Ugly Duckling

I made four fresh cuts on my left arm today.

One because of the Bronze

One because of the Silver.

One because of the Gold.

And one just because.

Mom called for dinner when I was still wiping the blood trails from my skin.

I hurried to clean the mess, put on a hoodie, and ran downstairs.

Just my luck, there were five place settings on the dining room table.

Four pairs of eyes staring up at me
wide bright piercing

Four pairs of shoes leaving mud marks on the floor beneath the table
muddy slimy dirty

One pair of hazel eyes and a pair of Converse belonging to Conner Blake.

Kill me now.