Brock couldn't tinue and expin to me what he was talking about. The teacher, Ms. McElroy, tired of the stant whispers bined with the apparent disi of my cssmates in the css, most of them strangely distracted by my presence, silehe css by loudly whistling, startling the distracted teenagers.

  Satisfied with the result, the css tinued with retive normality, except for the fact that some cssmates still turned slightly to give me a quid unicate with their desk neighbors through paper notes.

  Trying not to be bothered by the erratic behavior of my cssmates, I paid the utmost attention to the English css, tinuing my petition with Sheldon to ahe majority of possible questions.

  At the end of the css, along with my friends, we left the room heading to our period.

  While walking through the school hallways, I could notice that, just like ihe , a rge number of people around us focused their attention on me, whispering, and some even rudely pointing at me.

  "What the hell is going on?" I asked, irritated more to myself than anything.

  "Oh, you don't know," said An with a small ugh, apparently enjoying my unease.

  "OH!" excimed Brock, turniedly, cutting off his versation with David and Geie, "I fot because of McElroy," he affirmed as he circled around An to stand on my other side, "you saved the cafeteria barista in front of the ema," he said casually as if it were an uing thing, "everyone is talking about it," he tinued, strangely greeting a small group of girls who were staring ily in our dire, or more specifically, at me, "well done, she's HOT," he said, returning to me with a smug smile on his face while raising his hand, expeg a high-five.

  Ign his hand, intrigued, I faced my friends, "how is it possible that they know about that?" I asked everyone surprised, "in the cafeteria, there were only a few elderly people, adults who I doubt reize me, a couple of uy students," I tirying to remember who resent. I had been doing what House had asked me to do until Regina arrived, "oh," I said when I realized.

  "So tell me, Sherlock, what clusion did you reach?" asked An pyfully, ging his at to a very pronounced English one.

  "It 't be," I said incredulously, "it must have been only a few minutes in the m, it's impossible that she told the whole school at the same time. It's not possible that suddenly everyone knows," I tinued even more incredulous as we entered our period's .

  "That's high school gossip for you, my friend," said David amused as he took his seat.

  If rumors spread this fast in this era, what would happen in high schools with the iion of smartphones? Somewhat worried about future teenagers, I sighed as I sat o An, who was already in his ow.

  "What happened? I don't uand," said Geie pletely intrigued in his pce just behind us, apparently far from uanding the versation. It made sense; he, like me, had arrived much ter thahers.

  With a weak excmation of excitement, Brock, who was o Geie, began to expin what had happened in the cafeteria, or at least tried to. The story was distorted, making me seem much cooler and more heroic than I remembered, even iing things that never happened. From a fake fight with a uy student who was trying to take advantage of a 'fainted' barista to pletely nonsensical medical procedures.

  "Is that what everyone is saying I did?" I asked incredulously and somewhat annoyed after Brock fielling his version, "well, yes," said my friend with a big smile.

  "Well, it's wrong, at least the majority of it is. I mean, I didn't hit anyone, and I didn't perform an emergency tray on Sarah; that's nonsense," I quickly denied some stupid facts.

  "A what?" asked David, who, along with Brod Geie, shared a puzzled look, "opening the throat," I quickly expined, drawing with my finger on the front of my throat, "none of that happened. What really happened was that Sarah seemed to have a problem with her inner ear, and I helped her rex while the ambunce arrived at the cafeteria," I said quickly, speaking a bit louder on purpose so that people around me could hear and correct the idea that had formed in the school. I didn't uand why Regina would ge the story so much.

  Again, An ughed lightly, shaking his head slightly and leaning towards me, lightly hitting my shoulder, "possibly the stot altered as people told it. Don't pay attention; surely in a few hours, they'll fet about it."

  Nodding at my friend, a little less upset about the situation and grateful for his small show of support, I sat ba my chair to face our eacher.

  The day tinued, and as An had predicted, the sudde i in me had diminished siderably. But still, I wao know what Regina had told the entire school.

  At lunchtime, my friends and I quickly reached the cafeteria, where many people were already occupyis. Among all the people, I couldn't distinguish Regina because, at one of the tral tables, strangely where Regina awo friends always sat, it was pletely empty. Knowing that they were probably in a cheerleader meeting, I igheir absend focused on the discussion Brock had started about the game from the day before.

