Omar, being taller than her, did not manage to stifle the desperation that invaded him, so he made the kiss less fluid. Rebeka could tell that he was behaving like an animal in heat and that he wanted to rub his hips against her, but he couldn’t as he had to keep his spine bent so as not to break the kiss. Moreover, their tongues were making contact and invading each other’s territory.

    ‘So fiery is this kiss that it doesn’t even matter if our teeth clash; what’s the difference? We’re learning that it was an excellent decision on my part not to wear lipstick; if I had, this would have ended in disaster.’

  People passing by on the street got to the point of commenting on their distaste for the impolite scene of a girl being snogged by a boy so early in the morning.

  Among those comments were things like:

 “You have no respect for yourself!”, What a lost youth! Disgusting! All you have in your head is horniness; let’s see how long you last together! Go to school!

  But neither Rebeka nor Omar cared about such criticism at that moment. The act might be immoral, but it was not illegal.

   “Whew...” snorted Rebeka, feeling her body temperature rise even more, causing her to sense extra heat literally passing from her ears to her face.

 ‘I didn’t know this could get me so hot...’ she thought, after keeping her eyes closed and focusing on feeling her boy’s breathing, his hands, and the wet sensation of his tongue.

After pulling her hand out from under her saya, she sought to slip it between the waistband of her pants and her boyfriend’s skin. She continued her descent until she came upon what was a full-erect member, which had a well-moistured tip, and ended up smearing her hand.

Having something with which he could rub his cock, Omar greatly calmed the movements of his hips. As soon as the two mouths parted with the intention of catching their breath, he turned his eyes toward the house behind his beloved, then looked at her with eyes wanting more.

  Rebeka, who was still massaging her partner’s compressed member, could understand the message. 

   ‘I’d like to keep kissing him, at least until our lips wear out and we get to what’s next, after a kiss as passionate as this one...’ she thought. ‘Forget about school; go into my house and fuck each other to our heart's content. If my mother comes? I tell her to get under the bed; I’m sure she won’t go up to the second floor, even if she sees me naked and all agitated. What if she does? If she finds out I’ve been having sex instead of being a responsible girl and going to school, Well, it sure breaks my head, and his... and his. Not that it matters, right?’

    Rebeka was thinking about it very seriously, so seriously that every fiber of her body was saying “yes” with heart-rending screams. To skip school so she could be home alone and have her first time with a man. To open up and give herself without thinking about anything else was the best plan.

    ‘Oh, I must say, your eyes suggest a tempting proposal: just this once, one day away, no one would notice, so let’s finish what we started. But, no....’ She took a deep breath after hitting herself in the face with both hands, as if trying to regain her sanity. ‘My mother is coming. It wouldn’t look good that, after all the sacrifices she makes for me to attend school, I pay her back with that coin. I must keep my promise to get good grades in school.’

  “Omar...” she said, agitated, with eyes that denied her beloved’s proposition.

   Watching as the president used her hands to pat her already reddened cheeks and come out of the libidinous state she was in, Omar could understand the look she was giving him:

   “I understand...” she answered him, as one who regretted having made such a suggestion.

  “I assure you that before long you will have the right to do to me what you did and more, whenever it is sensible to do so” she said, as if she was making up for her fault with an even greater future compensation to immediately fix the young man’s pants with her hand.

  In the process, as soon as she finished fixing himself, Rebeka felt she couldn’t help but stop herself from bringing her hand to his face. She opened her mouth and ran her tongue along the side of his still-wet fingers to taste the pre-seminal fluid she had smeared on them.

 Then he said to her, “You are forbidden to masturbate all day. I also advise you to prepare yourself, for on this evening, I am going to allow you to enter my house.”

  “But, Rebeka, isn’t tomorrow your birthday?” claimed Omar, ignoring what could be implied by a girl letting him into her house.

  Rebeka could understand that he perhaps believed she lived with a normal family. One of those families where the mom waits until twelve o’clock at night to congratulate her daughter, but no. She knew better. She knew that wasn’t the case. Deep inside her, the reason for inviting the boy was not even to experiment with the pleasures of sex; it was more about not spending the eve of her birthday alone, as always, since her father had gone to prison.

  “Don’t worry, my mom works at night,” Rebeka replied, after feeling sadness wash over her as her heartbeat slowed. “She comes home in the mornings to get some sleep and then leaves at night.”

