"I'm going to go clean up," Charity said after she helped Joan set the table.

Joan nodded. "Bathroom's down the hall," she replied.

Charity nodded a thanks. Joan realized that Charity hadn't been rude to her since lunch.

Charity ducked into the bathroom and closed the door not realizing that it hadn't shut completely. She looked up at her reflection in the mirror. She was thankful that the make-up she had caked on that morning covered up the nasty bruise on her face. She rolled up her sleeves and started washing her hands, studying the purple bruise on her left wrist that was in the shape of a handprint and the circular burns on her arm where her mother had burned her with a cigarette from time to time. Then there were the scratches that she did herself. She touched one of them and blinked back tears. After supper she was sure that Mr. Girardi would offer to drive her home. She'd have to go back to that Hell Hole.

She looked back up at the mirror and reached up and opened it. She pushed the Midol and Tylenol out of the way and found a packet of razor blades. She tore one out of the packet and touched it to her left arm and cut herself deep enough to let the blood flow down her skin, across the other cuts, the bruise, and the burns. She inhaled deeply.

"Oh! I'm s-what the hell are you doing?" a voice asked.

She jumped and turned and saw Kevin in the doorway. She dropped the razor into the trashcan and pulled her sleeve down. "I have to go," she said. She took off past him but he grabbed her wrist.

"You're a cutter," he said, in a low whisper.

She looked deep into his eyes and tried to get away from him. "Don't tell anyone," she replied.

"You need help."

"Like hell."

She pulled out of his grasp and took off back into the kitchen.

"Charity!" he exclaimed. Kevin turned himself around in the wheelchair and followed her.

Charity grabbed her book bag. "I'm sorry," she said to Helen. "I can't stay."

"Oh," Helen replied.

"I'll drive you home," Kevin said.

She glared at him. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to get her to talk to him. Tell him why she was doing that. "I'll walk," she replied.

Kevin opened his mouth to say something but Charity was out the door before anyone could say anything.