<span style="color: #40BFBF">        The pain in Vinny's stomach was just about to subside, when he heard a knock on the door. <span style="font-style: italic">Could that be Isabella?</span> He thought to himself as he slowly picked himself up off of the couch, still clutching his stomach.<br/>           The knocking persisted. "Just a minute!" he called to the person behind the door as he made his way to the door. Just halfway there, he stubbed his toe on the table. Now limping to the door AND holding his stomach, he reached out and unlocked and opened the door.<br/>           To his slight disappointment, it wasn't Isabella, but rather his colleague and law-school-buddy, Terrence Eckerson. He was dressed in the same pinstripe gray suit he was wearing earlier, his strawberry blonde hair slightly disheveled from the wind outside.<br/>             "Wow, Vinny. You look like crap," Terrence said as he walked over the threshold of Vinny's house.<br/>               "Thanks," Vinny retorted sarcastically.<br/>             "What happened to you?"<br/>               "Ah, ulcers again, and I stubbed my toe on that table over there." He pointed to the dark-brown end table with a vase of yellow tulips in it, which was the table he had stubbed his toe on earlier.<br/>            "Hmmm, I'm guessing the ulcers came from stressful thoughts. So, what's were you thinking about?"<br/>           Vinny stopped pacing before he even realized that he was and throwing his hands up in the air, letting them fall at his side, he said, "Just...well, everything."<br/>             "And by everything you mean Isabella and the murder, oh and the case. Am I right?" Terrence surmised, finally plopping down upon the recliner that Vinny sat in earlier.<br/>           "Yeah," Vinny replied. "I'm thinking about everything." He stood there for a minute, looking at the ground. Then, turning his gaze toward Terrance, he added, "I wonder why life always has to be so difficult. I mean, isn't there ever one simple thing in life? I just don't know how much more I can take." Sluggishly, he plopped down upon the couch, which wasn't far from the recliner Terrance was now sitting in, and it was just about the same color as the recliner.<br/>          Leaning forward and rubbing his hands together, he smiled at Vinny and said, "Well, at least you forgot about Isabella. You did...right?"<br/>          "Oh, yeah,yeah," Vinny replied, waving Terrance off with his right hand. Of course, he knew that he hadn't really forgotten about Isabella, for it was impossible for him to forget. She was the best thing in his life. In fact, she was the only thing in his life worth mentioning (besides his colleague of course).<br/>            "Good. I mean, she was a nice girl and everything, but she just caused trouble for you. I mean, now you're being investigated for murdering her delinquent boyfriend? Come on. Now you of all people should know to stay away from her."<br/>             "Yeah," Vinny agreed halfheartedly.<br/>               Rubbing his hands together again, Terrence said, "So anyway, do you have any plans for the case with manslaughter dude?"<br/>             Sighing heavily, Vinny siaid, "No, actually. I am currently lost. You know, have you ever gotten that feeling that you just don't know what to do anymore? Because that's exactly how I feel right know. Like I just don't know anymore."<br/>            "Did you forget to take your meds today?" Terrence asked, half-teasingly.<br/>          "You mean my bipolar meds? Don't worry. You can say it. And yes. I did forget. But who cares, right?"<br/>              "Vinny, you need those things. They'll help-"<br/>          "I don't want help right now," Vinny interrupted him. "What I want is to be free of medication. It doesn't do me any good anyway. With or without it, my constantly switching mood swings are getting bad. There's nothing I can do about it. It just seems to be worse whenever i take the meds anyway."<br/>             "Oh, that's impossible Vinny. You need to take them and you know it."<br/>           "Isabella said I should try to heal myself rather than use meds. She doesn't believe in medication. She feels that it just makes people worse. And, you know what? She's right. If I'm hurting inside, I don't want any meds to cover that over. I just need to let it all out until it goes away. That's all." Suddenly, as he spoke, Vinny felt that all too familiar depressive state come over him again.<br/>              "Well," Terrence said getting up from the recliner, "I'm very busy today, but i thought I would drop in and say hello, being the friendly, caring colleague that I am." He chuckled and walked toward the door, as Vinny followed him.<br/>             Opening the door for his friend, Vinny said, "Hey, uh, I'll see you later, my friend."<br/>           "Yeah." Just as he was about to step out the door, he stopped and turned around to face Vinny and said, "Look, I really think you should take the meds. Now, I know I can't make you, but I think it's for the best. As the caring colleague, I warned you. See you later, Vinny." And with that, he walked off the steps of Vinny's front porch, leaving Vinny there to watch him walk away. <br/>           After a few more minutes of staring, Vinny sighed and closed the door. He leaned up against the closed door and sighed yet again. He hated lying to his friend Terrence. Especially since that was the only genuine friend he really had who really understood him. God, did he want to tell Terrence about his unchanged feelings about Isabella. But he knew he couldn't because it was forbidden. He wanted Terrence to believe that he was moving on. That he would get better and heal mentally. In fact, he even tried to convince <span style="font-style: italic">himself</span> that he was getting better, and that everything would be fine. But deep down inside he knew none of this was true....</span>