   Omar lowered his face as one who felt sorry and guilty for not having taken the initiative earlier. They say that one of the signs of true love is having a sense of responsibility for things that even happened when you weren’t there. He again reproached himself for not being suitable for her, and Rebeka could feel it, as well as the bulge between his legs dropping considerably. For her, it was good and bad in part.

    “That’s why I want you to be with me” she continued, so as to encourage his gaze. “And for you to make me into a woman, give me that gift. Hold me in your arms for the whole night.”

  He raised his head at his beloved’s desire, which caused him to meet determined eyes. With no expression other than a half-smile, he extended his hand at the offer, and Rebeka accepted the outstretched hand. They both stood side by side as they intertwined their fingers to set off on their way to the station as a couple.

   People walking in the opposite direction from them had no choice but to step aside. At the look the young lovers gave each other, they were determined not to be separated from each other on their way to the stop. It was the same when they got on and off the train. They were two snuggling chicks, lovebirds who refused to stop sharing the warmth of their bodies in such a cold world.

   ‘If yesterday, because my hair was down, I got a lot more looks than usual, and I liked it. Today, what will become of me? Rebeka said to herself, looking in the direction of the intimidating, lush structure that represented the school.

  She was considered the most notorious girl, and she couldn’t help but worry about the comments of everyone in the school when they saw her next to Omar, the most popular boy. Despite having decided to embark on a new life with her head held high, her resolve was beginning to waver.

   ‘Not only will it be the stares, but also the tongues and bad comments,’ she analyzed.

   Step by step, Rebeka hugged Omar’s left arm with both hands, seeking protection, which resulted in their arms being pinned between their chests, as they passed through the main entrance.

    ‘This time no one is silent, everyone is commenting, they seem to be disappointed. What was I thinking?’ Rebeka got to the point where she couldn’t even see where she was going anymore and just focused on looking at the ground. ‘Maybe I should just stick with the routine? I don’t feel as motivated as I used to to break away from him and let his hand go. My mind says something, and my heart contradicts itself. I must stand my ground.’

  Comments, whispers, gossip, indiscreet photographs, those running down the aisle stopped and those sitting on the floor stood up to look at something they could not believe.

   ‘I don’t know how to behave in a situation like this,’ Rebeka analyzed. ‘Should I tell him that I’ll see him later? I hope I can hide my face so he doesn’t know I’m lying. I have to tell him something.’

  A little more full of courage, she raised her head and ignoring all the stares, looked in Omar’s direction, but instead of being able to speak, she decided to keep silent.

 ‘How could I... yes the first thing I see is his puffed-out chest. Defiant eyes and the proud expression of a winner. Maybe being with me is the reason he walks around so proud to show off what he’s got. Come to think of it, he looks like such a sexy guy with eyes of fire, looking at everyone who dares to look at me. Oh, how can I let him go in this situation? What could he be thinking? Maybe I should stop thinking about others, because even though they have uniforms, these individuals are just as relevant as people on the street. I don’t want to hurt him or tell him that I should stay away for his sake. It is too late to turn back now. We walked into the school, and we were seen by everyone who needed to see us. There’s no point in us splitting up.’

   Rebeka also puffed out her chest and tried to walk as straight as possible, intending to look at the situation from the more exciting side. From a certain perspective, the students were no different than the adults they had fought against before arriving at the subway. They commented and glared, but they could do no more.

   Amidst her thoughts and conclusions, she noticed Omar moving in the direction of the cafeteria and again, the tension rose inside Rebeka. She, who always went to her locker, then to the teachers’ lounge, and finally to the classroom, had never experienced what it felt like to walk into the cafeteria, much less hold Omar’s hand.

   ‘I must look up, puff out my chest, stop hunching my back any longer and show everyone that I’m proud to have him by my side. The cafeteria is the only group of people I would find it impossible to treat as strangers. There’s no turning back,’ she thought.

  At the couple’s entrance dozens of mouths continued to talk, while the double eyes continued to stare. The difference was that Rebeka could see the familiar faces of the most prominent members of the class, Miguel, Liz, and the other two girls that made up the group of "popular kids” and, of course, Omar’s best friends.

   “Oops, what are my eyes seeing,” Miguel said aloud, as soon as he recognized Omar’s presence. “Are they already sweethearts and walking around holding hands?”

  The dramatic way in which the boy sitting at the table was speaking resembled someone preparing to let go of his best friend. However, Rebeka could notice the secondary intentions when this guy diverted his gaze in Lizandra’s direction.

