That morning, when she had looked in the mirror, Lila had found a dark bruise on her cheek. Though she had done her best to cover it up with makeup, it was still very visible, so she made up a story and recited it every time someone asked her about it. “Oh, I had a bad nightmare and fell off the bed last night,” she lied.
“Are you sure?” he said suspiciously. “I saw Josh going up to your room last night while I was leaving.”
“You think that Josh did this to me? Of course not. I just fell off the bed. That’s all,” she repeated, more annoyed than afraid or angry.
“Okay.” He obviously didn’t believe her, but still let the subject drop.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Lila spoke up. “I did great on my French test.”
“Congratulations! I knew you would. You’re great at French,” he replied. “Good job.”
“Thanks.” She paused. “By the way, I’m having lunch with Anna today. You can come along if you want. We’re going to Applebee’s.”
“No, thanks. I think I’ll go to McDonald’s or something.”