Wendy awoke in a haze, her arm felt tight as if nail polish had dried on her arm. She could feel the way it cracked and chipped when she moved and the way it pulled her skin tight when she stretched. She had made it through the night once again. She stared up at her ceiling and sighed.

She still hated the world. She still hated every living person in the world

There was still war, there were still children starving in Africa. The US government was still putting fluoride in her drinking water to keep her a mindless puppet of society. There was still a nuclear power plant oozing into the world via Japan. The whales were still safer starving to death and being slaves to entertain america's youth rather than in their natural habitats.

Her father still didn't love her.
Her mother was still a drug addict.
Her boyfriend had still beaten her up two nights ago.
She had still woken up with out pants the morning after.
She still thought she had a concussion.

But she felt better.

Really and truly, she didn't know why. But that morning Wendy Bartlett felt much, much better. So she went to her floor where she has smeared blood the night before, dumped some of her drinking water out of her plastic jug and wiped the stain clean. She then sat at her vanity and plastered on all the fake-ness she needed to get herself though the day. She started with her swollen eyes, patting foundation and concealer into her thick eyelids. They stung as she layered on an especially dark shade of brown over the redder parts of her eye and swooped a golden hue in the corners. It was getting ridiculous how easy it was to cover up the mess. She started on the bruise on her cheek bone. She wasn't exactly sure what to do with it, usually when Danny hit her it wasn't anywhere people could see.

So what now? She thought to herself. I guess it would be a good time to tell people you've taken up kick boxing...

Wendy laughed. What a stupid notion, she only had one person who cared enough to need to be lied too.

Lily is never going to believe I took up kick boxing... She regularly has to make me get up to use the bathroom...

Wendy brushed some concealer over the bruise, maybe she could cover it if she had a little faith and tried hard enough.

I could tell her I fell...That's stupid! This whole thing is stupid! Wendy threw down her make up brush. It didn't matter. She'd just pretend like she didn't know she had it. Laugh like its no big deal. Like you hadn't even noticed it while you were putting on all this make up. Play it off like she's ridiculous for even noticing.

"What bruise?" She said into her mirror, she giggled and watched the way her eyes crinkled when she spoke. "I didn't even notice it," She laughed again "I wonder how that happened. I must have smacked my head off the bunk bed bars last night," she paused again to laugh "I must have been out cold."

She practiced her smile in the mirror a thousand times before she was satisfied, but when she was she stood and put on a long sleeved black scoop neck shirt and a pair of her favorite jeans. She smiled in the mirror once more before she re-did her pony tail and put on a layer of chap stick.

"Wendy?" She heard her mother call "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she said as she touched up her eyeliner "I'm coming."

When Wendy arrived at school Danny, as always, was the first to see her. He smiled a very convincing smile and kissed her forehead lightly.

"Sweetheart, what happened? You're bruised" he cooed.

She stopped walking and just looked at him like a was a complete idiot as he smirked expectantly.

"What. Bruise." She said threw gritted teeth. " I must have slept right through BEATING my head off the bars on the top bunk."

"Well that was foolish." He squeezed her hand tightly "Should be more careful."

"Yeah, there are a lot of things I should do." she batted her eyes sweetly as she took her hand from his.

She could see Lily walking up the side walk, she hoped she could compose herself before she had to explain her face.

Lily was wearing this beautifully beaded dress that made her perfectly tanned skin look like some kind of natural wonder.
God, I hate her sometimes. Wendy thought. Lily looked perfect, as always. Her make up was subtle and classy and her dress shimmered in the early spring sun.

It almost looked unnatural when she twisted her face into one of concern as she grabbed Wendy's face in her hand.

"Oh my god, Wednesday! What happened to your face? It looks like somebody hit you with a freaking 2x4!"

Wendy could barely talk through Lily's fingers smushing her face together.

"Wut du yu mean?" she squeezed out between her compressed lips.

"Shut up! You have to know! What- did you do your make up in the dark-or what?" Lily released her face and crossed her arms with a giddy smile.

"Don't I always?" Wendy gave a giggle that nobody would ever know was fake. "It can't be that bad, it doesn't even hurt."

Danny gave an amused smirk as Lily forced her bag into his hands and she searched for a compact mirror. When she found it, she offered it to Wendy, her face still in some unnatural panic. Wendy opened it with a gasp.

"What the hell?" She said as she traced the bruise with her fingers. "I must have like-" she let out a loud giggle "hit my head off the guard rail last night. I'm not used to sleeping on the top bunk."

"Wednesday!" Lily snapped the mirror closed. "I thought you were in some epic gang war or something!"

Wendy laughed again "Well, I wasn't." she crossed her arms. "Just me being-"

"Just Wendy being Wendy." Danny laughed "I bet she didn't move off that bed all night either! I'm really surprised she crawled all the way up to the top bunk, all she does is sleep, you'd think she'd just crash on the floor when she walked through the door!"

"Haha." Wendy said enthusiastically, "Yep. I'm lazy. I got it. We better go get breakfast before they run out of breakfast pizza."

I think that's it for this installment.

I don't think I have anything left in me to write.

Leave me something that makes me happy.

Like a review.

MXM