  A few mier, I felt light taps on my shoulder. Turning to see who was calling me, I found Regina standing with a big smile, apanied by her two friends. "What are you doing here, silly?" Regina asked with a big smile.

  "Hey, Regina," I greeted the teenager, "eating my lunch," I replied somewhat sarcastically, hiding the fact that I didn't know the reason for her question. Did she wao sit with her?

  "No," she ughed gently, putting her hand on my shoulder, "e to my table; you have to sit with me."

  I k. "But I'm with my friends," I told the teenager, pointing to my friends, who, for some reason, were looking at Regina expetly, especially Brock, David, and Geie; An was simply eating an apple.

  Returning my attention tina, I could see her pting for a few seds before nodding, "they e too, obviously," she said with a smile.

  Geie, David, and Brock, for some reason, quickly celebrated by high-fiving each other and quickly stood up, taking their trays and walking towards Regina's friends, trying to start a versation with Karen.

  Getting up st, followed by my calm friend, I noticed how he returned a simple greeting, nodding to a slightly excited Gret, who greeted him cheerfully.

  Before moving on and following my friends, I held Regina back quickly but gently, grabbing her wrist, " we talk for a moment?" I asked, pointing with a nod to the cafeteria door, "yes, sure," she responded with a big smile, advang faster than me, letting go of my weak grip to quickly take my hand.

  Being basically dragged by Regina out of the cafeteria, we reached one of the hallways a few steps from the noisy cafeteria. Standing with her back against

  the lockers, Regina squeezed my hand a little harder, "so, what did you want to talk about?" she asked in a whisper while swaying slowly on her feet bad forth.

  "Did you talk to anyone about what happened in the cafeteria?" I asked strangely, making Regina lose her smile a go of my hand.

  "What?" she asked, looking somewhat disappointed.

  "Yeah, many people have been pointing at me all day, and they expihat someone spread the rumor that there was a fight in the cafeteria, and I performed a surgical procedure on Sarah," I expined.

  "No, I didn't say those lies. I told Karen and Gret about our date, but nothing else," she said quickly, a little agitated, "was that wrong?" she asked worriedly.

  "No, no," I replied immediately, "not at all. You talk about your life with whoever you want," I assured her quickly, "it's just that someone possibly overheard your versation and altered some things," I expined, slowing down so it didn't seem like I set.

  "Okay," she said with a big smile, immediately gititude, "I'm a bit disappointed," she tinued, losing her smile and wiping what robably lint on my shirt's shoulder.

  "Oh, why?" I asked sincerely.

  "I thought yht me out here for something else," she said, adjusting my shirt's colr.

  I didn't uand what she was talking about. I specifically asked to talk out here; what other topic could be pending? Without really uanding, I stared at Regina, waiting for her to tih her expnation. She had been with her hand on my shoulder for a long time, and the whole time we were here, she stantly sought eye tact. She had already adjusted my shirt colr several times and tinued swaying slightly on her feet... oh.

  I uood.

  Without really knowing how to do it, hesitantly, I approached slowly. Apparently, it was what I thought because Regina quickly leaned, stretg to get closer too.

  Now more fident and armed with my two test and only experiences, I quickly bent the st small space left to capture Regina's lips, again being so close tina, I could smell her fruity perfume and a pletely one of what I could imagine was her shampoo. The st two times had been pletely by surprise, also quickly interrupted, so I hadn't noticed with certainty the incredibly smooth texture of her lips.

  Caught in Regina's embrace at the bay neck, our bodies were very close. I felt a bit rigid with my arms at my sides. Slowly and feeling Regina's rea to my movements, I stopped my hands on her hips, pressing a little, causing Regina to increase her as in the kiss.

  pletely trapped by the new sensations that the kiss was awakening, I began to ighe surroundings, pletely focused ina's warm lips, intensifying the kiss, simply following my instincts, expl my very new affe when suddenly, "cough," I heard behind me, quickly separating frina, feeling embarrassed. I found only two girls, one of them Kat, who looked particurly upset with her friend.

