Healing Fave

Chapter two

Tears. They stung and clouded my vision as I struggled to stand up right. It had been a brutal punch to the shoulder this time and a blow to side of my cheek. I struggled to open my mouth but winced and kept it shut.

  My mum and I exchanged glances over unshed tears as we heard my father drive out of the alley way and a huge relief surged through me. I bit my lips and fought against the gory emotion that clunged to the walls of my stomach. A part of me wanted to succumb to the tears that wanted to fall. I bit my lip. Hard. Another wave of pain consumed me. I didn't let them.
 
   Crying would be giving him the upper hand, acknowledging that I let him get to me, I didn't want to hand him over some type of victory. I didn't want him to know that his fists has gotten to me, or witness the smug smile that would usually spread across his face as I went down with the impact of his blow. I wanted to convince myself that a part of me was still fighting. Mum dabbed the spirit soaked wool on my wounds and I winced.

   Her body shivered with her sobs as usual and I stayed quietly listening to them. Not saying a thing. I pressed my hand over hers, acknowledging that her face was untouched. At least I had protected her. I felt satisfied. She supported her weight on my shoulders and helped me up the stairs.
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  My hands pulled down on the hoodie nervously as I strolled down the hall way. They were slightly trembling. I could feel my heart pounding against my ears.

" No one's going to know" I repeated the mantra in my head over and over again. Eritta was definitely going to bombard me with questions when  she caught sight of my busted lip and swollen eye. I desperately wanted to avoid that.

  I hastily pulled what I needed from my locker and hurried to the first class, luckily none of my friends were going to be there.  I released a breath of relief as I settled on the seat. I put my head over the table  for a few seconds to calm my racing breath and then swiftly raised it back when the teacher walked in.

  I was thankful for half of my day passing in a blur and deliberately skipped lunch. I stood by my locker, silently, pretending to be searching for my books. Everyone passing by in a blur, laughing. I burned. I didn't know why I felt that way, after all I was the one desperately praying not to be noticed. 

  I had avoided Errita and the rest. I winced in pain as I pressed a finger over my busted lip and stared down emotionlessly at the blood. Flashes of my father's sneering face clouded my vision. I felt angry that I wasn't able to control the tears running down my cheeks. I felt weak.... useless.

I recalled my mother's tear stained face as she gathered my battered body in her arms and the my gaze returned to the rush of people laughing.
" Fave?". I turned back to meet Errita's concerned gaze. Shit!! .

I watched her expression morph into a one of horror.
" What happened to your face?!!"