This chapter took a lot of research.

The lunch bell rings and we all head to the cafeteria. Baret and I go to the lunch line while Rana and Talu find a table. I have trouble getting the food, because I'm so…low. So I just tell Baret what I want and he puts it on my tray himself.

I'm glad I have friends already. For some people, it takes weeks, or even months. We eat in silence for a few minutes. "Rye!" chirps Rana, breaking the silence. "How is your birthday going?"

"Good," I say, picking at the stuff in my salad. "Rye," says Talu. "What's wrong?" I look up from my food. "Nothing! Nothing's wrong!" But she just stares at me. Like she's pulling the confession out of me.

We have a staring contest for a bit, then I can't stand it anymore. "Alright!" I yell, slamming my fork on the table. "It's just…my first birthday being paralyzed. It's so hard." Baret touches my arm. "It's ok," he reassures me. "We'll help you. All of us."

I smile. It's good to have friends that care about me. I look past them to find Dariush and his friends. I just keep staring. I can't look away. For a second, Dariush turns his head. Our eyes meet for a second, but we both look away as fast as possible.

Why did I do that? I still care about him, more than anything. But does he care about me after this morning? I don't know. I just want to forget about it. It's my birthday, after all. It's supposed to be a happy day. My day.

After lunch, we go through the rest of our classes and finally, the dismissal bell rings. I go to my locker (A/N: Yes, I'm making them have lockers) and get all my stuff. I'm glad it's a bottom locker.

I struggle to put my backpack on the back of my wheelchair. I almost drop it when someone catches it and puts it on my chair. I look up to see Dariush. His brown eyes are pained, and he doesn't say anything. He walks away as fast as he came.

So I guess he does care. Even through all the pain I put him through. "I just told him we were friends," I say to Callee as we make our way home. "I don't see how it changes anything."

"Oh, but it does," says Callee, his wise form coming back. I haven't seen it since the day I had my first problem with Dariush. You could say I missed it. "To boys, friendships and relationships are completely different. It's hard to explain."

We get home to find my mom on the wall phone, my dad hovering over her. They only glance at us, and my mom slightly waves. This must be important. My brother takes my backpack off my wheelchair and takes his own backpack off.

We rush over to them, just listening. "Yes," says my mom, "That's amazing." I see she has tears rolling down her face. "Ok, two months. I will tell her. Thank you, Doctor." She hangs up the phone, then turns to us, her face bright.

"Rye," she takes my hands. "It's temporary." I don't understand. "What do you mean?" I ask. "Your paralysis," another tear slides down her face. "It's temporary. Something with your spinal cord. The dog caused nerve damage, but it can be fixed." I can't believe I'm hearing this right now.

"So, I can walk again?" This time, my eyes start watering. "In two months," laughs my mom. "In two months, you can walk again."

A/N: So yeah, this chapter caused a lot of research. I had to make sure it was possible she could walk again, and it was. So don't you all love it? By the way, for a few chapters, Rye will still be in a wheelchair. Like I said, two months. Ok? Ok. So please review, and tell me what you think! Every review makes my day.