  "Hey Kat," I greeted the girl, trying to hide the embarrassment of being caught in that situation. Kat, who was at that moment pyfully hitting her friend's shoulder, pletely ignored me again as she quickly dragged the irl away. It seemed she was embarrassed by the interruption caused by her friend.

  Finding it somewhat amusing now that the surprise of being discovered had passed, I turo a surprisingly annoyed Regina, who tio gaze at the two girls rapidly walking down the hallway. Before either of us could say anything, the bell for the peri loudly through the hall, followed by a stampede of people rushing through the corridors.

  "Time's up," I joked with the now disappointed girl, who nodded slightly, separating from the lockers.

  "Regina!" I heard Karen's shout, which I immediately reized, making Regina quickly separate from me to walk with her friends, discussing something in hushed whispers.

  Feeling a bit awkward in front of my pants, I walked through the hallways towards my locker to get what I needed for the period.

  To my surprise and annoyance, people started pointing and whispering again, ughing slightly.

  In my locker, my friends were already there, still talking among themselves, ea front of their own locker.

  "Hey SuperStar, well done!" excimed aed Brock as he raised his hand for a high five. This time, I didn't ignore his greeting aed it with David and Geie, who were alsely celebrating. Ign the reason behind the celebration, I opened my locker to get my things.

  "It's happening again, seems like the rumor spread during lunch," I told An, who was beside me with a strange half-smile.

  "Yeah..." he said, drawing out the word. "Or it could be the fact that you look like this," he tinued calmly, pointing at my face.

  Uo see my own face, I didn't uand my friend's hint.

  Apparently uanding my ignorance, An pointed behind me, where Geie's locker en. On the door of the leie had a pieirror attached, enough to show my refle. I immediately uood why they were pointing again—my lips were somewhat swollen and definitely stained with what I could assume was Regina's lip gloss.

  As before, I immediately felt embarrassed. I had paraded through the school hallways in this way as if trying to show off in some manner. Quickly and eagerly, I wiped my mouth with the side of my hand, achieving small and almost imperceptible results.

  Although I could see my refle, I silently asked An if it had worked, receiving a hearty ugh as my friend, ign me, moved on.

  "I don't uand why you care; you're just cooler to everyone," Geie said, amused, as he closed his locker.

  "It's called modesty, Geie," I expio my friend. "By the way, why oh do you have a mirror in your locker?" I asked, trying to ge the subject.

  "How else could I maintain this hairstyle?" he said, pointing to his hair as if it were obvious.

  Amused by my friend's plete ck of shame and somewhat less embarrassed, I followed my friend more quietly to our period.

  Csses tinued, and at the end of the day, as always, mom was outside waiting a few seds after getting into the car. "Patrick John Darth Dun!" the woman shouted, "Is that swelling on your lips?" she asked incredulously, leaning in to i my face, strangely moving my head to also check my neck.

  During the car ride to the hospital, bombarded with questions that I intensely avoided and a strange kind of reprimand/warning about treating a dy, we arrived at the hospital in what felt like the lo drive, at least it felt that way.

  As soon as mom parked the car, I got out without waiting and walked quickly into the building. With a quick greeting to the nurses, I walked through the hospital corridors towards House's office.

  Inside, all the doctors were already there, including House, the tter standio Dr. Foreman, looking at a rge book.

  "Let’s see," I heard House as soon as I ehe office, "Absidia? Excellent, doesn't at for any of the symptoms," he tinued sarcastically, "and you, you're te," he said, fixing his gaze on me, lifting his e.

  "I don't have a schedule," I immediately responded, greeting the other doctors present with a slight nod.

  "Hey PJ!" cheerfully greeted Dr. Cameron on the side of the board with a series of ailments written on it, "no dition ats for all these symptoms," she tinued, addressing House.

  "Well, good!" said House with an obviously fake joy, "because I thought maybe he was sick, but apparently he’s not. Who wants to do up the discharge papers?" he tinued, much more serious. "Okay, unless we trol the blood pressure, he’s going to start cirg the drain before we figure out what’s wrong with him," he said after a moment, seeing that his message had nded. "Treat him for sepsis, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and I want a cort-stim test and an echram," he finished, making the other three doctors stand up and leave oer the other.

