In kindegarten, he had learned how to make a bruise stop hurting: you pressed it over and over with your thumb. the first times it hurt so much your eyes watered. The second time it hurt a little less. The tenth time, it was barely an ache.

Celeste Ng
About This Quote

When you’re little, your parents teach you how to defend yourself. When someone bullies you, you might tell them off and make them feel bad about it. But what do you do when they keep on bullying you and won’t stop until they get their way? You take a small piece of paper and press it against your skin and keep pressing until the pain stops. After a while, you’ll press the paper so hard that your skin will start to bruise.

The first days after your first big fight, the bruise might be red and swollen. The second day, it might be just a little bit darker than normal skin. The tenth day? It looks like any other bruise.

Source: Everything I Never Told You

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