“Can I stop you?” I said into my pillow.

“No.” Entering the room, she softly shut the door and sat on the edge of the bed next to me. “I know you’re going through a tough time. But we love you.”

She was trying a different tack. I wasn’t falling for it.

“We want you to be happy, like you were when you first started at Intersection, when you were surrounded by your friends. Don’t you want to make up with them?”

“No.” I rolled onto my side with my back to her, hugging my knees to my chest. “Maybe I need to make new friends. My old ones are fake.”

“That’s not true, sweetheart.” She stroked my hair. “I saw that Deena and Adam are together now—maybe they’ll forget about your little hiccup and take you back.”

Hot shards of disgust exploded in my brain at the realization that she had so little faith in me she thought I needed to grovel at their feet.

“They’re convenient. For you,” I replied, watching the old olive tree beyond my balcony sway, tears pooling under my chin. “And you need me to control them, to protect your secret.”

She snatched her hand back as though I’d scalded her. “What made you so mean?”

“You.”

Her tiny intake of breath sounded like I’d punched her, and I was glad.

“That hurts my feelings, honey.”

“I’m sorry. But it’s the truth. Sometimes the truth hurts.”

“You’re upset.” She sighed. “I understand. I really think a party will make you feel better. Are you willing to try?”

Her hand returned to my hair, but I jerked my head away and looked up at her. My face—if I kept up the injections—stared back at me, a stranger. If she didn’t want me to be her daughter, I didn’t want her to be my mother. I was going through with it. And actually, a birthday party might be the perfect way to go…

I shrugged. “You know what? Sure. Fine. Throw the party. I’ll show up, I’ll put on a show, if that’s what you want.”

“What I want is for you to be happy. And I think you will be if you do it my way. Trust me. I’ve been there. I know this will work. You’ll be so happy after you make up with your friends. You’ll see. You’ll go?”

Rolling back over, I rested my chin on my knees. “I’ll go,” I said to the balcony. “Just tell me where to be and when.”