Chole's POV:

    I  sat on the picnic blanket.

    I  tried to act naturally.

   I did not want Jeff to know I knew anything was wrong.

    I  was glad the recording device was tucked away enough so that he could not see it.

    I   felt pain from the blow to my right cheek.

    As much as my face hurt, I decided not to say a word about it.

     I planned to cover it with makeup whenever I got home.

    I  took a few bites of a sandwich.

    I  opened the chips.

   "Did you want BBQ or  Sour cream and Onion?" I asked.

     I was not sure which chips he liked now. It seemed he changed his mind often.

     "BBQ sounds great!"

      I was glad he was not angry anymore.

     I  noticed the drinks were tipped over.  

    At least they had not broken.

    "Here, you like lemonade, right?"

     "Lemonade, no one drinks that nasty stuff nowadays!"  I heard him as he scoffed.

    "Oh, well, I brought some water, tea, and milk too."

     "Water, tea, milk?  What are we in kindergarten? I wanted the hardcore stuff, babe."

     "Hardcore stuff?"  I  inquired at his remark.

       I was shocked when he explained it meant he wanted an energy drink called Amp Energy.

     "I do not have any of those with me."

      "Oh, you do not do you?"  

       "I could call my father to bring us some." I offered.

      I saw him as he swung hard at my lip.

     The next thing I felt was the sting from the punch.

     I  made sure not to let the tears fall.

     I could not let him see me as weak.

   My lip bleed.

   I pulled out a kleenex and wiped it off.

   I  drank some lemonade.

   I  never cared much for anything else.

   After the meal, I handed Jeff some cookies and a few of his favorites rice crispy treats.

  "Ah, you should not have,"  Jeff told me.

    "I know how much you like them, so it was not that much."

      I  longed to remove the bracelet from my wrist as it dug into the already bruised patches of skin there.  I left it on since I could not risk Jeff's wrath again.  

      Ten minutes later, Jeff hugged me.

      It was nothing like the ones Nathaniel gave me or the ones Sarah had given me earlier.

       If I had a knife, I would have stabbed him on the spot.

       Instead, I cringed inside as I returned the hug.

         "Bye, Jeff!  See you next week!" I called out sweetly as he left.

            I  walked home alone.

            I did not say a word to anyone.

           I went straight upstairs. I  put some Abreva on my lip.

           I removed my makeup from its bag and covered up the small bruise which already started to appear on my cheek.

          I turned off the recording device.

  *Author's Notes:

Will Jeff find out about the recording device?

    What did Nathaniel have planned?

        Find out more in Chapter 7  

        bye, bye little owlets!

     -Summer out!