It didn't take long for Genesis to find Jesse. Right when she stepped out of the Orphanage For All Ages, she saw Jesse just standing there on the edge of the sidewalk. His head was hung, and he was staring off into space, as if he didn't even care where he was or where he was going.

"Hey!" said Genesis.

Jesse turned and saw Genesis. "Hey," he said.

"Jesse, I'm so sorry," said Genesis. "I didn't know that she'd..."

"It's not your fault," said Jesse. "I shouldn't have even come here."

"Don't say that."

"Rachel didn't even want to see me. I just..."

Genesis looked down the street and noticed a frozen yogurt shop at the end of the corner. "Look, how about we go get some frozen yogurt?" she offered. "Maybe that'll help get your mind off things?"

"I guess..." Jesse reluctantly followed Genesis as she led him down the street toward the frozen yogurt place.

Neither of them noticed the black Honda Civic that rounded the corner and stopped when it saw them.

***

Genesis and Jesse entered the frozen yogurt place. It was fairly small, but then again, it was a frozen yogurt shop. Those usually weren't very big.

The two of them filled up their cups with frozen yogurt, sprinkled them with candy bits and chocolate syrup, paid for them, and then sat down. Genesis watched as Jesse miserably picked at his frozen yogurt. "It's all my fault," Jesse mumbled. "I shouldn't have been such a dick."

"Jesse, you were only, like, twelve or thirteen," said Genesis. "A lot of guys are dicks at that age. I should know."

"Or maybe I should've tried DMing her on Twitter. Or X, or whatever it's called now." He shook his head and added "Oh, who am I kidding? Celebrities never respond when you try to DM them!"

"Sometimes they do," said Genesis. "One time I replied to Taylor Swift's Instagram story, and she liked my message."

"Really?"

"No," Genesis admitted. "I'm just trying to make you feel better."

Jesse sighed. "Want the rest of my frozen yogurt?"

"Oh, Jesse," said Genesis. Seeing him do depressed stirred something inside of her. She hadn't admitted it until now, but she'd felt attracted to Jesse ever since she met him. And seeing him feel vulnerable gave her an urge to hug him and give him love to make him feel better. "I know it feels like it's the end of the world, but you'll be okay."

"You think? Rachel was, like, the only friend I thought I might have left. Well, except you..."

"See?" said Genesis. "You still have me." She slowly reached her hand towards Jesse's and gently took it. "A hot, sweet girlfriend."

Jesse's eyebrows shot up. "What? Did you just call yourself my girlfriend?"

"Yes," said Genesis. "What, are we not there yet?"

"No, it's okay," said Jesse. "I mean...look at us. We are kind of out on a date."

Genesis smiled. "I know," she said. "And once we get back, we'll make it official."

"How touching," said a new voice. Genesis and Jesse's smiles faded when they saw who it was. It was Lucas Jacobson, who had just walked into the frozen yogurt store.

"Oh my fucking glory," said Jesse. "How did you even find us this time?"

"It wasn't hard to figure out your destination," said Lucas. "Why else would you be going south, other than to try to talk Lanie Evans or Rachel Miller into giving you their blood? And then I saw you entering this frozen yogurt place, and I knew I'd found my target."

"You know, now that you're here, maybe you could get Rachel's blood yourself," said Genesis. "She already agreed to go to the doctor to have her blood drawn."

Lucas wilted. "Oh," he said, making no effort to hide his disappointment.

"Cheer up," said Genesis. "At least you'll get the TG DNA you'll need for your serum. Right?"

"Genesis...I've told you how I feel about this. I don't want to have to rely on existing celebrities to become famous."

"So you want to just start from the bottom and claw your way up?"

"That's what always happens. Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson, Donald Trump...so many celebrities started from the bottom, just like you and I. And if you're not willing to work hard to attain fame, then you don't deserve to be famous."

Jesse rolled his eyes. "Even if that's true, is it really worth stalking Genesis halfway across the country? And causing a ruckus back in that mall?"

"Trust me, I didn't want to do this either," said Lucas. "But sometimes you have to take extreme measures."

Genesis started to inch away from Lucas. "Jesse," she said, "We're gonna have to..."

"FREEZE!" a gruff male voice shouted. Lucas whirled just in time to see three policemen bang through the door. Lucas frantically put his hands up as the policemen pointed their guns at him.

"Are you kids okay?" one of the policemen asked.

"Yes," Jesse answered.

The policemen got out a pair of handcuffs and fastened them around Lucas' wrists. "So you're the one who initiated that brawl in North Carolina," one of the policemen said. "I saw a news article about that. And then I got a report to keep an eye out for a person who fit your description."

"Yes," Lucas admitted.

"And then we're stationed on duty when we get a call that you were sighted right near where we were stationed."

"You got a call?" Genesis asked. "Who called you?"

As if in answer, Ramona entered the frozen yogurt place. "I did," she said. "I came out to find you guys, but then a car drove by, and I recognized Lucas driving it."

Lucas' eyes were starting to well up. "You don't understand," he said. "I really need your blood for my serum. All my life, I've wanted to be a woman. My mother was a widower, and she couldn't afford daycare, so she took me with her to her job as a seamstress. She let me try on the clothes she wore, and I found myself loving the girly things. The older I got, the more I felt like I was more feminine than masculine. I wanted so badly to be a woman. Not a fake trans woman, but a true woman. The serum I've been developing would've been the answer to all that. And I would've become a hero to the trans community."

Genesis looked at the policemen and just shrugged. "What can I say?" she asked. "He's kind of crazy."

"So I see," said the policeman. "Which is why I think he might be sentenced to an insane asylum."

The policemen hauled Lucas out to their car to take him off to be charged for his crimes. When they were gone, Genesis, Jesse, and Ramona all breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I guess that takes care of that," said Ramona.

"So now what? We just...go back home?" Jesse asked.

Genesis looked back in the direction of the Orphanage For All Ages. "Not yet," she said. "We should get Rachel's blood. Then we can give it to Pride Laboratories so they can at least finish the serum."

Jesse sighed. "I think you're right," he said. "I guess, that way, Lucas' work will still be able to help trans people."

To be concluded...