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“I just got some bad news.” She straightened up. “I just need to harden up.”

“Does this bad news come from a boy? Because I’m telling you, whoever it is isn’t worth your tears.”

She smiled, and it was a really heart-warming smile. “No.” She turned to face me, her eyes hovering on my cheek. “So, did a boy do that to you?”

I cringed. Right, my red cheek. You would think by now it would have calmed down. “No.” I wasn’t lying either. It was Mum. Not a man or a boy. Sometimes I wished it was because at least then I could hate them. But Mum, well, I didn’t hate her for it. If anything, I hated myself for causing it.

“So, how old are you?” Hannah asked, and I was thankful she wasn’t pressuring me more about my cheek.

“Eighteen, you?”

“Sixteen but seventeen at the end of the month.”

“You having a party?”

“My sister wants me to.” Hannah smiled from mentioning her sister. “My dad doesn’t really approve, though.”

“Strict dad?”

“You have no idea,” she gushed, grinning. “Did you have a seventeenth party?”

Last year. If a party classified as Mum and I fighting and me locking myself in the bedroom. Then yeah, I had a party. “Not really a party person.”

“Neither am I. I don’t smoke or drink.” Hannah smiled dimly. “But considering what’s happening to me, I should have.”

I frowned, not understanding what she meant.

“Well, we should go do our makeup.” She picked up her handbag. “I have a red-stained face to cover and you have that cheek to cover.”

I wasn’t even going to bother covering it. Wasn’t like anyone should be looking at me to begin with.

“Come on, Layla. Take it as my first advice as a friend.” Hannah stood up, no longer crying.

Friend. I never had a friend.

“Okay.” I got up and slowly started to follow her. Maybe my first day at this hellhole was going to turn around.

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