Ashley got home, and headed immediately upstairs, into her bathroom. She locked the door, and went to check on the cut on her leg. It looked like any ordinary cut.

"I don't know what I expected," Ashley said, a little embarrassed of herself, and covering up her leg. "Just because Paige accused me of cutting doesn't mean the cut'll turn green or anything. I really wish she'd just leave me alone. She's already taken Terri away from me, and convinced most of the school to hate me. Honestly, why does she have to keep tormenting me?"

Ashley thought for a moment. "Well, if she's going to accuse me of cutting anyways, maybe I'll prove her right. It'd be a nice change for Paige, being right." Ashley pulled out the knife she had hid in the bathroom drawer, under her makeup. Without even thinking, she pulled up her sleeve and put the knife a few inches above her wrist and made a horizontal cut along her arm.

The cut was deep; even deeper than the one had been on her leg, and it started bleeding almost immediately. She grabbed a tissue, and wiped up the drips. Deciding she didn't really want to wipe up all the blood, she threw the tissue away, and set her hand above the sink.

The sight memorized Ashley. Quickly, before she could second-guess herself, she pulled the knife across in much the same fashion four more time, each time a little higher. The blood came out fast. Pretty soon, the sink was mostly a shade of red.

Realizing her mom would be home soon, she grabbed some toilet paper and an ace wrap. She cleaned off the cuts with water, and covered them up with a few layers of toilet paper; enough so the blood probably wouldn't soak all the way through them. Then she wrapped the ace wrap around her arm to keep the tissue on. She rolled down her sleeve, but realized it looked sort of bulky.

Ashley headed to her room, and grabbed her sweatshirt. It wasn't really super cold outside, but it was cold enough in the house to make having to wearing a sweatshirt convincing. She pulled it on over her head, and carefully put the cut arm through the sleeve. Deciding it looked ok, she headed downstairs, and turned the thermostat a few degrees lower. That way, if her mom wanted to know why the sweatshirt was on, she could say it was cold in the house, and the thermostat would back her up.

"This was really easy," she thought to herself. But then she panicked. "I didn't clean the blood out of the sink!"

She peered out her bedroom door, and saw Toby heading upstairs, to use the bathroom. Not even thinking, she ran to the bathroom, and slammed and locked the door.

"Hey," Toby cried, "I was going to use the bathroom."

"Guess you were too late," Ashley said. "Use the other bathroom!"

Grumbling about what a pain Ashley was, he headed to the other bathroom.

Ashley waited a reasonable amount of time, flushed the toilet, and ran the facet on the sink. She washed it out quickly, but really carefully; she made sure she got every last drop.

After one last glance at the bathroom, she headed downstairs.