That blanket, the stars... that's her. That's the girl crying in the bedroom. The orderly pushes the wheelchair to the opposite of my place, near a window. When he emerges, I can finally see his face: she has beautiful blue eyes, a little almond, a small fine nose a little upturned and fine lips. Her light brown hair barely touches her shoulders. But her expression is sad. She turns her head and looks towards the window. She's beautiful. really beautiful.

She is placed at a special table. Alone. The orderly carries her tray. I turn to Freddie, busy sorting the candied fruit from his slice of cake.

"Do you know her?" I ask him, directing my attention directly to her.

"I don't like the cherry... and the green, there... it's not a fruit, that!" he grumbled, the nose a few centimetres from his dessert.

He quickly puts a green candied fruit in his mouth, chews it a little before grimacer and spit it out.

"It is also cherry," he cried, "but it is not green, cherries!" he says, indignant.

I turn to him and he does not listen. I elbow him to get his attention. He shouts a little surprise and raises his head towards me.

"What?" he says, annoyed.

"The girl, near the window... You know who she is?" I ask him, still so intrigued.

He's looking in her direction.

"Oh... her," he breathes, concentrating again on the cake, "yes, no, I never spoke to her... To tell the truth, no one talks to her... or rather, she doesn't want to talk to anyone. She only lets herself be approached by the nursing staff. She is so special!"

He laughs at his last remark. I don't understand how he can also be obsessed with his candied fruit problem when she's... right there. And he says she's special! Come on, well...

I raise a cautious eyebrow before once again looking back at her. I wonder what brought her here.

"You wouldn't know why she's here, by any chance?" I ask Freddie, who forms a cross with the remaining red and green balls.

- She's been here about six months, but... you never see her. Except for food. She doesn't attend any workshops. She's not going out either...

The more I look at her, the more I feel she doesn't belong here among...the others. She seems different.

A nurse passes by and hands a small white cup to my table mate. Inside there is a blue and white capsule and a salmon pink tablet. Without thinking, Freddie swallows them with a stroke. He opens and twists his mouth in all directions to prove to the nurse that he swallowed them. He hands me one too. I take it reluctantly. When I look inside, the cup is empty. Confused, I raise my head and the nurse winks at me. I tilt my head back, cup to mouth, pretending to swallow supposed pills. I'm grimacing the same way Freddie and the man leaves us.

"What are they giving you?" Freddie asks.

I didn't think about the possible treatment I could have here. There are so many parameters that I didn't take into account... I'm trying to remember drug names, hoping he's not a pharmaceutical specialist.

- Prozac and zoloft, I respond with caution.

I gauge his reaction with fear.

"Ah, like me!" he replies, all happy.

I'm relieved and smiling at him.

"No, but what did I tell you?" cried a female voice. "What don't you understand?"

Immediately, I know. It's her voice. She's soft and a little sharp, despite the hostile tone she uses. When I look at her, a furious expression distorts the features of her face.

"I'm sorry, but we're out of strawberry yogurt," the orderly says.

This is where the evidence strikes me. On my tray, proudly sits a jar of strawberry yogurt. Without thinking, I grab it and get up, under the surprised look of Freddie. I head in her direction.

"You really are a..."

"Hi!" I cut her off in her stride.

I spoke. I interrupted her. I've never been shy about girls before. Quite the contrary. But, strangely enough, with her, I sense a certain apprehension about the future of the events. Her murderous blue eyes land on me. The anger didn't leave her face. She's really intimidating. She doesn't look at all like the sobbing girl from before. I understand the caregiver's reaction better.

"I have... I have strawberry yogurt, I say smiling timidly."

Anger gives way to astonishment, even if the remains of discontent are still read in her eyes. She scrutinizes me. I don't know how she's going to react, which is very frustrating.

"Thank you," she says, more calmly.

I put the dairy on the table. She grabs it and removes the lid from the jar.

"I am Brody. And you are..."

- "... in no mood to argue", she throws her spoon into the yogurt, without looking up at me.

She makes me understand that it is time for me to leave her alone. Contrite, I go back to my place, next to Freddie. At the sight of his mocking expression, he followed the scene closely.

"I told you so," my table-mate sneers.

"Shut up," I say, pushing him, and then I began to laugh.

Yes, I had just been thrown away in style. I think this is the first time that this has happened to me. And that's not the most pleasant feeling I've ever felt. But what makes me feel better is, when I raised my head, the young woman's blue eyes were pointed at me...

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