With no friends in social studies, second period went by with many brooding thoughts. Memories of Jenna and helping her finally feel comfortable in her skin, wearing a dress for the first time, doing her makeup and hair for prom, and so many other happy memories. All that would never happen again.

All because of how Korbin and his friends treated her, saying she was a "man" and not a woman.

It was because of their harassment she was gone.

Thankfully the room was darkened for a historical documentary that her teacher had put on for the hour, so Victoria's face was hidden in darkness. No one saw the tears she shed. Even through the small sniffles she did had, a student nearby her was snoring at a level to hide her sound.

At this point Victoria just wanted the period to be over. Two friends were in her next class and she just wanted their company instead of being alone thinking of the earlier situation and the mentioning of Jenna in math. She took her cardigan sleeve to wipe away the streams going down her face and continued to watch the film coming from the projector, halfway listening to the speakers in the historical documentary.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that the bell went off to dismiss second period. Some students were quick to get up from their seats, although Victoria took her time as she put her water bottle and her materials for note-taking back into her backpack.

"We will finish the documentary tomorrow. Have a good day, class," the teacher spoke as she went to pause the film and write down the time it was on.

Once out of the room, Victoria had to squint as her eyes adjusted back to the bright halls. There was still plenty of room in the hallway, which gave her advantage to hurrying to her next class. The fewer people she had to maneuver through to get there, the better.

When she went to enter the room, the two she was looking for were already at their spot at the shared table the three of them had. With a smile on her face, Victoria hurried over to them and placed her bag in the one empty seat at the table.

"Hey, guys," she spoke with an empty breath. "How's your day been so far?"

"We've been doing fine," Derek spoke. It was difficult to hear him clearly with his hand over his mouth, but it was something Victoria had gotten used to with his somewhat closed off behavior.

Jason took a look at Derek and then over at Victoria. His dark brown eyes told all the expressions running through him: fear, worry, anxiety, and desperation. "Have you been okay? Elaine texted us earlier about what happened to you and Val."

The smile dropped from Victoria's face as she processed what Jason had said. "What now?"

Derek moved his hand and leaned his weight onto his elbows as he fixed his gaze on Victoria. "Those assholes have been harassing us since freshman year. Now they want to hit the smallest out of us?" His tone was sharp and filled with aggression. "I know they try to get physical with me and Jason, and I'm sure Val can handle herself, but to hit her..."

At this point, Jason went to put a hand on Derek's shoulder and rub it. "It's not right at all. We shouldn't fight violence with violence though. It will only get us more in trouble, possibly expelled."

"I agree with Jason," Victoria added in. "While I would love to fight them, retaliating is what they want. They may be troublemakers, but we've seen what's happened when they start a fistfight with anyone of color in the school. My cousin's expulsion is proof of that."

"How is Angel by the way?" Jason asked.

Victoria shrugged her shoulders. "He's been fine at his new school. After his expulsion, my aunt and uncle thought they should finally move like they've been wanting to. They're prominently in a Latinx community now. Angel says the new school isn't as nice though."

"How come?"

"Mainly because of its location. People are nice there, but the places around the school aren't the best. Plus the school's bond requests always get rejected."

"That's shitty." Derek straightened himself up. "We just got approved for a 60k bond at ours for the gyms and renovating the media center."

Jason and Victoria hummed in agreement. They wanted to continue on talking, but the second bell ringed just a second after Jason opened his mouth to speak.

Unlike other teachers, who usually stayed in their classrooms during passing, their civics teacher, Mr. Eberhart, was one of the few who liked to be outside the classroom to keep eye on students. He made his way in after the bell, his pace to his desk quick due to his short legs.

"Alright, kids, who's ready for today's lesson?" he asked as he plopped down in his seat. Not many responded to him, but he stayed bright as he continued on. "Alright! Well, let's get onto learning more about the election process!"

"There's seriously more?" Victoria questioned under her breath. She thought it was just with the people and the individual state governments that created the voting process.

One person more in the back raised their hand and started speaking once Mr. Eberhart pointed to them. "Didn't we go over this yesterday?"

"Yes," Mr. Eberhart started, "but there is a lot more than what we covered yesterday. I'll be giving you guys sheets today to write your notes down on. Hold onto them too as they'll be good to study from for the test coming up." He pulled a large stack of stapled papers out from the stacked file sorter on his desk labeled "Period 3" and started handing out small portions to each table in the room.

Jason took the small stack that the teacher handed their table and passed copies to both Derek and Victoria. The three of them looked at the sheet at all the areas with blank spaces. One phrase did catch their eye though, one that was used a lot in the most recent election.

"Great... The electoral college," Derek muttered.

"That's what my parents spoke about for the 2016 election, why it ended up the way it did," Victoria added as she started looking through the rest of the pages. It was nice to see it was double-sided, which meant fewer trees would be used.

The lecture began, along with note-taking as key words came up. It was a very uneventful period as the three friends did start quietly talking or writing on the edges on their paper to communicate.

"I did see on facebook there will be an indoor LBGT event in New York next weekend," Jason spoke quietly.

