CALL TO ARMSClara didn't even knock and went straight into Dália's house, where Lara was sitting in the living room crying. "What happened?" Clara asked, more to Dália than to the girl. Dália was wearing her fancy nightgown and Linda was sitting in front of Lara's couch, also wearing a nightgown, and they seemed to have been woken up."She drank a little too much and is upset," Dália explained. "But she's already feeling better, right, my dear?""No! I'm not feeling better, Dália. Who are you to tell me how to feel?" Clara put her hands on her hips and looked at the woman."Hey," Clara called out. "No aggression here because you're not at home or at any bar. Respect us or get out of here." Clara held the girl's gaze, spoke loudly and firmly with her.Lara looked at her for long seconds and burst into convulsive tears."We don't feel sorry for you, Lara. You're being rude, causing a scene at my house and waking up your friends here. We love you, but we can't tolerate this. Come on, I'

ENOUGH!"Hey, girl," Cleiton pulled over next to the sidewalk where Lara was waiting. He didn't even turn off the car before she jumped in, fastening her seatbelt as he accelerated and hit the road."Hi, thank you for coming," she said."The pleasure is mine."Cleiton had three children; his youngest was twelve and his oldest was eighteen. Lara only knew this because she saw him answering his phone while driving, putting it on speakerphone, and from the photos hanging on the car dashboard.Lara had been coming from a party late at night and had to call for a ride. Cleiton was the one who answered her call. She had sat in the backseat, he had been super polite and didn't hit on her. She was high, having had a little too much to drink. She was actually working at the party as a waitress, a last-minute gig she didn't want to miss. It was a fifteenth birthday party, and the birthday girl's parents had paid extra for Lara to stay until the end and help clean up the venue, which they would

PHOBIAClara got tired of calling her friend, but the phone just went straight to voicemail. She was worried about her and went to sleep without any news from the girl.The next morning, her phone rang from an unknown number. She only answered because she thought something had happened to Lara, and her heart froze when Patricia introduced herself and apologised for having asked Megan for her contact. She informed her that Lara had shown up at her office. She didn't say how the meeting or consultation had gone since she couldn't, but she said she left her at home and well. She asked Clara to keep an eye out, save her contact, and call her if anything happened to the young woman.Clara was relieved that she had sought out the therapist, thanked her for the call, and told her that she had gone to an AA meeting and loved it. Patricia was happy to hear that, congratulated her, and hung up.Clara saved her number since she wasn't her client, and she didn't have her number until then.As usu

VERY DELICATEShe was trembling. Completely regretful for inviting him to stay at her house, she left and walked through the condominium to clear her mind. She walked the entire length of the large space. She passed by Cilmo's, Jânio's, and Dercy's houses, and saw the lights on at Megay's house, so she entered without thinking.Her friend was sitting in the living room on the floor, holding a puppy that Clara had already seen running around the place. Megay and the little dog were playing on the living room carpet."Hi, sweetie," her friend greeted her warmly. "Hey, is everything okay?"Megay suddenly became serious when she saw her friend's expression."Ah, I'm so tired, Meg, and to be honest, I don't know if it's good for me to live here.""Oh, what happened?"The puppy, seeming to sense the tension, got out of Megay's lap and came wagging its tail towards Clara, who also sat on the floor and started petting him, and he wanted to lick her face."So many things have happened since I

FAST ATTACKLipe was in a tough situation with Lara at his house. According to what Clara told him, the girl had caused trouble during the meeting they went to and brought her back with them. He watched her sleep on her stomach, sprawled out on the bed, and stayed there for a long time listening to her snoring and occasionally saying incoherent words. Sitting on a chair facing the bed where she slept, with his elbows resting on his knees, he pondered ideas. He had invited her to go out for a drink. It had never crossed his mind that she was dependent, and during the three hours he spent there watching her sleep, some of the words he had said in his alcoholic coma, he noticed in the silence of the room that some were painful cries and she called for her mother, asked José to let her go, cried, and pleaded for him to leave her alone.Lipe lay down next to her when she cried desperately, struggled, and begged for her mother, for God, and for José to leave her alone, and spoke softly and