I feel so irritated, like my teeth have been grinding nonstop these past few days, so it shouldn’t surprise me that they ache. Johanna keeps calling to nag me about skipping school all week. Yes, I ditched classes for the entire week. Did she expect me to strut around with bruises splashed across my face?
“You deserve it,” she snapped during her latest call when I mentioned that. “You should’ve thought about how you’d look before you started swinging.”
My jaw tightened at her words, pain shooting through my teeth.
“You better get to school today, otherwise I’m sending some guys over there to drag you and your things out of the house. I’ve already told your dad to cut off your allowance.”
That jolted me out of bed. “Mom!”
“Don’t you dare raise your voice at me, or I’ll smack you throug
