pain from my eye had given me a ferocious headache several hours ago. I didn’t have the heart to send him away, so I tried to ignore the throbbing pain as best I could. I changed into my pj’s and hit the potty one last time before bed and was disgusted to see my eye looked as angry as it had when I first checked it that morning.
The next morning, I woke to a frigid room. I pulled my clothes on under the blankets, dreading the moment I would have to leave the little bit of warmth my bed offered. Finally no longer able to prolong it, I climbed from my bed so I could wake Kevin and get him ready before Max arrived to take us to school.
Max pulled up just as Kevin and I were shrugging into our heavy jackets. We cautiously walked across the frozen ground, slipping and sliding the entire way. I kept my head down, trying to prolong Max seeing my eye.
Kevin handed Max his iPad as I buckled my seatbelt, keeping my face averted.
“Did you get to play some games, bud?”
“Yeah, I’m the king of Angry Birds now,” Kevin bragged.
“I bet,” Max said. “How are you?” he asked in a husky voice, turning his attention to me.
“Fine,” I said, finally looking at him.
He sucked in a gasp as he took in my eye. “What the hell happened?” He asked, reaching over to gently touch the swollen skin.
“I tripped and hit it on my dresser,” I said, hoping the excuse sounded feasible.
Max opened his mouth to say something, but looked back at Kevin who was eyeing us anxiously.
He clamped his mouth closed and drove the rest of the way to school in silence. I could feel the rage radiating from him as he drove. I turned and looked out the window, trying to fight back tears. I was confused by his anger and wondered if he was mad at me for my injury. By the time we pulled into the school parking lot, I yearned to tell Max just to take me home, no longer keen on the idea of facing the other students if this was the reaction I would get. I reached over to open my door, but Max stopped me by gently grasping my hand.
“Kevin, why don’t you head to class, I need to ask your sister a question about a homework assignment,” Max lied believably.
“Okay, bye, Katelyn.”
“Bye bud,” I said in a voice thick with unshed tears.
“What happened?” Max asked once Kevin closed the door.
I started to repeat my lie, but I could see he knew the truth.
“My mom,” I said simply, watching Kevin’s retreating backside.
“Why?” he asked, trying to get a handle on w
hat my crime had been.
“I slept through her calling me.”
“What the hell could she have possibly needed that would warrant this?”
“To empty her ashtray,” I whispered, ashamed that he now knew all my secrets.