   Unlike Liz, Miguel was tall with boyish expressions and short, unkempt black hair. The girl had well-groomed blonde hair that reached below her waist if she stood up. The two wore the school uniform like any other student who was officially accepted into the school, but it was as if their personalities could not be compressed by it. Mig, as he was affectionately called by the others, wore his uniform over a long-sleeved white shirt, with a closed turtleneck jacket and loose pants topped with brown shoes. Liz is more in keeping with the usual appearance of female students and wore a long-sleeved white shirt with a red ribbon tied around her neck. On top of her hair, she had a gold brooch on the left side.

   “Really?!” Rebeka heard Lizandra’s irritated voice.

  To Rebeka, the empty-headed blonde was not much more than a dirty, selfish giveaway who had always wanted to be the center of attention and, despite being the only friend she trusted a few years ago, stabbed her in the back.

  With a disgusted look on her face, Liz continued to air her grievances:

“I hope you know that hanging out with her is not cool at all. The grown-ups hate her, especially your father, do you know that? Besides, she’s a liar; nothing she can tell you is true.”

    Despite gritting her teeth and holding her breath, Rebeka couldn’t help but feel irritated, Lizandra’s plastic, shrill voice made her blood boil. Her veins caught fire violently, and she felt like tearing out her tongue and gouging out her eyes as her heart pumped with anger. Still, she bit her tongue.

  “If you were so needy for a partner to lose your virginity to, you could have asked me first.”

 But the pretentious blonde’s last words were the last straw. With those cards laid on the table, it was impossible for anyone to keep their cool. Even less so when Rebeka, so angry she became, stopped knowing if she was even aware of the world around her, as she only saw Lizandra with blurred vision and eyes that reddened as she felt the desire to rip her head off.

  Just as the class president released Omar’s arm to cry for blood, Mig shattered the plastic cup in his hand by slamming it as hard as he could against the dining room table. The sound caught the attention of the students present in the cafeteria and caused Lizandra to shut up.

  “Lizandra, if you want us to remain friends, don’t ever make a comment like that again. She is my girlfriend; disrespecting her is like disrespecting me. Do you understand?” said Omar.

  As dissatisfied as she was scared for not being able to continue talking, the blonde stopped paying attention to Miguel or Omar, to cross her arms and look at the ceiling with the intention of keeping the anger she felt, as if tears were about to come out.

  Rebeka felt as if she had been charmed by love once again. Her boy’s words brought her back to the world, which reminded her that Lizandra, in part, acted the way she did because she was afraid her secret would be revealed.

   For Rebeka to be defended by her boy was so exciting, for he had stepped up and stood in the way to protect her in case she lost control.

 ‘From this vantage point, his back looks so big,’ Rebeka thought, unable to hide her excited face.

  “Ouch, I think I should go to the infirmary. I’m bleeding...” said Miguel, ceasing to be the charismatic and carefree boy he was, while pressing one hand against the other. “Come with me, Liz... please.”

   The blonde looked for a few seconds at the one who had addressed her, and as soon as she wiped her tears, finding no words to say, she got up and went to Miguel.

    ‘The venom with saliva from that snake affected me in a way I didn’t expect,’ Rebeka said to herself. At the same time, she realized that for a moment she stopped thinking clearly. ‘If I let myself be manipulated, she would gain two things: my expulsion and being left as a victim of the situation. But this doesn’t look good for the future. I wanted to be accepted by her group of friends so as not to upset her routine too much and promote the development of her safe zone, but I can’t let my boy keep hanging out with them.’

  Since the atmosphere had become somewhat tense, Rebeka said:

  “Omar, I think there are too many people in this place. Maybe we should go to a more private place.”

  As one who could tell that his girl had been affected, Omar responded to the proposal with a “yes” as soon as the perfect idea crossed his mind.

  At the table where the members of Omar’s group usually sat for breakfast before entering the classroom, there remained two girls who did not hesitate to make an excuse so that the young man would not bother to leave them there. You could tell that they were very close to the point where they looked like sisters, but they were not, as they were even from different years. 

  With some time to spare and confirmation from those women, Omar and Rebeka turned in the opposite direction, so as to cross the other exit of the place. Even closer together than at the beginning, people did not comment much because the couple had ceased to be a novelty.

 Relieved to survive such a hostile environment, Rebeka was left with the doubt that she didn’t know where her boy was leading her, but she definitely wouldn’t ask in front of so many people.

   Through the corridors, after passing through several rooms, Rebeka could already imagine where she was being taken, since the path promised to end right at the “couples’ place." She walked past her locker and also past the front of the teachers’ lounge to reach the rooftop, which was located on the top floor of the school, where the atmosphere smelled of love and the wet sound of many kisses echoed between the stairs.

