Reaching under the groove of the bowl above us, I dig out the silver barrette with pink crystals I hide there and wrap my fist around it, remembering Winter Ashby’s words from so long ago in that fountain. Your body can only feel one pain at a time. She was right. I’ve found that to be true. But instead of hurting myself to mask pain with more pain, tonight I learned something else. Hurting others is just as effective.
