{Manuel Cabral - André Bankoff}

As soon as we entered the waiting room I felt my whole body shiver. I hated hospitals, I always have. The smell of cleaning products mixed with alcohol and medicine made me sick.

It's funny how I'd never felt like this in Vet clinics, maybe it was a psychological thing. I looked around observing the other people waiting in the room. A couple of scratches, colds and one broken arm for all I could see.

Nurses and doctors rushed in and out of the room as if their lives depended on that, always giving me the impression that something huge was going on on the other side of those walls. Manuel noticed my apprehension and gently patted my shoulder. I glared at him for making me come to this horrid place. My wounds weren't that bad compared to what I've had before.

I held the tiny little white paper that had the number 78 written on it. I looked up at the screen in the middle of the room that showed the number 67, we'd have to wait a long time until they called us.

I shook my head and sat down in one of the chairs that were placed in rows filling the room. I was careful enough not to let my bruised back touch the back of the chair, a while later Manuel came and sat by my side.

"You really should tell someone." He said in a low voice, I almost felt like smirking but I knew that'd be rude.

"I can't." I simply said. He breathed deeply.

"Why?" He insisted and I sighed.

"Look, if I tell someone the police would get involved, my father would be thrown into jail and that wouldn't be good, because he is often in debt with some real nasty people, and if he doesn't pay, I'll have too and I don't have the money. I don't even want to imagine what they'd do to me if I don't pay. If for a miracle they don't kill me I would probably fall into the system until I turn 18, the age in which they'd throw me out and I'd be all alone. Meanwhile, I would have lost my scholarship because the school I go to does not want a bad reputation, and having an abused child studying there definitely wouldn't be good for their image... If I tell someone, I'll loose everything." I said matter-of-factly and he stood there quiet, knowing I had a point.

"Still, it has to be a way to make him stop." I shook my head, I didn't want to talk about that.

I hated talking about my father. It hurt. I didn't love him. I was pretty sure of that, but still, he was my father. I always wondered how'd it be if we actually had a good relationship. I dreamed of things being different.

"I don't want to talk about it ok?" I said once I saw he was about to say something else. He stopped and we stayed in silence waiting for my number to be called.

As usual the minutes dragged by slowly as I watched people being called in and nurses rushing around. The whole time neither me or Manuel said a thing. Finally my number was called out. I got up and went to the small booth near the screen. A young receptionist with a bored look pointed me towards a door and said while looking at her phone.

"Room 112." Her voice was dragged and she didn't look at me the entire time. I just shrugged and walked to the door.

I ended up in a big hall with various doors numbered from 100 to 118.

I walked to the door that read 112 and knocked gently. Manuel was behind me the entire time but still hadn't said a word.

"Come in." I heard a woman's voice from behind the door. I looked at Manuel who gave me a reassuring smile before I got in.

The room was bright with a small hospital bed and a desk with a computer. Two chairs were placed in front of the desk and the doctor was sitting behind the desk. I took her in. She was beautiful, pretty young for a doctor. She had brown hair and deep green eyes. Her face was decorated with a warm smile.

"So, what can I help you guys with?" She said looking at me and I looked down suddenly embarrassed. I didn't say anything so Manuel spoke for me.

"My friend here got some nasty bruises on her back, we were wondering if you could check it out." He said, his accent getting stronger, as it always did when he talked with someone he didn't know well. The doctor smiled at him before turning towards me.

"Ok, please take off your shirt and lie down on the bed so I can check out your back." She said professionally but still I didn't move. She cocked her head slightly to the side.

"Would you be more confortable if I asked your friend to wait outside?" She asked concerned but I just shrugged.

"It's ok, he's as gay as it gets anyways." I said taking off my shirt and Manuel looked at me glaring but still blushing deeply I smirked and made my way to the bed.

I laid down, my face facing the thin pillow and the cold air brushing my back. I breathed deeply as I heard footsteps coming towards me. I heard a small gasp coming form the young doctor but decided to ignore it. Her gloved fingers slowly traced patterns on my back, I winced a little but stayed quiet.

"What happened?" The doctor asked concerned.

"I... umm... Fell." I said lamely.

"Yeah, I bet you did. Did you fall with your back flat on a knife?" She asked not believing a word a said. I sighed but didn't answer. She did her best to let it go. After all it wasn't her job to figure out why or how it happened.

It turned out that my cuts had been slightly infected and I should put some lotion on it, and take some antibiotics. Nothing new really. I got up and put my shirt on. The doctor watched me carefully but I just looked away. I sat down and waited.

It was the same as always. "Be careful, I hope you'll get better, come back if you need anything" and etc. I just nodded smiling politely, but deep down all I wanted was to get the hell out of there. After some excruciating minutes we were finally excused. I turned around and thanked the doctor, Manuel left before I did. I was about to shut the door when the young doctor held my hand gently.

"Wait." She said and I looked back at her. She had a warm smile on her face.

"Yes?" I asked still a little embarrassed, she still hadn't let go of my hand.

"I just wanted you to tell you... You're not alone." She said quietly and I frowned. She smiled sweetly.

"Just, don't hesitate to call if you need anything, ok?"'She said handing me a card. I just nodded blushing slightly.

I got out of the office still holding the card tightly in my hand.

"What's that?" Manuel asked me, utterly curious as always.

"The doctor gave me her card... she said I should call if I needed anything." I said and he smirked.

"She's totally into you!" He started clapping like a five year old. I frowned.

"Are you crazy? Of course not! Plus she's at least 7 years older than me." I said but a smile still managed to form on my lips.

"Yeah, right. Come on, I'll give you a ride." He said still not believing me.

We both got into the car silently and he drove off. I grabbed my phone putting the doctor's number in. Diana, I could read her name in the card. It was a beautiful name, like the goddess.

After adding her number I just looked at the screen absentminded, not really wanting to get home.

Manuel hadn't spoken a word since we had gotten into the car, he was like that sometimes, he liked the quiet ride. I didn't mind it either so we both stayed silent just listening to the engine sound.

My phone suddenly vibrated signalizing that I had received a message. I frowned, not many people had my phone number and the only person that normally would text me was Manuel, and he was by my side right now.

I curiously opened the message by this unknown number.

"Hey Amy, it's Katherine... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for the way I acted before, I was having a bad day and I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you. I also wanted to invite you to come to my house after school on Monday so we can get started on this project thing, anyway, just send me a message confirming."

My eyes opened wide, Katherine had sent me a message, and the weirdest part was that she wasn't telling me to go kill myself or something like that, she was apologizing, she was actually being... nice.

"What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost." Manuel said and I nodded slightly.

"It's just some popular girl at my school, she used to hate me but now she sent me this message saying she's sorry for the way she acted, is just weird." I said and he nodded.

"Well, you are a likable person, maybe she realised that." He said and I looked at the message one more time.

"Maybe." I said still not sure of what to think of Katherine's sudden change of behaviour.