   “We have fifteen minutes to conquer a space; sit down and focus on us,” said Omar.

   Rebeka came to think that if it weren’t for the fact that everyone here had clothes on, the place would be an orgy. It’s good to know that I’m not the only one who wants to experience and know the pleasures of sex.’

  Excited and happy to have been taken to the spiciest place in the school, Rebeka found herself almost on the verge of tears, for such a moment had never crossed her mind. From her point of view, the boy next to her had knelt down, accompanied her, held her hand, defended her from a terrible demon, and then led her to the love nest. He only needed to carry her in his arms like a princess to become a prince.

  With confidence, Rebeka advanced to the school’s rooftop garden and looked for a place to sit.

  “What are you doing, baby?” Omar asked, barely sitting next to his girlfriend on a bench for two and watching as she pulled out a few papers instead of kissing him or mimicking what the other students around them were doing.

  “I want to show you that I’m different and I also want to bring you into my plans” she replied somewhat busily, digging through her shirt pockets. ‘Wait a minute, baby?!!! He’s already calling me baby!!!!! Maybe my head is about to explode.’

  “Ah?”

   Seeing the tender and pitiful expression of happiness combined with embarrassment that his girl made when she was newly aware that she had been called by a romantic and mushy name that many couples use, Omar said:

“Baby...” he pronounced with more confidence. “I felt I could do it; I didn’t think twice and said it.”

  Rebeka, on the verge of exploding with happiness, added:

  “Say it again!”

   “Baby” replied Omar looking right into Rebeka’s eyes with a gallant look, adjusting his hair and giving her a smile.

 “Say it again, and this time say it softer.”

  “Baby” he repeated lengthening the syllables of the word.

   “Aww! How cute!” said Rebeka, her heart almost bursting out of her eyes, to propose, “Now say it in my ear.” as she unbuttoned the first button of her shirt.

  Inferring that the situation was about flirting, the young man lost his fear of what might happen. Intrigued to discover what would follow, he threw himself into bringing his lips right next to Rebeka’s delicate, flushed ear.

“Baby.”

  “Now, kiss my neck and come up to my mouth,” Rebeka said, at the same time feeling that tingle between her legs that happened every time she was getting aroused.

  The two pairs of playful lips met and made way for their tongues to meet and seek to get under each other in a wrestling game. They mimicked what the other couples in the vicinity were doing, who were trying to eat each other out. For those who have never kissed before, the sensation of doing it for the first time is so addictive and exciting that it is hard to stop experiencing it. 

  Once the two young people began to become intoxicated with the pleasure generated by a simple kiss, it was difficult for them to know when to end, so they also lost the perception of what time was.

  The papers in Rebeka’s hand became a secondary matter, although they took priority at first. After spending more than ten minutes in what were called wet snogs, there were only five minutes left before they entered the class. Rebeka regained the strength to try to do what they had planned. Pulling away, she summoned the determination she didn’t have to break the kiss and put the papers she had pulled out of her pocket between her and the boy she loved so much.

   “I need you,” she said flushed and vulnerable, as if she had a fever. “Tell me your opinion on the job applications I’ve been thinking about doing.”

   “Oh job applications?” said Omar, not even bothering to wipe the drool that dribbled out of his mouth, though if you could notice a serious tone on his face, as if he could foreshadow that before long he wouldn’t have so much time to spend together with her.

  “When I turn twenty-one and can legally work, I want to help out around the house with my mom,” Rebeka said, catching her shortness of breath.

   “I can give you money” said Omar as if he was making a joke.

  A joke that if it was offensive to the listener, he could very well take it back and soften the situation.

   “As a woman, I don’t want to depend on any man,” said Rebeka, trying not to sound offended and remembering the reason her mother was trying so hard to send her to school to get good grades. “I want to stand on my own two feet and clean up the image my father left behind. As you understand, I have goals to accomplish.”

   Changing the expressions on his face and given that the first comment had not worked, Omar added the following words with seriousness, as he understood that it was the most correct way to act:

   “My job will be to help you meet those goals; you have my support. Let me see.” He held out his hand and took the papers. “Twelve applications, mmm, all for businesses and convenience stores in the vicinity. The format is well organized, and the reasons why you would fulfill the job can be well supported by your A grades and your position as president. Rebeka, I ask you to let me come with you.”