  "Now, you," said House again, pointing at me with his e as he walked to his desk, "the notebook," he tinued, raising his expet hand.

  Approag the other side of the desk, I took out the small notebook from my backpad ha to him. "I didn't know you'd be grading me," I joked with the man as he opehe notebook.

  With a funny snort, House began to read quickly the notes about the people written there.

  "This man in his seventies, e on the right side with hearing aids and drinks medication with his coffee, diagnosis?" House asked, still flipping through the notebook.

  Trying to remember the people I had described iebook, I responded quickly, "Possible high blood pressure or heart problem," managing to get House to nod very slightly.

  Still sing the notebook, House maintained a somewhat bored expression until he turhe page, slightly opening his eyes. "Woman iwenties, ck of bance, excessive sweating on her forehead, irritation by light and sound, diagnosis?" House asked, closing the notebook and looking at me with i.

  "Labyrinthitis in her right ear," I immediately replied, knowing he was talking about Sarah.

  Handihe notebook, House reed in his chair, nodding silently, invitio tinue.

  Uanding his request, I began to tell him about what had happened in the cafeteria, omitting the fact that I was there for a date.

  At the end of my narration, House had a half-smile, which I could now distinguish he used when he was about to moeone. "You must have felt so lucky," the man said as he leaned forward in his chair, "on a date and you py the hero," he tinued sarcastically.

  "I wasn't on a date, and I didn't feel lucky," I lied about the date, and I really didn't feel lucky; I mean, why would I?

  Narrowing his eyes, "I believe you," House said, obviously suspicious, "so I must believe that on your way here, you kissed your mother, and in a desperate but fruitless attempt, you ed your lips," House tinued with a big smile.

  "Hey," I said annoyed and somewhat disgusted at House's stupid idea.

  "I'm just saying I believe you," House said, raising his hands with an annoying smile.

  "Okay, fine, I was on a date, but it's not important for what happened," I quickly said, trying to erase the image that House had pnted.

  "I k; I just wao annoy you," House said ironically, smiling.

  Annoyed by his joke, "So, do you need anything else, or I go?" I asked irritably to the smiling man.

  Losing his smile, House leaned ba his chair again, "Buruli disease," he said dryly.

  Waiting for him to tinue, I saw him for a few seds, and then I uood; it was a question.

  "Caused by Mycobacterium uls, it presents skin ulcers that affect deeper tissues. The transmission is still not fully uood," I replied, recalling from the st book.

  Nodding once quickly, "How ipah virus be diagnosed?" House said again.

  "Encephalitis and exposure to secretions from ied animals, including fruit bats," I responded a few seds ter after remembering.

  The questions tinued like this for several minutes. I could ahe majority of them, occasionally House added some things not found in the book, and the few times it happened, he answered for me when I couldn't recall the response.

  Still lounging in his chair with his feet up on his desk, House nodded satisfied, stretg his arm a bit to reae of the books behind him.

  "Here, tih this one," I took the book, reading the cover before putting it in my backpack. Unfortunately, I didn't have the other book with me, so I couldn't hand it over.

  Cheg his watch, House made a grimace so that he slowly and with effort stood up, "e on, the ic is waiting for us," he walked out of his office with me following behind.

  Wheered the ic, which was pletely full, to House's frustration, if a deep sigh indicated anything, we found Dr. Cuddy cheg files at the ic reception.

  When we were close enough for her to notice us, Cuddy, with a furrowed brow, fronted House, "you’re half an hour te," she said loud enough for the present patients not to hear.

  "Busy case load," House immediately excused himself.

  Shaking her head, "one case is not a 'load,'" said Dr. Cuddy sarcastically, returning to her files on the reception ter.

  House, seeing the rge number of people waiting to be attended, "so, how are we doing on cotton swabs today?" he asked sarcastically, surely making up the first thing that came to his mind, "if there's an acute she, I could run home-" the sarcasti was saying, "no, you couldn't," Dr. Cuddy interrupted, looking pointedly at his leg, alluding to the obvious.

  Taken by surprise, I couldn't help it a out a quick ugh that I tried to suppress.

