The dean doesn't look too pleased as I'm sitting in her office.  I get a text from Raeis.

Rae Rae: hey where are you? I don't see you

I look back at the dean.  "Ms. Wallace, can you please tell me why you randomly punched someone in the face?"

"Dean, ma'am-"  "That's Ms. Walzenburg to you."  I look at her name tag.  "Wait a minute.  Your name is Dean?"  "That's my first name, yes."  "And you're the female dean?"  "Yes."

"That's hilarious."  She exasperatedly sighs as she rolls her eyes.  "Ms. Wallace, that isn't the point here.  Please tell me why you punched Ms. Willis in the face on the first day."

"Ms. Walzenburg, with all due respect, you don't know how much mental and emotional trauma she's put me through.  I've had to put up with her bullying and harassment for the past four years, and I'm not going through that mess again.  Not for another four.  Heck no.  She's put my head in a toilet, always pushed me, shoved me into lockers.  We were on the soccer team together and she would purposely trip me up.  Or she'd kick the ball at me full force if she felt like it.  We were in theatre class together, and she'd always try to play the antagonist because she knew I would go for the protagonist role.  It's like she joined everything I did just to torture me.  And she always got away with it all!  I don't know how, but she did!  I got so depressed to the point where I was so skinny because I wasn't eating.  Me punching her was a traumatic fight or flight response because she called me Hussy.  She calls me Hessie for short and always has, and she spun it into an insult.  And let's not forget the multiple derogatory names and insults she's called me.  Can't forget that."

"Wow.........  I'm so sorry you had to go through that.  Well, I assure you that none of that will be happening here.  If I even catch a whiff of that, she will be expelled.  If you have any problems with her, come to me, and the matter will be situated.  Since it's your first day and you've clearly been through a lot because of her, I'm not punishing you.  However, let's just try to prevent stuff like this from happening again, ok?"  She softly says, smiling at me.

"Yes ma'am.  So sorry for this.  I promise you I'm a really nice person."  "I believe you.  Have a nice day."

"You, too."  And with that, I walk out of her office.

.....

I make it back to the dorm.  Raeis is standing there, waiting for me with her arms folded across her chest and a frown clear on her face.

"Where the hell were you?  You didn't even respond to my text.  What happened to sticking together, hm?"

"I got sent to the dean's office.  Fun fact, her name is actually Dean-"  "That's hilarious for two reasons."  She says and chuckles.  "Same thing I said.  But yeah, and when you texted me, I was talking to her in her office."

"It's the first day.  Why did you need to talk to her already?"  "I might've.......punched Silas in her face.  Specifically her eye."

"Oh my God.  Why did you do that?"  "Well, in my defense, you told me not to let her control my life.  I popped her in her shit after she called me Hussy.  It was my fight or flight, ok?  I clearly chose fight."

"You know, as a good best friend, part of me wants to reprimand you for it, but the other part of me is absolutely proud of you for standing up for yourself.  So I'm just gonna do both.  Don't do this again.  I don't want you getting in trouble.  And woohoo!  You go, girl!  That'll teach her to mess with you!"

She high fives me high in the air, putting a smile on both of our faces.