I woke up the next morning more groggy then normal. I didn’t remember going to bed last night, but that’s where I was. I got up and groaned a little. I figured my muscles were stiff from the way I had slept. I made my way to the shower with my bathrobe in hand. The water felt blissful against my skin. I stayed in the steamy shower longer than I planned.

I got out and gasped as I caught a glimpse of my naked body for the first time. I sank to the ground with tears already spilling over my cheeks. Covering my body were ugly, deep black brusies. I felt totally violated. I tried very hard to think back to last night and figure out what happened, but after dinner everything got a little fuzzy.
I put on my robe and stumbled from the bathroom. I tried my hardest to hide the worst of my bruises as I went to my mother.

“Mom.” I asked, scared out of my mind of talking to her. “I feel really, really sick and I don’t think I can go to school.”

For a few minutes my mother looked like my mom again, and she called me in.