Thirty-four

I walk out from the room to see my mother standing near the wall, scrolling down her phone. She turns to look at me, ''Now, would you care to explain?'' She sighs, deeply, ''What the hell is this? All of these!'' She points at my face. I'm pretty sure she's pointing at my cuts—I can still feel the pain on my upper cheeks.

My eyes focus on the ground, staring at it bluntly, ''And you didn't even tell me. I'm worried, Athena!'' She continues but I grab