It was one thing to have a tragic accident that no one saw coming, about a girl who lost her leg. It was another thing for a girl to be stabbed with scissors in the shoulder.

This time there was no ceremony, but what happened was talk all over the school within a couple of hours. Erica had buried a pair of scissors in the shoulder of Pamela, a girl from the III B class. Of course, it had been self defense. I believed Erica, I was sure many people believed her, but it didn't matter; Erica was a dangerous girl, people had to be careful around her, that's what the other students were beginning to think.

I could tell. Besides us, the others began to distance themselves. They weren't directly hostile to her, but they began to avoid as much as possible any kind of interaction with her.

Even in our group I began to feel a certain suspicion towards her; like the respect you have for the animals at the zoo, only there were no bars between us. The day after the ambush, we all went to lunch together. Even Raka joined us for a change.

We went to a local place and ordered fries. We ate eagerly, talked little. I think we were all thinking about the fight, but no one wanted to bring it up. I looked at Erica several times, she seemed the same as always. To think she had buried a pair of scissors into a girl. I wondered what that would feel like, how much resistance cartilage and muscle would give against metal.

Perhaps it was from looking at her so much that I ended up noticing a strange detail; Erica had no injury marks. Normally the bruises she had earned the day before would leave a mark, but she looked so good that I could hardly tell she had fallen on a bush.

-How are you two feeling?- I asked at last- Aren't you in any pain?

The others looked at me with different expressions. Galica looked upset, Pekos relieved, Troveto curious. Raquel and Erica were the only ones who looked at me without expression.

-You mean yesterday?- said Raquel- I wasn't hit by anyone.

-I'm fine- said Erica, smiling. She seemed glad I had asked her.

Raquel looked at her.

-Come to think of it, you were all bruised up, how are you doing so well today?

Erica shrugged.

-I don't know, I've always recovered quickly from my injuries- she said.

She was about to continue eating, but stopped and stared into infinity.

-Although...- she continued, but stopped again, lost in thought.

-What's wrong?- asked Raquel.

-It's weird, I went to camp once, when I was about twelve. I buried a branch in my leg. I didn't care at the time, but it took several days to heal.

We all looked at each other, puzzled.

-What... What's up with that?- I asked.

Raquel took a sip of her drink.

-That other wounds don't take as long- explained Erica - Even gunshot wounds.

Raquel almost spit out her drink. Instead she swallowed what was in her mouth with a lot of air.

-Gunshot wounds?!- we all exclaimed.

Erica looked at us, puzzled.

-Yes, sometimes it happens.

Galica shook her head.

-No, that doesn't happen!- she cried.

-Well, it happens to me- she said.

-Erica!- Raquel looked around, remembered that we were surrounded by people and lowered her voice- You have been shot?

-Yes, look.

Erica reached for the zipper of her jumper to take it off. When I realized what she was doing, I rushed to stop her.

-What are you doing?!- I exclaimed.

-I was going to show you guys- she pleaded.

-But don't take off your clothes! Just... we believe you, but how many times have you been shot?

Erica thought for a moment, then put a finger to her armpit.

-One...- she began to count.

She put her finger to her thigh, to her side, to her shoulder, then began to count from memory.

-Seven, I think.

After all I'd seen and heard about her, I shouldn't have been surprised. Still, I couldn't help but feel intimidated at the thought of being shot seven times in my body. On top of that, she had survived them all.

-But how did you get shot?- Raquel pleaded.

Erica smiled nervously.

-Damn, I think I talked too much- she sighed, resigned- What can I say? Accidents happen: I destroy things, I get in trouble, I end up being chased by the cops...- she shrugged again, in a more theatrical gesture- I have bad luck.

She seemed to be ready to finish the conversation there, but Raquel didn't let her.

-Wait, wait! What kind of accidents? What happened to you?

-Nothing, just accidents- she alleged.

-But what kind of accidents?- she demanded to know.

I don't think she noticed, but she began to lean over Erica, aggressively imposing herself. The poor thing looked away, nervous.

-So much has happened, I wouldn't know where to start- she excused herself.

-Start with the first bullet- Raquel cut her off- Why did they shoot you the first time?

-I think... -Erica tried to remember, hurried by Raquel's insistence- I think I was about ten years old, or was it eleven?

-Ten?!- shouted Raquel.

-I may have been escaping from a police car- she reminisced.

-But why was a police car chasing you?