"Really?" Victoria asked. She received a nod from Jason as the teacher took a glance at them. After he turned to continue on, Victoria spoke again. "Maybe it's something we could go to?"

"I'm going to be in Harlem that weekend, so I won't be able to go," Derek commented.

Jason frowned. One thing he had hoped for is that his boyfriend would join for the event. Even so, he still had friends like Victoria he knew would love to join along for any pride event.

"Where will it be located?" Victoria asked in a hushed voice. She didn't want another watch from their teacher.

"Brooklyn College," Jason spoke. "And if we do take my car, it will be a long drive due to New York City traffic."

"Mr. Wilson, Miss Cummings, please stop talking." Mr. Eberhart spoke. "If you do so again, I will send you two to the office."

They both mumbled a sorry to the teacher and kept their mouths shut after that. They did share a glance, Victoria pretending to have a phone in her hand mimicking typing to Jason. He nodded and went for his phone but stopped when Victoria mouthed out the word "later."

=====

Lunch, Literature Arts, and Sociology went by pretty smoothly. Only a few bumps in the road came with lunch and the sociology class, mainly with Korbin going after Victoria and Valentine at lunch and then continuing his pestering into sociology. With enough people against him though, he was thankfully kicked out for the remainder of the period.

Now it was just to wait for their pickup after school. Victoria and Valentine stood together, huddling for warmth. Jason had promised to take them to Victoria's house.

"Why is it taking him so long?" Valentine asked as she rubbed her gloved hands and held them in front of her face.

"Everyone who drives to school is leaving. Just give him a moment," Victoria said back.

It was only a few moments Jason appeared in his car. Its old and beat up appearance showing it was a cheap buy for him and his parents. The girls hurried into the car, both slipping into the backseat and greeting both Jason and Derek as they got in.

"Thank goodness the heater works in the car," Valentine spoke. She was still shivering as she buckled herself in.

Jason looked in his rearview mirror to make sure both girls were buckled in before getting away from the curb and heading west from the school to Victoria's home. "It's one of the few reasons we got this Ford. It may not look pretty, but it has the essentials we need."

"Jason did mention there's a pride event happening at Brooklyn College next weekend. He would drive if we go. Is it something you want to do, Val?" Victoria asked.

Valentine looked over at Victoria with a thoughtful expression. "I believe it will be something I could do. Hey, Jason..."

"Yeah?" Jason asked. He kept alert on the road but also had his ears open to Valentine.

"I know your car is small, but if my younger sister wants to come, can she?"

"Of course! If she does come, there will only be one more seat available in my car."

The girls took the information in, thinking about possible friends who would want to come. From their friend group, they knew Valentine's sister as an ally to the community. Of others at their small table was only Elaine, who was still unknown for her sexuality. From those they knew, Elaine would probably be the best person to ask about joining them for the event.

"Also, what time does it start?" Valentine asked.

Jason thought for a moment as he turned onto the main street of the suburbs Victoria lived in. "I don't remember the time. I'll get back to you guys on it."

They soon arrived in front of Victoria's home. It stood as a small two-story home with white siding and beige roofing, the roof's color was difficult to see from snow covering it. There was a small driveway that led to the backyard where a small one-car garage was built. Most of the yard was dusted with snow, but it was melting fast from the warmth of the soil.

The girls thanked Jason and said their goodbyes to him and Derek as they exited the car. Victoria took off one glove as she went and grabbed the keys linked to her backpack. They were picked through and one was used to unlock the front door and the two walked in. Winter jackets were taken off and put on the coat rack next to the door while wet shoes were immediately taken off and stayed on the rubber mat at the door.

"What homework do you have?" Valentine asked as she set her boots up next to one another.

"Just some reading for sociology, you?" Victoria took off her beanie and also set it on the coat rack to dry. With it off, her hair now seemed stuck to her skull due to its flatness. She also took off her glasses for a moment due to them fogging up as they were now in a much warmer environment.

"I have both physics and math homework." Valentine grimaced as she responded.

"Ugh... Just for your future as an engineer, huh?" Victoria made her way to the living room couch, Valentine right behind her.

"Eh, at least I got AP Calculus done last year, so this homework should be a breeze."

The two of them got to work on the couch, as usual when Valentine came home with Victoria on school days. Their legs were entangled with the blanket on the back of the couch draped over them as they worked. Despite wanting to be romantic at the moment, the girls knew their schoolwork had to come first before their relationship.

Victoria flipped a page of her sociology book before glancing up at Valentine. "Also, when we get done, I'll want to talk to you about Korbin."

Valentine looked back at Victoria and raised an eyebrow. "Did something happen in your sociology class?"

Victoria nodded her head.

"Let's hurry up then."

###
Author's Note:
I would like to note that in this part it did mention a woman who committed suicide. This is a prominent thing trans folk go through a lot and many take their lives at an extreme rate. Know if you are someone struggling with depression, not being accepted, or being mistreated for who you are, know I am here for you and always here to talk if need be.

For other help, I will attach suicide hotline number site link for those who may need help in other places as well

opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines