Miguel, surprised, and a bit wounded by Tulio's outburst, sighed, and was visibly upset. He opened his mouth to speak, but he stopped himself, knowing he would probably make the situation worse.

Tulio looked at Miguel, and noticed that he was upset. He let out a sigh, and felt guilty for hurting his new blonde friend.

"Look, Miguel, i'm sorry that I upset you. It's, I don't like talking about my problems."

"It's okay Tulio, it's not your fault, i'm pretty sensitive."

At that moment, Miguel noticed bruises on the side of Tulio's face. Tulio realized that his wounds were visible. Upon this realization, he quickly untied his ponytail and covered his bruises with his long black hair, hoping that Miguel wouldn't notice. Tulio put his knees up to his face and hugged them shyly, while holding his hair tie in his hands, still looking at the ground.

"Tulio, how did you get those bruises?"

"What bruises?"

"The ones on the side of your face."

"Oh, those bruises, I, uh, I fell."

"What about those scratches on your arms?"

"What scratches?"

"Tulio, I already saw them! It's no use hiding them."

"*sigh* A stray cat attacked me."

Miguel was unsure about Tulio's explanations, but he didn't question it. He didn't want to make Tulio uncomfortable. Miguel noticed that his black haired friend was on the verge of tears, so he put his arm on his back, and gave his companion a gentle embrace.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. How about we talk about what's going on?"

"I, I don't like talking about my problems."

"But talking about your problems is a good thing. It'll make you feel better, I promise!"

Tulio let out a sigh. "It doesn't seem that way. Are you sure?"

"Positive." said Miguel, with confidence in his voice.

"Well, okay, if you're sure. But, it's, it's complicated, I don't know if I can."

"I know it's tough, but you'll feel better. Take as much time as you need. If you're not ready it's okay."

"Okay, i'll try."

Miguel gave Tulio a reassuring smile. Tulio gave a small smile in return. It was at that moment that Miguel saw Tulio smile for the very first time.