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I waited for Lianne’s nod before I turned away

Still inclothes, I went downstairs to my own bathroom I showered and dressed Bickley was still passed out in his bed where I’d left hi I’d alone, Bella ht still be sprawled on the sidewalk so for a pair of clean socks when there was a tentative knock on our outer door When I opened it, Lianne stood there, looking uncomfortable "She’s still in the shower," she said

"Okay" A long shoasn’t the end of the world

Lianne bit her lip "She sounds really upset But when I tried to ask her if she needed help, she just screamed at me She doesn’t want me in there"

Dios "Do you want ht" I headed up the stairs followed by Lianne On the landing, I caught her elbow "Hey Can you tell irlfriend I could call? Sohtful "Bella doesn’t have girlfriends She hangs around with the hockey tea from the top of the team roster "Anyone special?"

"I don’t know their names One of theuy froht, but had no idea who he was And for all I knew, he was the one who hurt her "Can you let h her room When I entered the bathroom, the shower curtain was only partially closed, and I could see move at her skin with a bar of soap "Damn it, damn, da was raw-looking and red

"Bella," I said I think I startled her She dropped the soap and folded over herself "Coently as I could She didn’t answer htly, her face turned away frorip Since there was nobody else handy, see to beoff the water Towels hung froest one and draped it over Bella’s dripping back and shoulders "Come on now Stand up"

She didn’t ht address one of my cranky little cousins who needed a nap "Co to pick you up" I didn’t really want to ood on that threat Luckily, Bella didn’t want ether and rose, her back to ave her so aze while she wrapped the towel properly across her chest and under her arh the skin on her legs was rubbed raw, I could still see the faded outlines of the words written there The marks were still quite dark on her shoulders and upper ar and clamped her arms across her chest, hands over her shoulders "I want you to leave lance, and it was full of pain

Instead of obeying, I sat down beside her on the bed, but not too close "I’ll go if you call someone else to be here with you"

She made an irritated noise "I don’t want coently as possible "But it’s et the house dean"

Bella’s blue eyes widened with horror "Don’t you fucking dare I don’t need the dean I don’t need you I just need to…" She broke off, rubbing at a spot on her upper arm with her thumb The ink was particularly dark there She scraped at it with her thumbnail -- the letter "D" in DIRTY BITCH Still pink from the hot water, Bella’s skin looked tender

While I watched, Bella ry red scratch across her velvet skin

I wasn’t even thinking when I reached out, but I couldn’t stand to see her hurt herself any more than I could stand the words on her skin I covered up the scratch with er out of the way

She froze solid under ed