Clara shook her head. "No. We just had a few words."

Looking at the time, Clara told her son, "Alright, Yanny. Have you done your homework? Why don't you take an early rest? I'll go to the school and explain the situation to the teacher tomorrow. You can complete your homework after…"

Yannick interrupted Clara before she could finish her sentence. "I'll do my homework!" He quickly grabbed the pencil case from his school bag and promised Clara, "Mom, I… I-I won't let anyone bully me again. Don't worry about me. I'm a boy! It doesn't hurt!"

'Doesn't hurt?' Clara thought, watching her son doing his homework on the small table. Yannick's red and swollen face was so jarring on her nerves, and tears filled her eyes. How could it not hurt?!

When she was at the police station, her mother told her how Yanny had gotten beaten by the other kids. Fearing that the hearing aid would break again, he could only protect the hearing aid on his ears and not fight back.

It was bedtime, and Clara lay