-Well...

Erica began to breathe heavily, looking in all directions, as if trying to come up with an idea. As she was on the edge of the seat and Raquel was gaining on her, she barely had enough room to sit down. Raquel was looking at her intensely, as if trying to get to the bottom of her soul. The pressure she was exerting could have dented a submarine.

-A classmate fell on top of it- Erica excused herself- I pushed him.

-You got shot because you pushed a classmate into a police car?

-He was bothering me a lot!- Erica defended herself.

-But why were you shot?

-I think it was a misunderstanding.

-You pushed your classmate because he bothered you, that happens in any classroom when you're ten years old- she cried- Why would some cops shoot you for that?

Raquel was gaining ground little by little, centimeter by centimeter.

-I don't know, ask them!- Erica protested, her voice cracking.

-I just want to understand. Cops wouldn't shoot a ten years old girl without a good reason, and so far you haven't given me one. Tell me what you did! I want to know!

I opened my mouth to protest. It was obvious that Erica didn't want to talk about it, and Raquel wasn't respecting her personal space. However, at that moment Erica couldn't sit still and fell backwards to the floor. We all got up to help her, but more than the fall, what surprised us was to find her frightened and cowering, her eyes glazed over and her throat in a lump. Raquel bent down to her and held out a hand, but Erica jumped away, frightened. I watched her as she began to cry. Finally she stood up and walked away in a hurry.

-No, Erica, wait!- Raquel demanded.

She tried to go after her, but Erica ran out the door and disappeared. Raquel also started to run, but Erica was nowhere to be seen. After a few minutes, Raka came back to our table looking apologetic.

-I'm sorry- she apologized.

-It's okay, Raka. Sit with us- I said in a soft tone.

-No, I...- she pleaded. She looked too upset to continue talking- I'm sorry.

She hurriedly picked up her things and left.

I only took a calming breath when I saw her leave. Then I looked at my friends, the three of them were looking back at me with doubt in their faces.

-What happened to Erica?- Galica asked.

Troveto sat down next to me so as not to be crowded with the other two.

-We were talking about when she was shot at the age of ten- Troveto reminded her- for anyone, that would be a traumatic memory, even for her. It's natural that she couldn't keep talking.

-That Raquel, sometimes she can be rough- commented Pekos.

Galica nodded.

-She made me cry the first time she spoke to me.

The three of them stared at me.

-What?

-You always invite her to hang out with us- said Troveto.

-What? No, sometimes she comes on her own- I argued.

-When has she ever done that?- asked Galica.

I wanted to remember. It hadn't been that same afternoon, or the previous time, or the last five times, but I was sure that at some point Raquel had approached us to hang out... Or had it been to scold me for wearing my shirt too wrinkled? I wasn't so sure.

-She's okay. She can be a little demanding, but deep down she's a good friend. She loves you guys too.

-Yes, of course- said Troveto.

-I think she just wants to be with you, that's why she agreed to come with all of us- complained Galica- she likes you, but she doesn't dare to say it.

I laughed when I heard this last remark.

-No, it's impossible- I answered- Haven't you seen her? It's obvious that Raka likes Er....

But I froze. I had spent so much time with Raka and my friends that I had forgotten that they didn't know each other very well. I had been on the verge of revealing Raka's secret.

-She likes who?

I cursed under my breath Why did Raka have to be so coy about it? If she could come out of the closet, life would be so much easier for her, I guess. But it was her life, I couldn't go revealing something so intimate about her, not even to my best friends.

-Another... another boy, someone you don't know. I'm sorry, I forgot that you haven't seen him. But when we're alone, she talks about him all the time.

-Yes, no. She's got the hots for you, Ocko- assured Galica- Be careful.

-But you haven't dated her before?- asked Pekos.

-No, not at all- I assured him.

-Oh, I thought you've been with all the girls in the class, already- he commented.

Galica crossed her arms.

-With almost all of them- she corrected him.

I put a hand to my head. I didn't have time for her nonsense, I was worried about Erica and Raka, and the two incidents that had happened at school. I just hoped nothing else would happen, but I kept thinking about Erica's story. The boy who picked on her, the cops who shot her, Erica's distress at being pressured to tell, the ease with which she had dispatched those thugs a few weeks ago. I thought I knew what had really happened, why the cops had shot and why Erica had seven gunshot marks on her skin that she had wanted to show us. I hoped I was wrong.