"Courage is a communicable disease that can spread like wildfire. A single individual can infect a mass within a short time. In the blink of an eye, courage, which was in the individual, now runs through the veins of many. And it is called Revolution!"
("Walkgirl" by Martha Smith)

Today I feel very comfortable in the car with Mom. My butt sinks perfectly into the seat, my back is straight, and the sunglasses make the colors softer and cleaner. The trees stream out the window and the sky is as clear as ever.

On the radio, there is a pleasant pop song accompanying me on the drive to school. What is it called? Man, I can never remember the name.

Around my neck, I have Walkman headphones on. I run my fingers along its curved plastic surface. It is full of grooves. They make me think of the tracks of a station, interdicted to passengers because of a train accident; the paths of the rails no longer have a certain direction, are no longer predictable; only a heap of scrap metal can be distinguished, overlapping to form amorphous sculptures.

These deep grooves are not just random etchings, but indelible scars of a sad story that could have been even worse.

The headphones are the only item I have left of Dad's, and thankfully, they survived the flight they took off that damn school roof. They die hard, and I've decided I'll wear them around my neck like a necklace.

The only one that lost its life was my dear Walkman, it is now to be thrown away.

Suddenly, a strange vibration flows through my body. There is an energy pawing, ready to explode.

I can't really explain it, but the closest thing that describes me right now is one of those jack-in-the-boxes. You know those puppets that jump up when you open the boxes? You turn the crank, turn, turn and turn again; the more you turn, the more pretty music comes out of the box, like a carillon. It is so peaceful that moment. You could spend hours and hours in that absolute harmony where you know nothing will go wrong. But really, those are just appearances....

Inside the box, there is a beast, a raging spring-loaded puppet. He has been in that box far too long, locked up. And what happens to those who are locked up too long in one place, with no way out?
He can't wait to get out! To get out, snap out of that damn box and show everyone that a dark box is not the place he deserves to be.

No one should live in a box. And neither should I. Today, I will not stay in the place I was assigned; a place where bullies can manage and boss you around whenever they please. Today, I will rewrite my history and be able to go wherever I want to go, head-on!

I had never felt a feeling like that before. Maybe that's just how it is when you feel like you're in the right place at the right time.

The car decelerates, I come back to reality. We arrived at the school.

"Mom, thanks for the ride."

"Come here, give me a kiss."

She is adorable. I hug her and give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Martha, how are you?"

"Better. You were right. I'm more lucid today."

Her delicate hands caress my cheek, she has a tender look, as if she saw me for the first time. "I love you."

"Me too." I open the door and make to leave.

Not even a second passes that Mom grabs my wrist. "How come you wear sunglasses?"

I hoped she wouldn't ask. "Let's just say I didn't get much sleep last night." Because I also threw up my soul. That's better left unsaid. By the way, I ran out of her wine! I'll have to come up with a decent excuse later. After this, no more lies. It will be the last one!

She nods and pats my shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll fix it."

"I will. Thank you."

"After school if you like, let's talk a little about what happened."

"Okay." I smile. "See you later." I get out of the car.

I need to focus on today. What happened last night is water under the bridge; I have other things to worry about right now. Where are Karol and Miriam?

People's stares are poking me. I think that snake Chloe has been feeding her rumors about my pregnancy.

How can people believe her? I mean, she is blatantly a liar.

A bump on my shoulder makes me take a step forward. What the hell! It was a boy with straight hair, black eyes and a light green sweatshirt.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you, I was talking and.... Oh, it's you!"

"Have we met?"

A friend of his, wearing a red hat and a tribal tattoo on his neck, comes between us. "You have to excuse him he's a klutz. Martha, right?"

I nod.

"Are you okay? We know that you, I mean, yeah. Are you, how should I put it?"

Oh, God. How embarrassing. "Pregnant?"

The boy who had bumped into me takes the floor. "Really, I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't push you to tease you, I'm just distracted."

The boy with the tattoo removes his hat, revealing shaved hair. "We're not like the others. We are with you. If you want to carry on the pregnancy, we won't judge you. I mean..."

"Slow down. Slow down. I'm not pregnant."

"You don't have to be ashamed of that."

"No, maybe you don't understand."

"These things happen..."

"But it didn't happen to me! And even if it did, that's my business."

He puts his hat back on his head. "That's exactly what I wanted to say. I'm not good with words." He clears his voice. "I just wanted to tell you not to listen to what other people say and that we are not like those who make fun of you behind your back."

"Thanks for the thought, but I'm not pregnant. It was all a set-up by Chloe."

"Chloe, huh? Jasmine's lying friend?"

Okay, finally someone who noticed, I'm not out of my mind. "Just her. She saw me kissing David and started those rumors."

Bump Boy runs his hands through his hair. "I knew she was behind it. That girl is the devil in the flesh."

"I can see that not everyone really likes her."

"Nobody should like her at all! Chloe ruined my whole first year of school. Stupid liar. I knew this pregnancy thing could be her doing. Perfidious cursed witch."

