As soon as Ste heard it was Xander, her anger red up even more.


    Clinging to Yvonne''s arm, she whined, "Sis, you shouldn''t be getting into fights. You could get hurt."


    "Ahhh... let go!"


    Ste blinked, "Huh?"


    Yvonne winced, "Ow, that really hurts."


    Ste''s eyes widened in rm. She quickly let go of Yvonne and backed up a


    step, scrutinizing her from head to toe. "Where are you hurt?"


    Yvonne''s face was twisted in pain as she gingerly squeezed her own arm, only making things worse. "Ouch-no, it really hurts."


    Ste''s concern deepened. "You''re really hurt? Let me see."


    "No, don''t touch me," Yvonne gasped, her face pale. "It really hurts."


    Ste was on edge, eyes darting for any sign of serious injury.


    Lottie walked in to find Ste carefully trying to help Yvonne out of her jacket, while Yvonne''s face was contorted in pain.


    "What on earth happened here?" Lottie demanded, her tone stern as she approached them, a hint of exasperation in her gaze.


    Despite her authoritative demeanor, Lottie was every bit the worried mother. Whenever Yvonne got into scrapes, she was always frustrated, even though she knew she couldn''t always keep her in check.


    "Mom, I think Yvonne''s hurt," Ste said, her voice shaky.


    Seeing her mother, Yvonne immediately put on a pitiful expression. "Mom, I got beat up."


    Usually tough and unyielding, her sudden vulnerable act sent shivers down Lottie''s spine, raising goosebumps.


    "Oh, cut it out," Lottie said, clearly taken aback by Yvonne''s unexpected softness.


    Yvonne quickly wiped away the tears that had gathered in her eyes and muttered, "You never say anything when Star acts like this."


    Whenever Star acted coy, their mom would turn all soft and gentle.


    Ste just stood there, speechless.


    Lottie sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples. "It''s not the same, Yvonne. Have you seen how rough you look right now?"


    Yvonne and Skye both had that sun-kissed look. Yvonne was slightly less tanned than Skye, who spent most of her time outdoors and had a deep tan. Yvonne, indulging in Some vanity, had managed to lighten her skin a bit over the years, but it was a losing battle.


    Yvonne pouted, "Fine, I''m dark. Hey, Star, what kind of skin cream do you use?"


    Ste blinked, "Uh, I don''t use any."


    Yvonne was taken aback. Ste


    really didn''t bother much with skincare. Yvonne had nned to borrow whatever Ste was using to try and lighten up a bit herself. But now, she figured, why bother? She was past caring about such things.


    Lottie stepped closer, "Let me see, where are you hurt? Who did this?"


    She might be exasperated, but Yvonne was still her daughter. No matter herplexion, if someone had hurt her, it was uneptable.


    Yvonne hesitated but then gingerly removed her jacket to show Lottie. The process had her gritting her teeth in pain. Her shoulder was


    bruised, a nasty patch of blue


    and


    there were marks on her neck, her hair a tangled mess.


    Lottie''s breath hitched, her anger simmering beneath the surface. "You..."


    She took a deep breath. "Who did this?"


    Yvonne sighed, "Xander."


    Lottie was at a loss. That kid. Xander was a whole other issue. He had never been good with words, and years ago, his inability to exin things had led to this


    mess.


    "Xander," Lottie said, shaking her head. "You need to stop getting into fights with him."