   The last sentence Omar said didn’t make much sense, but as he did it while stroking her hair with one hand and with the one holding the papers touching her thigh, she agreed to say yes. Despite wanting to be independent, Rebeka did not believe that being accompanied by her boyfriend would be an act that would antagonize her.

  As soon as Omar returned the papers to their owner, he again rested his free hand on his girl’s thigh, but this time a little higher than before.

  Rebeka put the work applications back in the pocket from which she had initially taken them, and when she turned her face, she found a boy who perhaps could no longer conceal his desire for her. Feeling his hand slowly making its way up to her crotch, her heartbeat quickened again.

   “Yes, you can come with me,” she told him, at the same time stopping his hand before it reached to touch her in an inappropriate place.

  ‘Maybe for boys, a kiss is not the same as for a girl?’ wondered Rebeka as she saw the desperate puppy dog face Omar had for wanting to get to experience more than he had experienced so far. After all, she was able to find the strength to end the kiss so she could talk about other matters, while he still wanted more.

‘In short, if you could ask, what is the biggest test of whether a guy loves you or not? It is a test that consists of two parts: the first is to make him wait while you keep them from losing interest in you, and the second is to observe how he behaves after you give him the prize for which he was willing to wait so long, to see if they lose interest once they get what they wanted so badly.’

After considering whether or not to continue the amatory practices they were engaging in, the class entrance bell rang. As if he had to wake up from such a pleasant sleep, after falling to the rough, cold floor beside the bed, Omar struggled up from the bench he was on and followed his beloved’s lead.

Knowing that it was time to return to reality and using this as an excuse, Rebeka focused on being particularly concerned about the situation she was in, due to the fact that she was not keeping an eye on the clock, as she had not even gone by her locker or the teacher’s lounge, much less was she preparing the blackboard to help with the class that was being held earlier in the day.

   ‘The bell! On this day my first class isn’t calc like yesterday, I’m not with Omar either,’ Rebeka said to herself, walking down the stairs like lightning and after saying goodbye to the boy with another passionate kiss, she took a different path from him. 

  ‘I would feel sorry for him to see this scene, but I won’t let anything bring me down. Not today, that I am so happy, that I have someone who really loves me, with whom I enjoy being in his arms, who made me feel appreciated by introducing me to his friends with pride, with whom I walk holding hands in the morning. Everything is perfect, and I can’t let anything ruin it, thought Rebeka, ready to face the moment that awaited her alone.

The girl walked along with the crowd of students, made several turns around corners, and finally ended up in front of the classroom, where it was her turn. Just as she was about to enter, the voice of an elderly teacher halted her with a “stop right there, miss.”.

  Accompanied by two other teachers, the elderly woman intercepted the president who was about to enter the classroom, to complain about the tardiness, the lack of materials she was supposed to have, for not completing the work she had left yesterday, and for not stopping by the teachers’ office before the bell rang.

   “Unacceptable, Miss Rebeka, I can’t explain it either,” said the older gentleman, helping the situation escalate like someone pouring gasoline on a fire. “Your lateness had better be justified by something more serious than making out on the rooftop as the cameras saw you. While your failure to do your work may be justifiable, on the other hand, the other students, fortunately or unfortunately, have to be taken into consideration, as you are an example to follow.”

  “Come on can you give us a better justification?” the old woman asked impatiently.

  Rebeka understood well that they wanted her to lie, which she was not willing to do, because she had no convincing lie and no motive.

“No,” she answered aloud to all the students in the class who could not enter the classroom since the door happened to be blocked by a third teacher.

  After denying it aloud, Rebeka was sure that if such a situation had occurred in the past, she would have been so nervous that no words could come out of her mouth, her legs would have shaken so much that she could not stand, and she would not have been able to look the seniors in the eye for having committed such misdemeanors. But it was not part of the past. Rebeka understood that someone who was about to become a woman of age and a worthy and recognized member of society had no reason to be afraid in that situation since, in a certain perspective, she was not so different from the elders who were accusing her, and as an elder, she would act in a better way than them before someone who committed a fault in her presence.

  As a result of the president’s unusual response, a painful silence arose among the twenty-eight students who were trying to enter the classroom to sit in their seats since they were tired of standing. 

  With withering glances from above their men, the three teachers looked indignantly at the president.

Instead, Rebeka glanced in the direction of the blocked door through which other students who were also late were entering one by one, which made her wonder, ‘Aren’t they going to scold the others who are also late?’ I was making out, but they had probably just finished bathing or eating in the cafeteria. They are students who have nothing else to do with their lives but dress decently and arrive early. Why is it that it is so quiet in this classroom where there are so many people? Why is it that no one speaks up for me or defends me? Why am I always the only one questioned and questioned, in danger of losing her position as an exemplary student? Why will the principal again suggest that my poor mother show up with the old excuse of having a meeting?’