"What did she do to you?"

"What did she do to me? She made the whole school believe that during drama class, I had..." He pauses briefly and, embarrassed, scratches his head. "How can I put it? Chloe said I let the gas out."

"Don't tell me you're... Yeah, I mean, you're..."

He looks away. "I think so."

"Oliver the Fart."

The friend coughs a smile and gets a punch on the shoulder. "Ouch."

"Don't say that name."

I give an imperceptible smile, but immediately pull myself together. "Sorry, it was just to see if I understood."

"That wayward child put me through hell. It took me a whole year to make people understand that I had never done such a thing."

"I'm sorry, it must have been hard."

He shrugs his shoulders. "After that, fortunately, she started badmouthing other people, you know how she does, and people targeted other wretches. I was only saved because of that."

"Chloe can't always get away with it."

"She is the Queen of Lies. She has the school in her pocket! And then there is Jasmine, who does nothing but encourage her."

He is right, it will be so difficult to make her drop her crown, despite Karol's plan. Maybe these two boys can help.

"You said you were staying at the drama class, didn't you?

"Yes, I do it as an extracurricular activity. Why?"

"Do you have amplified speakers?"

"Yes, we have four, and they are also very powerful. What do you have in mind?"

"We have to make it big. We have to make Chloe drop her crown."

"And how?"

"My friends and I have a plan."

"Martha!" Karol approaches, holding a red envelope with Christmas trees drawn on it. "I've been looking for you."

Miriam is at her side, she too has an envelope, midnight blue and with cute smiling stars waving.

"Hello, girls. I have wonderful news."

Miriam's eyes widen. "What?"

"These two boys are doing theater."

"Ah, good for them." She gives them a courtesy smile. "We're supposed to organize that thing, though, remember?"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about. They're our people."

The hat guy scratches his chest. "Girls, I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?"

"Do you want to help us oust the Queen of Lies?"

Oliver steps forward. "I'll do anything."

"Good. Then you need to retrieve those four speakers and place them in the corners of the basketball court. Not the outdoor court, but the indoor court. I'll take care of the rest. Can you do that?"

The two boys look at each other interdicted.

The one in the hat shakes his head. "Impossible. The ThunderDevils' friendly match is coming up. The principal has given permission to suspend classes. Do you know what that means?" He expects me to answer, but I keep quiet. "It means the whole school will be there to watch the game, including the principal."

I flash a mocking smile. "And that will be our ideal time to spring into action."

They both shake their heads, their faces sullen.

"Guys, I know there might be consequences, but who among you feels like seeing that lying little bitch without a realm?"

There is a certain glint in Oliver's gaze. I have his attention.

"Which one of you feels like making the whole school understand that what she are doing is wrong?" I pause to make the words resonate in their heads. "Do you or do you not want Chloe to target any of us anymore? Do you or do you not want the school to see who she really is?" More pause. "I see in this mission, a moment of redemption. A moment we all need. And I don't mean us who are here. No! I mean all those boys and girls, who walking through this school, had to lower their looks and stayed in their seats for fear of aggravating their situation. What we're going to do is for all those who didn't feel totally included, who couldn't express themselves for fear of someone like Chloe spreading strange rumors." Another pause, the two stare at me in wonder. "All those people are waiting for us. All those people would like us to act. All those people would like to have our courage. And maybe, by our actions, we will give them just enough to look up. Let's show them what it means to have courage. Let's show them that we do this for all of us. And finally..." I look them straight in the eye. "Let's show Chloe that... we are not afraid!"

The two stare at me, clenching their fists. Their faces are serious and their brows are furrowed. Those angry, determined looks let me know there is hope. Maybe I'm just suggesting, I don't know, but I think they will want to participate in our plan. Better to wait a few seconds and see if they have any kind of reaction.

They give each other a look, I think it's one of concern. I think they're afraid of failure. Oliver clenches his jaw, a wide breath makes his chest swell, and finally shakes his head to say yes.

The boy in the hat is infected with courage and nods proudly. "I'm with you, too! Our friend Charlie can help us out, he knows everyone in the drama class well."

"Then go, and take those four speakers to the basketball court, the game is coming up soon. We'll show everyone that our turn has come. We're going to play now!"

Oliver smiles. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time. I don't care if the principal puts us in detention. It's the right thing to do! Jason, let's go!"

The two boys enthusiastically take their leave.

Miriam looks at me astonished. "Wow! What was in that wine last night? I want some too!"

"Don't tell me about wine I might throw up at any moment."

"By the way, the sunglasses look good on you."

"Stop it! The light still bothers me." I laugh. "Did you bring everything?"

Karol raises the red envelope with Christmas trees. "I brought you my sister's yellow jumpsuit."

Miriam raises it again with her midnight blue one and smiling stars waving. "I, on the other hand, have the pack of cigarettes and the vase with Dahlia in it."

I rest my hands on their shoulders. "Perfect, it's all there."