Bruised

20.

She felt dizzy with the bright red 78 glaring up at her from her desk.

Before she knew it, the bell was ringing, and she stood from her seat like her body was programmed to go through the motions while her brain lagged ten minutes behind. Mr G said something to her on the way out and she nodded, as if she had actually managed to process any of his words.

But all she could think about was how her dad would react when she got home.

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Natalie couldn't deny it; she wanted to go to Sierra Grammar after school, spend some time avoiding the inevitable interaction with her dad. Except, she was also spending her time avoiding Leon, so home it was.

Her dad came home early, before even her mum was back. That wasn't a good sign.

She could imagine him checking her grades on his work computer, seeing the 78, and hauling himself out of his office. He probably rehearsed his lecture the whole drive home, getting worked up the entire time.

And now he was home, ready to burst.

She heard him creak the front door open, slip off his shoes, put down his things, and then—"Natalie!"

There it was.

She had been trying not to think about it. Maybe he wouldn't even get word about the biology exam. But now that he was calling her downstairs for what could only be a heated lecture, her stomach lurched.

"Coming!" she shouted back, forcing her legs to move. She took a final, shaking breath before pulling her bedroom door open and sentencing herself to the inevitable.

She tried not to look at him as she descended the staircase, scared that his expression would send her running back up to her room.

It wasn't that he scared her. Her father wouldn't dream of hurting her, at least not intentionally—and never physically. But she knew that he wanted the best for her. He wanted her to have a better life than he did. She was afraid of disappointing him. She was scared of seeing that disappointment written on his face.

She heard him sigh deeply, and she kept her gaze on the floor, probably looking as guilty as she felt.

"I spoke to your biology teacher today," he began, his voice eerily calm. "Do you want to explain your mark to me?"

"Well," she said, trying to sort out the words in her head. "The exam was based on a kidney dissection."

Her first thought was, Word gets around fast.

He stared at her blankly, waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, he said, "And?"

"And I didn't do the dissection, Dad."

"You didn't do the dissection? Why not?"

"Dad," she began in disbelief. Did he not know her at all? "I can't stomach that kind of stuff."

He closed his eyes slowly and released a long, tired breath. He rubbed a hand over his face, shaking his head.

"Natalie," he began slowly. "You need biology if you're going to do medicine. How are you going to learn this stuff in med school if you can't even do a simple dissection?"

"I know, Dad."

"You know doctors do this stuff every day? With real people? Real, life people with real, life injuries."

"I know."

"You need to get it together, Nat. What is happening with you? You've always been dedicated to your studies, and now you're running off with some boy and look what happens. When will you learn?"