“Wait here,” said Cassandra. “I need to check and make sure he’s actually gone.”

“Okay,” replied Zoey, still shaking from her attack. Cassandra walked up the hall and looked around. She didn’t see the asshole that attacked Zoey so she went back to where she left her.

“All clear,” she stated.

“I really need to get to class,” replied Zoey.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea right now. You need to clear your head or you won’t be able to pay attention to your professor anyways.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“I know I’m right,” said Cassandra as she took Zoey’s hand and started leading her towards the student union. “I don’t know about you, but I’m famished.”

The student union was alive with the energy of college students studying and discussing their classes, or that most noble of college traditions, stuffing their face. Cassandra looked around surprised at all of the options. She surveyed the food court area for a good place to sit. Eventually they ended up at a table in the far corner where Cassandra could sit with her back to the wall. Again she turned and surveyed her food options until her gaze rested on a Taco Bell. Her insatiable love of tacos bordering on obsessive, she had made her choice.

“Do you like tacos?” she asked.

“Who doesn’t?” replied Zoey.

“Wait here,” said Cassandra as she wandered off towards the glorious kingdom of tacos, only to return a few minutes later with a tray covered in them. Zoey’s eyes practically popped out of her head at the number of tacos on the tray.

“What?” asked Cassandra at Zoey’s expression.

“Nothing”

“Hey, I’m a big girl,” she replied. “Now eat up. Take as much as you’d like. I’ll eat the rest”

“Thank you,” replied Zoey.

“So how long has that guy been giving you trouble?” asked Cassandra between mouthfulls.

“Ever since he figured out my secret, about a month ago I would say,” replied Zoey shyly.

“It’s a shame people are still like that. I moved here to try to get away from that mentality”

“From where?” asked Zoey.

“I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” replied Cassandra with a straight face. Zoey looked slightly worried until Cassandra smiled and winked at her. Both girls busted out laughing at the same time.

“It’s good to see you smiling. It suits you,” said Cassandra still smiling causing Zoey to blush. The girls finished eating, and collected their belongings.

“Now what?” asked Zoey.

“Now I walk you home,” she replied. “You do live in a dorm right?”

“Yeah,” replied Zoey leading the way towards her dorm room. They walked in silence until the reached the building. “This way,” said Zoey. When they reached her door, it looked as if it had been kicked open. Cassandra’s training kicked in, and she reflexively drew her pistol and kicked the door the rest of the way open. The room was thankfully empty, but in shambles. Her computer looked like it had lost a fight with a baseball bat, and her laptop was missing altogether. The words “faggot” and “sissy” had been spray painted across the cinder block walls. Zoey couldn’t take it, and burst into tears. “Why me?” she cried. Cassandra put her pistol away, and held Zoey in an attempt to calm and comfort her.

“It’s not your fault,” Cassandra whispered as she stroked Zoey’s hair. She continued to hold her until Zoey managed to calm down. “It’s going to be okay.”

“How? How will it ever be okay?” asked Zoey. “I can’t protect my self, I can’t protect my room, and now everyone is going to know what I am.”

“But you ain’t never had a friend like me,” Cassandra replied in her best Genie voice that was just enough to get a slight smile out of Zoey. “And what do you mean ‘everyone is going to know what you are’? They should already know what you are, an attractive, intelligent young woman.”

Zoey hugged Cassandra and sighed. “So what do I do now?” she asked.

“First you call the campus police, so you don’t get blamed for all of this,” she said gesturing to the mess that Zoey’s dorm had become. “And then we find you somewhere else to live.”

“Where else can I go?” asked Zoey. “I can’t afford to live off campus, and he’ll find me anywhere I live on campus.”

“That settles it then,” replied Cassandra. “You’re coming to stay with me.”

“But”

“No buts. I have the space and I think we could both us a friend. Now call the police so we can report this and get outta here,” replied Cassandra. Zoey called the campus police. When they got there they took some pictures of the damage and statements from the girls. They said that due to the fact the door had been kicked in, Zoey would not be held responsible for the damage to the room, and that they would be in touch if they found anything.

The girls packed up Zoey’s things and loaded them into the jeep.

To be continued....

Author's note: Sorry for the short chapter, my muse refused to cooperate.