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didn’t have to worry. I wasn’t talking.
    My mom stood next to him, twisting her hands around the bed railing. I knew what she was thinking. If I messed up and talked, she would get it too.
    “Hello, Froggy,” said my dad. Then, right in front of Ms. Lee, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. My stomach just about exploded then — a nuclear bomb inside.
    “Are you all right, hon?” my mom whispered. She looked so white.
    “Yeah,” I said. “Are you?”
    Before my mom could answer, my dad said, “We’ve been so worried about you. What happened?”
    I looked at the finger on his neck and closed my eyes. “I can’t remember,” I said. It was all I could think of, but it made me feel better. Nobody could get mad at me for this.
    My dad sounded happy with my answer. “It was that boyfriend of yours, I bet,” he said. “It’s okay, hon. You can tell us.”
    I realized he was giving me an answer — one that was okay with him. But I didn’t want to get Larry into trouble. He’d dumped me, but he hadn’t beaten me up.
    “I don’t know,” I said, keeping my eyes closed. “I can’t remember.”
    Ms. Lee started talking again. She sounded cold and hard, almost like a machine. “Well, Sophie, I want you to try to remember.”
    I got really mad at her then. Didn’t she realize that my mom and dad and I had a system all worked out? My dad brought home the money, and my mom and I kept his secrets. He was the boss, and we did what he said. As long as we all followed his system, everything worked out fine. It was when a social worker showed up at our house that we got into trouble.
    “Sophie,” said Ms. Lee, “I want you to open your eyes.”
    You’ve got to be kidding , I thought. I kept my eyes shut tight. For a moment there was complete silence, and then a new voice started talking. It wasn’t next to my bed but farther away, by the door.
    “She’s scared,” said Jujube. “That’s why she can’t tell you.”
    My eyes flew open and I saw Jujube standing behind Ms. Lee. Her green eye was greener than I’d ever seen it. It flashed like an ambulance light, like a spaceship light. Jujube from outer space.
    “Shut up, will you?” I hissed.
    Jujube looked straight at Ms. Lee. She said, “I’m going to tell because I’m more scared than she is. I’m scared she’ll be dead one of these days. It’s her dad, Ms. Lee. It’s her dad who hits her.”

Chapter Ten
    The silence seemed to go on forever. Everyone froze and stared at Jujube. Because she’d gone and done the impossible — she’d just said it.
    Then things started to move again. My mom stepped back from the bed. I knew she was trying to get out of my dad’s reach, so he couldn’t hit her. I wished I was her. I couldn’t move because of my brace, and hewas right beside my head. I thought, This is it , and closed my eyes.
    I forgot, of course, that my dad was a great actor. He never yelled or swore in front of other people. I heard him take a big breath, probably to get his voice ready so it would sound real. Then he started talking as if he was discussing the weather.
    “Now now now, Jujube,” he said. “Where did you get that idea?”
    Jujube stepped forward so she was standing next to Ms. Lee. Then she glared straight at my dad. I didn’t see how she could do that. My dad’s face was the last place I was going to look.
    “I’ve seen the bruises you put on her,” Jujube said. “I saw the bump on her head. You hit her so hard she goes black and blue.” Her voice wobbled. Ms. Lee put an arm around her.
    My dad said, “I’m very concerned about the bruises Froggy’s been coming home with.” He sounded worried, just like a TVdad. “It must be that new boyfriend. What’s his name, sweetie? Larry, isn’t it?”
    I just lay there with my eyes closed. No way, no way , NO WAY was I saying anything.
    “Why didn’t you report these incidents to the police?” asked Ms. Lee. She sounded mad.
    “I was keeping track of them,”