After a bubble bath, Lucia lay on the bed in her nightgown and wrote in her diary.

Dear Rapunzel...

I have bad news for you... The prickly warrior has returned. And I thought I got rid of those kind of people. Shouldn't he have disappeared from the map? Why is he back? At last he abandoned his castle and his chief battle squire. Now I don't know what the prickly man wants here, I hope he doesn't torment me like he does today... And what about that Cibelli? Don't you know what she's capable of? To my disappointment she turned out to be a terrible ballet opera witch. And I thought of her as a "perfect swan" or Cinderella after being married to the prince, brs... None of that, that slap Cintia got hurt me too.

Will I have to endure all this to reach stardom? That's not possible... But I have to do it R, for my father's sake. He's working hard to pay for my studies and make my dream come true. Beautiful! I'm going... My mami has finally arrived, kiss R!

- Mom, how was it today? - She said going down the stairs.

- The same! - Clarice said yawning. The mother saw that the first-aid kit was disturbed. - Did you go through the emergency closet, daughter?

- Oh! It was the Vespa,” she lied.

- The dog? How could the Vespa have reached here? You didn't get hurt in the dance, did you?

- No mommy. That it? The Vespa, he was moaning in pain and I went to see what it was.

- It must have been that ear of his again, right?

- That's right. Wow how did you get it right? The Vespa scratched again and bled badly, very badly - Lucia lied.

- Then let's have dinner. Tomorrow is my day off. I just want to know about my pillow, netflix and popcorn.

After dinner Lucia stayed to wash the dishes. Deep in thought, her gaze fixed on the image of her reflected in the glass of the window in the kitchen. She remembered the rainy afternoon that had passed when she was eleven. What at first seemed like fun, an hour later turned into just frustration. That neighbor of hers who was nicknamed prickly for elbowing and for wearing a glove with little nails that gave the impression of a porcupine when the fist was closed, and she as his squire. That he was always tasked with being like a boy, even dressing like one. Lucia wandered through her memory remembering the moments of childhood adventures she had lived with the prickly warrior. Even the time the mischievous brat cut her hair to make it look more masculine. She cried for many days at the lack of her long locks. Her mother had to arrange it in order to fix the flaws in the bad cut. The heavy rain that fell had taken the form of mud. The prickly one had given her his gloves and the wooden sword he had personally made, surprised her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Squire. I'll leave my castle, take care of the weapons"- was what she said, giving him a shove. The prickly is gone. While she was left crying in the puddle. She had never understood why he would have left her like this. After three days she hadn't seen him again. Every afternoon she looked from the front gate to see if the boy came to ask her to play. Lucia yawned, shifting from nostalgia. She went upstairs to the bedroom. She lay down. She thought of the kiss Marcos stole. That cheeky kiss that awakened the hidden memories.

***

Marcos had taken some dipyrone to relieve the pain that still persisted. He looked in the mirror to see how her face looked. He had been beaten badly. Getting rid of five opponents was not easy. The such ones did not accept the defeat of one of them, and went to get him in order to get revenge. He could still feel the weight of their fists on his chest. He had taken a hot bath. Lucia's face came into his mind, he punched the wall-''Why did you have to be a girl'-he said aloud. He came out of the bathroom. Seeing his mother, he covered his face with the towel so she wouldn't see it.

- Are you okay son? - Mayara asked, noticing Marcos who remained with his forehead against the wall. - What do you have Marc? -He didn't want his mother to see her face, not that face smeared with punches. He went back into the bathroom. - It's nothing mom. I'm ok...-he replied.

- Today your cousin called.

- And?

- I think he wants to try something even with you - Mayara had tried to induce her son to have a relationship with someone on the father's biological side.

- Maya you didn't tell me which cousin called? - Marcos said, despite guessing who it was, he wanted to let his mother think that she had some interest.

- Ricardo. The one from Brasília - The mother confirmed.

- But what an insistent kid, I don't want anything from him.

- He doesn't want to give you anything, son.

- Another reason that doesn't interest me - the mother had stayed at the door of her son's room, while he had taken refuge in the bathroom.

- Look son! I just want that... - Mayara took a deep breath, she was afraid of not being able to resist another surgery and wished that somehow her son would be safe. Marcos noticed his mother's heavy breathing, he didn't want to irritate her by persisting in the conversation.

- Mother, mother... I don't want to talk anymore. Right? When Ricardo calls again, he gives the my cell number for him ok.

- Alright son, I'll take my medicine and sleep. Are you going out today?

- No. Not today.

The morning did not go well for the three friends. Jânio felt depressed by the argument he had with his parents. Rafaela had dyed her hair red and pierced her lower lip accompanied by a tattoo near her upper lip. Which was nothing less than a simple black spot, but it was enough to make her parents disgusted. And Lucia was down for having lied to her mother about the dog.

The praise of a fellow punk made Rafaela feel radiant, opening a mischievous smile on her face. During the break in the corner of the courtyard, Jânio had once again been the laughing stock of some colleagues. ''You're a faggot. He just hangs out with those boring little girls'' this added to his degree of depression even more. Rafaela tried to counter them, but it was in vain. The little group made up of eight 3rd year students always managed to show their dominance over anyone they marked to massacre with violent insults. Lucia was not out of their list, in which she called them bullyngatics.

