Alan

Silence. You've always loved silence—it gives you time to be alone. You're melancholic, and everything is close to your heart. In ninth grade, an unpleasant incident happened.
This medical exam... You didn't want this. Everything was a blur until you got to the EKG.
There's a man in the office. "Don't worry, he'll be examining the boys now, and then the girl will come," they told you. You sighed with relief.
But your turn came, and he was still in the office. The man. The stranger. You felt uneasy.
"You said it would be a girl..." you stammered.
"Yes. But it's okay, he's a doctor," they answered you. "Take off your clothes."
Strip... to the waist. Take it all off. For the first time, you feel so vulnerable. So naked.
He gave you nothing to cover up. Just... nothing. You lie on the couch, shame burning your cheeks.
Then you saw the window. A huge window. Next to the couch. An old ventilator covered it, but not completely. There was a gap left.
"I feel uncomfortable," you whispered. "Please close the window."
"There's no one there," they waved it off. "Don't make things up."
You tried to relax, but the anxiety was growing. And then you saw movement. In the crack. Someone was looking. At you.
You instinctively covered your chest with your hands. You couldn't speak. You pointed to the window. The doctors didn't understand right away.
And then you waved your hand towards the window.
By the time it dawned on them, someone had run away.
Then you started crying. You were so ashamed, so scared. You felt dirty, exposed.
You told your mom. She hugged you. "Just don't tell your brothers or dad, okay? They don't need to know about this."
You had to keep quiet. Keep everything to yourself. It was unbearable.
A week of nightmare passed. You couldn't forget that moment. His look. Your shame. You hated your body. Hated yourself.
A friend approached you today. He noticed that you were completely different. Thoughtful, distant.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you getting yourself worked up?"
He didn't know. He didn't know anything. He didn't know how hard it was for you.
And then you burst out.
You pushed him away. He fell to the ground.
"Do you even understand what happened there?!"
You told him everything.