   She turned a deaf ear as the three teachers began to talk to her and point their fingers at her. She thought about how little she had left to take the next step. But what if she didn’t take it and had to stay in school until she graduated? What would be the solution?

   Even though everything indicated that she was being discriminated against, she was still outside the classroom in front of the three teachers, and she had no intention of continuing to make mistakes for which she would be singled out. So far, she had managed on her own, with a father in jail and a mother she didn’t see at night. She was forced to stop her life as a child and grow up to become an adult before her time, which is why anyone with knowledge of those factors would have taken pity on her for being so hard on her.

But Rebeka was just beginning to understand that in that rat’s world, there was no one who would take pity on her. How would it benefit her to expel her, punish her, or give her more work? Nothing, at least not for her, but for them. Expelling her, punishing her, giving her more work, and calling her mother were ways for the old people to channel their hatred to make themselves feel better. What other explanation was there for such a situation? None.

For being a minute late, for not stopping by her locker or the teacher’s meeting room, for these not-so-serious little faults, for which she could find an appropriate apology and say, “I promise to make up for my absences and try not to repeat them,” she could not be expelled from school immediately.

Although it seemed to her that it would be much wiser to keep quiet and not make false promises rather than give the teachers a chance to stand behind her, But truth be told, the seniors could easily stop having such high expectations of her and treat her the same, or even not even treat her like the other students, as if she didn’t exist. That would be the best solution, for now, that she knew what it was like to kiss her boyfriend, hold hands with him, and interact with others, she wouldn’t have as much time to take care of her job as president and get good grades at the same time.

   “Miss Rebeka!” exclaimed the teacher who was getting on in years, raising her voice. “Are you even listening to what we are telling you? She is turning a deaf ear, because answering only with yes or no to the questions asked is one of the basic rules of communication to let those you are talking to know that you are paying attention. Hopefully, you do not expect us to take this as disrespectful and have to unnecessarily worry your mother with having to pay a visit to the principal. Adding to this, consider the previous offenses you have committed that you do not yet recognize as your own. Miss Rebeka, I seriously demand a clear and immediate explanation for your misconduct. Is that clear?”

   Rebeka kept looking in the direction of the corridor since there was no one there and the students had already entered. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she looked into the eyes of the one who had spoken to her in a gentle way, so to speak. With her eyes narrowed and a smile on her lips, she added:

  “No” in answer to the last question he had been asked.

 “I’m outraged, I’m seriously outraged,” said the teacher, her teeth clenched and her eyes wide open. “I recognized you for being a sensible, diligent, and intelligent student, and now, all of a sudden, it seems that your neurons have shut down and blocked your auditory pathways. Do you want to be a mediocre student with the potential you have? Look, the principal himself hinted at me and asked me not to try too hard to guide you on the path of excellence. And I, along with the other teachers, almost put our teaching qualifications at risk in order to make you the best you can be. But, in the face of this intolerable behavior that you have shown me, my face falls at the thought of taking it upon myself to defend you again. Of course, in principle, as is professional and ethical on our part, we teachers intended to tell you all this alone, but since you are the president and representative of the students, I see no reason why your classmates should not be present. I heard that your attention in the first class yesterday was not very satisfactory to the calculus teacher either. It is true that anyone can have a bad moment; we recognize that as the humans that we are, but that a repetitive mistake that is fixed without first being pointed out does not exist. Miss Rebeka, you should not continue the way you are going.”

  The elderly teacher had taken it upon herself to give reasons to defend herself and speak more accusatory words in order to find the offending student’s tongue by putting on a smiley face, who answered the question using an answer that was obviously the wrong one, in order to make her look bad in front of the other students. Of course, the other two teachers served as witnesses that the teacher had not crossed the line.

  “Oh, I know what you want me to say,” Rebeka said in a low voice. “But it’s still not clear to me what kind of communication this is. Is it a monologue in which you tell me and I keep quiet, or is it two-way, in which I can talk and you listen without interrupting? Answer my question, teacher.”

  The three adults present made an indignant face at the disrespectful tone of the student, although the teacher was forced to ignore this, give in, and say yes because she herself had spoken of the basic rules of communication, and for all communication to be effective, both the sender and the receiver must interpret the same meaning under the same conditions.