The three friends were caught by the group who surrounded them in a circle of cowardice near the bathroom, where some teacher's gaze couldn't reach them. Inside the bathroom, the echo of their aggressive voices quieted Marcos and a few who were also there, climbed on the toilet and could see them through the crack in the window. He took a good look at their faces. He went down. He came out of the toilet to wash his hands, however he touched one of his colleagues who had tried to swerve to get out of the bathroom.

- Tell me the name of each one of them! - Marcos asked rudely.

- I don't know.

- Dude... Speak or else I'll rip your liver out - he showed the boy pressed by him against the wall, a Thai dagger that he had won by his uncle Gilberto.

- OK bro. Adonis, Hayden, Gurgel and... Look, the others I don't know... I swear! - Said the boy trembling as he faced the dagger.

- What year are they from? - Marcos forced him more.

- Third... They're third year.

- Go! Get out of here Mane.

Marcos went around the outside with the intention of confronting the group, when he got closer he could see that one of them was harassing Lucia with one of his hands. But the bell had rung at this time, so the malefactors quickly dispersed without giving anyone a chance to reprimand them. The looks of the three friends, sunk in bitterness, gave the impression of conformity. They had already been through this aggression other times, despite having already made some complaints. The bullies got them somehow.

- How can you let these assholes do this to you? - Marcos asked in an irritating tone.

- Oh! He's the idiot who almost knocked us down the stairs the other time, right... - Insulted Rafaela.

- Now you hit me instead of them? - Replied Marcos.

- We don't need you here - Lucia exposed.

- As much as we try, these bullynaticos don't stop, they will never stop - Jânio said in deep melancholy.

- Aha. Don't you need me here? - Marcos said looking at Lucia. - They don't need anyone, fuck them - Marcos left them as they were, leaning against the wall behind the school's bathrooms. He felt invaded by the injustice that Lucia and her friends were going through, he was uneasy about it, he couldn't think about what he could do about this issue. Anger consumed him up to his throat.

After leaving school, Jânio, Rafaela and Lúcia were approached again by Adonis and his companions in one of the streets that crossed Treze de Maio. This time Janio didn't hold back. In an attempt to hit the backpack on one of them only worsened the complicated situation in which he found himself. Rafaela's cell phone had been suddenly broken by Hayden.

- Why don't you call daddy Janinha? - He mocked Hayden.

Unexpectedly Marcos appeared and unceremoniously slapped Adonis in the face, causing his nose to bleed. He gripped Hayden's neck with one hand and slashed the point of the dagger across his face. The rest didn't try to fight back, but promised rematch, so they left.

- Then come! Come and take the revenge now, assholes - Marcos said angrily.

- Thanks dude! - Thanked Jânio to Marcos.

Before Marcos left, Lucia had grabbed his arm.

- Wait. Sorry I was rude to you earlier. Thanks! - Lucia expressed with a look of guilt.

Marcos had turned his gaze to her.

- Just don't expect to fall in love with me after that, kitten. And, that goes for your friends too.

- Cocky! - Rafaela said

- Hey Janio. Appears at my uncle's boxing gym - Marcos invited, extending a business card to Jânio, who accepted it.

- I'm really going, man - confirmed Jânio.

He turned around, determined to leave, as the three friends parted ways and set off in different directions. Lucia had been late for dance rehearsal, which cost her a lecture from Cibelli.

- Don't even think about going up on the étape you rat! - cried Cibelli angrily.

- Which? Did you call me a rat? - Lucia replied.

-Yes-she replied. - That was it. And I will call how many times I want - implied Cibelli.

- Did I admire you so much? But now you've shown yourself like a bitch in heat.

- How can you disrespect me like that? I'm your maîtresse! - Cibelli was so enraged that the veins in his face revealed themselves like thick pale rubber bands, a few red hairs stamped his forehead, his body squirted upwards, leaning on the balls of his feet, he made an imperceptible sputum in his mouth. , spat and hit Lucia on the shoulder.

- Aaarrrs! How can? You bitch bitch! - Lucia declared with anger bursting between her teeth.

She took the stage with determination and brought her right hand voraciously to Cibelli's face. The other dancers smiled discreetly in celebration of the feat, which deep down some would have liked to do the same.

I'm leaving this company, I've lost the pleasure of being a part of it, I'm disgusted by your bitch face... Bya! Bye! AU REVOIR! - Lucia had left at a run. She wiped the saliva with the scarf. She walked the rest of the afternoon along XV de Novembro Street. She walked into a diner and stuffed herself with greasy cheeseburgers, sodas, and ice cream. She'd come home sick, her sensitive stomach couldn't bear to digest so much animal protein after three years of being vegan. She ran to the bathroom and threw up everything she ate. She turned on the faucet and got into the tub relaxing in the foam. Afterwards, she was just in her bathrobe on the bed writing in her diary.