"How could that be? There isn''t a mother in the world who doesn''t love her own child. You''re just overthinking it. There''s no way your mom prefers someone else


    to you."


    Max was still so young, but even he couldn''t quite understand why Gwh would say something like that.


    Gwh nced at Max, sniffling a little.


    "I asked my mom for a race car model, but she''d rather give it to someone else than to me."


    She hesitated, but in the end, she couldn''t keep it bottled up.


    That race car model had stuck in her mind-she just couldn''t get over it with Victoria.


    "A race car model?" Max''s memory sparked. Hadn''t Miss Fannie given him a race car model for his birthday?


    He loved it, sure, but seeing Gwh so upset made him want to help. He jumped up, patting his own chest.


    "So that''s what''s bothering you? It''s just a toy car! Miss Fannie gave me a race car model for my birthday, and if you really want one, I can bring it for you tomorrow. How about that?"


    But then Max smacked his forehead with a little "oh!" of realization.


    "Wait, that one was a gift from Miss Fannie. I should probably ask her first."


    The moment Gwh heard Max say he''d give her his race car model, her eyes lit up with happiness.


    But when he said he''d have to ask Miss Fannie, Gwh''s smile faded. She knew Max''s Miss Fannie was actually her own mom. Instantly, she felt a surge of annoyance.


    "Forget it. I don''t want it anymore. Miss Fannie gave it to you, and if you ask her, she''ll never let you give it away."


    The truth was, Gwh felt a little guilty. She was afraid her mom would find out she''d asked Max for the race car model.


    She also didn''t dare to tell Max that her mom was Miss Fannie. That would make her look petty.


    Max couldn''t stand seeing Gwh on the verge of tears. In that moment, he thought she might have it even harder than he did.


    After all, his uncle was always good to him, and he never had to worry about some woman tricking him into eating candy at night and ending up with cavities.


    "Okay, okay, stop crying. I won''t tell Miss Fannie. I''ll just bring you the car, alright?"


    There was nothing Max hated more than seeing a girl cry in front of him. Gwh gradually dried her tears and looked at Max, thinking how kind he was. "Thank you, Max. But promise me you can''t tell anyone I asked you for it."


    Max nodded solemnly and stuck out his pinky.


    "Pinky promise. I won''t tell anyone. Not even my uncle."


    Gwh, cheered up, couldn''t help but press a hand to her swollen cheek.


    Max frowned in concern. "You should tell your mom that your tooth hurts and let her take you to the dentist. No more candy at night, okay? And you have to brush your teeth before bed."


    "I know," Gwh mumbled.


    She understood Max was just worried about her, but she didn''t believe Violet had meant any harm. After all, she''d begged Violet for the candy, and Violet had even warned her not to eat too much.


    Violet was always good to her.


    "Is your mom picking you upter?" Max asked, still worried about her tooth. "Yeah, she is."


    Gwh was sure—her mom had never broken a promise to her.


    Max rxed a little. When it was time to go back to ss, he walked Gwh to her ssroom and exined to the teacher that she had a toothache. The teacher wasted no time escorting Gwh to the nurse''s office.


    After school, Gwh craned her neck to look for Victoria-and sure enough, there she was, waiting. McNeil was there too, though they''de in separate


    cars.


    It was rare for the teachers to see both parents at pickup, so the teacher personally handed Gwh over to them.


    "Gwh''s been having trouble with her teethtely," the teacher exined. "Please, no more sweets for her."