Paul is playing at the basketball field.
He is in sportswear. I can't tell if he can play well, however, he just score.

Karol approaches with a quick step. "So? Why did you go to the principal? And where are your headphones?" She shakes my hair to see my neck.

"He seized them from me." I touch my bare neck with one hand.

Miriam takes it from me and squeezes it tightly. "What happened?"

"I was in the bathroom and there were two girls smoking."

"Were you eavesdropping on the conversation?"

"No! I mean, yes, but that's not the main thing."

"Did you hear anything important?" A big smile prints itself on her face.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I discovered something interesting..."

"Let's go step by step." Karol stops us before the questioning led who knows where. "You are digressing. Tell us why you went to the principal."

"I was in the bathroom and these two girls were smoking. At one point, the janitor smells the stench and bursts into the bathroom."

Miriam's eyes go wide. "What about you?"

"When the janitor knocked on the door, I snatched the cigarette out of Nicole's hand."

"Nicole?"

"Yes, one of the girls in the bathroom."

Karol frowns. "I didn't understand. And why did you snatch the cigarette out of her hand?"

I remain silent. I don't know what to say.
I stroke the back of my head. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"It came naturally to me. I saw them in danger and took the blame."

Miriam raises her head to the sky. "My God. Can one be so stupid?"

"I know. I know. I don't know what came over me."

The gaze, which was staring at the sky, falls on me. "How did you not get suspended?"

"The principal wanted to change the regulations."

"Really?"

Karol intercepts a basketball that was bouncing at me.

Wow! What reflexes.

I think she's hurt: she's waving her hand hard.

"Man. I hurt myself." The ball tumbles a little farther.

I grab her fingers. "Let me see."

"I didn't hurt myself." She slips her hand from mine and squeezes it tightly.

Paul comes running up. "Hi girls, sorry. Are you hurt?"

"Nothing much."

"Sorry." He picks up the ball from the ground. "Maybe you'd better go to the nurse's office. You can find some ice there."

Miriam rests her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Come on, I'll go with you. Before it swells up."

"It doesn't swell."

"Let's avoid finding out." Miriam turns to me. "I'll see you later. We're going."

Karol whispers in a pained voice. "See you later."

I nod. "See you in class."

He and I are left.
Because of him, Karol's fingers could have broken.

"Anyway, just to say: it wasn't me who threw the ball out of the field..."

What is he doing? Does he read my mind?

"... It was Lucas."

I frown and look toward the basketball field.

"No, wait. What did you realize? It's not like he did it on purpose."

"What difference does it make? My friend got hurt anyway."

"It's different. It was an accident: Lucas passed the ball to Michael and he couldn't block it."

He has a serious look on his face.

"I'm sorry, you're right. I'm just a little nervous today."

He's cute even when he's serious.

"Is it about the cigarette in the bathroom?"

How does he know? It happened very recently.

"How do you know?"

He strokes his hair. "Everyone knows by now..."

What bitches! Jasmine and Nicole have already told the whole school.

"Anyway, you did great! Today, that's all they talked about. You took Nicole's cigarette and smoked it in front of the janitor."

"That's not exactly what happened."

"Yes, in fact there is also another version where you put out the cigarette on the principal's shoes." He starts laughing.

"Good. From savior to thug, it's a short step."

I feed his laughter. He liked the joke. What a great smile.

"Anyway, I think the real thing is that you took the blame."

"Yes, that's true." I strut. "I am the champion of justice."

"Oh, really?"

"No matter where you are, but if you are in danger I will be there to save you."

He continues to laugh. I look good today. The fact that he likes my jokes I think is a good thing.

"Who are you supposed to be? Miss Walkman? Or should I say Walkgirl?" He laughs and looks for complicity in my gaze.

My Walkman... My smile fades a little, but with an effort I try to keep it still. "Miss Walkgirl, I like that!"

"Your super powers are listening to music while smoking cigarettes?"

"Yes, that way I can distract the enemy, so the victim is ready to escape."

"That sounds like a good plan to me. You can also blind the enemy by putting out the cigarette in his eyes."

I raise my finger to give him a mock rebuke. "Actually, I put out cigarettes on their shoes."

A genuine smile returns to my face.

"You're right! I forgot it was your business card."

"I can already see the headlines in the school newspaper: 'Miss Walkgirl strikes again. Why does she burn the feet of enemies?'"

Paul is still amused. "Man! A newspaper with millions of copies. So much more than a school newspaper!!"

We look each other in the eye.
What is this silence? Why are we still looking at each other?
When people are silent, they don't stare into each other's eyes like this.

He clears his throat and I look away. The boys at the basketball court are watching us.

Lucas rants. "So? Are we playing or not?"

"Here I am." He raises his arm in their direction, finally turning to me.

"Anyway, they say you were crazy. I don't know how many other people would have done it."

"Come on, someone else would have done it."

"Is there another Miss Walkgirl in the school?"

I get serious. "Maybe, but be wary of imitations."

"I'll be careful. How can I distinguish you from the others?"

The yellow flower, Dahlia, comes to mind. "I have a yellow jumpsuit.

"Like Kill Bill."

"I don't know who he is."

"What do you mean you don't know who it is? Quentin Tarantino's movie, with Uma Thurman..."

I shrug.

"Okay, I get it! We'll see it together someday."

What, he would like to ask me out?

"Anyway, you're wearing a yellow jumpsuit.... I get it!"

"I also have a Dahlia. Near the pack of cigarettes in my pocket."

"What is a Dahlia?"

"It is the yellow flower in the flower beds." I point to it with my finger.

"Wow! Beautiful. You would look really menacing with that flower next to the cigarettes. The enemy before he dies will ask himself: will I die from the flower or the burned foot?"

I laugh. He is also witty.

I wonder if he will come to Jasmine's party?

Paul glares at me. "Are you going to Jasmine's party on Saturday?"

He reads my mind. He is the real superhero here.

"Yes, I should do it."

Actually, I have nothing to do.

"Well, then I'll see you there."

"At 8 o'clock."

"At 8." He runs a hand through his hair.

Lucas shouts from the basketball field. "Paul, we're waiting for the ball!"

"Here I am."

He turns and runs toward them.

I've screwed myself with my own hands: I'm obliged to go to the party on Saturday. Okay, I won't sleep all week, I'm sure.

Karol. I wonder how she is. I open the Whatsapp group.

Me: "@Miriam Karol how is she?"

I stay with the phone in my hand. Let's see if she answers right away. There she is, writing.

Miriam: "Come to the nurse's office. Maybe she's broken a finger."

Shit!

Me: "Two minutes and I'm with you."