I jump back from my door super quick, scared that maybe Scott saw me peeking. I hear Nate's door close and hear Scott talking really mean. I know I'm not supposed to spy on people—Mom always says it's not nice. My heart's going boom-boom-boom so loud in my chest, I think they might hear it. Scott's getting louder and angrier—he's yelling at Nate again. I can only hear bits and pieces, but it's about Nate doing something wrong. Scott always says Nate does things wrong, but that's not true. Nate's the best person I know.

When the door opens, I jump back and squish myself against the wall before running into the bathroom. Scott walks past, and he smells like the gross drink that makes grown-ups act weird at parties. Dad always tells me to stay far away from it. Scott looks super scary right now, and even though he's never yelled at me, I don't want him to start.

As soon as he's gone, I tiptoe down the hallway like a ninja. I know exactly what to do because I've watched Mom fix Ollie's cuts and scrapes lots of times. I grab some band-aids, a washcloth, and that special cream Mom always uses. My hands are shaky, but I try to be brave. I sneak into his room—the door makes that creaky sound like in scary movies—and there he is, curled up on the floor. His shoulders are moving up and down; he's crying. Even though he tries to hide it because Nate never wants anyone to see him cry.

"Nate?" I whisper, getting down on my knees next to him.

He keeps his face hidden, but I can see the big red mark on his cheek and the cut on his head. I wish I had magic powers to make it all better. He tries to hide his face more, but I touch his arm super gentle.

"You don't have to hide from me."

He stays quiet while I clean his cut, just like Mom showed me. The blood gets a bit messy, but I'm really careful.

"How do you know how to do this?" Nate's voice sounds all scratchy, like when I get a sore throat.

"Mom taught me," I say, trying to put the band-aid on just right. "She fixes people up all the time, mostly Ollie 'cause he's always falling off his bike. She says it's important to know how to help people when they're hurt." I smile when I see Nate watching me, like he's trying to figure out a puzzle.

"Does he hurt you a lot?" I ask in my quietest whisper-voice.

Nate doesn't say anything, but his eyes get all sad and that tells me everything.

"I'm sorry," I tell him, making sure the band-aid is stuck on good. "But you know what? It's gonna be okay, you know why?"

His sad eyes look up at me. "Why?"