  Notig my presence, Dr. Cuddy attempted a pleasant smile, "PJ, o see you," she greeted before tinuing with her paperwork.

  "Hi," I greeted the director, trying to avoid House's offended look, "nice, you're turning the kid against me," he said, making Dr. Cuddy ugh, ign him while writing in the file in front of her.

  House, seeing that Cuddy was ign him, indicated that I should follow him as he walked to the ter of the waiting area, "hello, sick people and their loved ones," House cheerfully greeted the people present, "ierest of saving time and avoiding a lot of b chit-chat ter, I'm Dr. Gregory House," he tinued, lifting his e to greet the people, "you call me Gregg," he tirying to appear friendly, "I'm one of the three doctors staffing this ic this m," House said with a big smile, obviously fake.

  "Short, sweet," said Dr. Cuddy, who had approached at some point, "grab a file," she ordered annoyed.

  "This ray of sunshine is Dr. Lisa Cuddy, who runs this whole hospital, so unfortunately, she's much too busy to deal with you," House quickly said, ign Dr. Cuddy, "I am a bored," he tinued emphasizing the st word, "certified diagnosti with a double specialty in iious disease and nephrology," House expined calmly, "I'm also the only doctor currently employed at this ic who is here against his will," he tinued, causing many patients and family members to lose the friendly smile they had on their faces.

  "But not to worry because, for most of you, this job could be done by a hormonal teenager who reads a lot," House said as if he had ied the parison on the fly, "indeed," he tiwisting his fad smiling, "this one here is PJ Dun, a teenager not old enough to have a driver's lise yet," he said, taking me by the shoulder and shaking me lightly, "you might be w what he's doing here; well, he's my assistant. He tells me if I missed something or if I fet something during the sultation. Sometimes I let him diagnose, and I work accly, making my job much easier."

  Seeing that Cuddy wao say something, House quickly took aep forward to keep himself in the spotlight, "Speaking of which, if you’re particurly annoying, you may see me reach for this," he said, showing his small bottle of medication, "this is Vi," he expined, "it’s mine, you ’t have any, and no, I do not have a pain ma problem; I have a pain problem," he tinued quickly with a small smile on his face, "but who knows? Maybe I’m wrong; maybe I’m too stoo tell," he said, ging the expression on his face to one of , "so, who wants me?" he asked the people, but no one raised their hand, "and who would rather wait for one of the other two doctors?" he asked again, making everyone raise their hands, "okay, well, I’ll be in the exam room one if you ge your mind," he finished with a smile, walking toward the room, smiling at Dr. Cuddy on the way. I quickly followed, avoiding the annoyed daze.

  "Jodi Matthews," I mao hear Dr. Cuddy shout before reag House aering the room.

  When House was getting fortable in his chair, a somewhat short woman with gsses ehe room with a file in her hand.

  Seeing that his tactic hadn't worked, House, frustrated, got up from his chair to snatch the file from the woman's hands. Looking me in the eyes, House quickly tilted his head, pointing at the woman. Uanding what he wanted, I opened my notebook to start writing what I could see.

  The woman was ihirties, in formal clothes for the occasion. Wheered and smiled at me as a greeting, I noticed that her teeth were retly worked, quite white to be natural. She had new gsses or was pulsive with their care because there was no visible scrat them. In medical terms, there was nothing to note: no visible redness, no cough, her pupils seemed fine, good bance, and she didn't seem unfortable anywhere. She seemed to be simply waiting while House read her file.

  "Okay," House said after a few seds of reading the file in his hands, "everything seems in order. Why did you e?" House asked her while handihe file to read and indig to the woman to take a seat on the examination table.

  "My mucus," the woman said as she took a seat.

  "What?" House asked, somewhat irritated.

  "It was yellow," the woman affirmed, somewhat embarrassed because I immediately began writing in my notebook. Stra was yellow, now not?

  "It was?" House asked sarcastically.

  "It's not anymore," the woman expined.

  "Hm, that's a shame," House said with fake sadness.

  "I thought that might be a problem, so I brought you this," the woman said as she took a colored card from her purse.

  "Your mucus ale goldenrod," House said, reading the inscription on the card before passing it to me. Strange, why bother bringing this?

  "Last week, yes, should I be worried?" the woman asked, totally uned.

  "Oh, yes," House said sarcastically, "very," he tinued with seriousness.

  "Really?" the woman asked, suddenly scared, "I thought I was okay now," she affirmed with on her face. Then why was she here?

  "A, here you are," House said ironically as he straightened up, "what happened? Did the paramedics take a week to respond to your 911 call?" House asked sarcastically, teasing the patient.

  "You're not a very nice doctor, are you?" the woman accused.

  "And you are very bad at whatever it is you do," House affirmed, and with that, I uood what might be happening. House, notig the surprise on my face, stretched out his hand, asking for my notebook, which I quickly handed over.

  "You don't even know me!" the offended woman excimed.

  "I know you have new gsses, your teeth are sparkly white, and yetting the most of your health insurance while you still ," House said, nodding slightly at what was written iebook, "diagnosis?" House asked, returning the notebook to me.

  "Termination," I quickly respohe theory I had formed with what House had said.

  "I might be quitting," the roudly announced.

  "If you were quitting, you would have known that st week when your snot was still pale goldenrod; yetting fired," House said calmly.

  Seeing that she had been caught in her lie, the woman simply lowered her head, "I just don't like being told what to do," she said, making House look at her specifically.

  "I'll get you in for a full-body s ter this week," House said, pitying the woman, surely feeling simir to her as he wrote iient's file.

  "Thanks," the woman thanked.

  After a few minutes of House filling out paperwork, the woma. "What kind of patient is she, a type two?" I asked while taking a seat iher chair in the office.

  "No, she didn't want drugs, possibly we're in the presence of a uni," House said with a strange smile.

  "A uni?" I asked intrigued.

  "A type five," House said, "an iing patient," he expined, notig my surprised expression.

  "I thought there were only four types of patients," I ironically told the man.

  "The type five is so special and rare that I preferred to skip it," House said as he handed me the patient's file, "take it to your old girlfriend, be careful she doesn't find out about the new one," House tinued joking.

  Ign his joke, I took the file to Nurse Fryday. "PJ," the nurse greeted cheerfully as she received the file, "let me see," she tinued, opening and reading what was written, "a full-body s, wow," she tinued surprised after reading what House had written.

  "It's nothing serious, House just wants to cover everything," I expio the nurse as I leaned on the desk.

  After having a small versation, Nurse Fryday handed me another file, urging me now that House had introduced me to the patients to call them myself.

  We ti the ic for a couple of hours, attending to patients much less iing than Jodi, many type ones, and, of course, not helping my 'task' of diagnosing without reading the file. It was too easy.

  When I was about to leave to deliver the st file, House's pager started ringing. Cheg the message, House stood up, "let's go," he said as he walked out of the room.

  Following the man after leaving the file on Nurse Fryday's desk, I quied my pace to catch up with the fast man with the e.

  "What happened?" I asked.

  "Kidney failure," House expined as he walked.

  "Caused by antibiotics?" I asked, walking beside him.

  "Maybe," House said thoughtfully, "cough, abdominal pain, fever, rash, nausea, blood pressure not responding to IV fluids, kidney failure," House listed as we walked.

  When we reached House's office, the other doctors were already there.

  ---

  Author Thoughts:

  As always, I'm not Ameri, and much less a doctor.

  I know there's a plot about PJ's name in the series Good Luck Charlie, but acc to the wiki, his name is the one published here. From now on, it will be like this, and there will be no ges.

  Today, I made some ges tina's attitude shown in the movie. You probably remember that Regina doesn't care about showing 'affe' in front of other people; obviously, that's because of her mother's role model. But I like to imagihat Regina's attitude in the movie is the result of a gradual increase in eg her high school journey. I imagihat since she was a child, people told her she was the prettiest (specifically her mother, living vicariously through her daughter), creating a great self-esteem. Wheered high school, she used this to belittle people around her and feel like the best once again.

  Having said that,

  I think that's all. As always, if you find any errors, let me know, and I'll correct them immediately.

  Thanks for reading! :D

  PS: LEAVE A REVIEW, please.