How Emma Found Love

When they were returning to the dorm they were stopped several times by both men and women trying to hit on them. Again Emma froze. She knew it was normal for the boys but she had never dealt with it in the past. Kelly knew she had to learn and quickly. Emma's newly found assets were to come with that cost and Kelly would try to teach her. Kelly was flattered by the attention. She loved to be in the limelight. When they got back to their room, Emma wanted to know about why girls were hitting them up. She understood about the boys.

"Emma, there are a lot of girls who like girls on campus. Some can be more aggressive than boys. So just be careful. If you want to experiment, choose a nice girl. Not one who is pursuing you hard. Same is true for boys, honey. Nothing can hurt you as much as love and you don't know the rules yet."

"Is Nora a gay girl? She looks at me with hungry eyes sometimes."

"Yes. She is very outspoken. But she will let you come to her, and, otherwise, she will protect you from predatory people of both sexes. She has a good heart and she likes you more than you will probably ever know."

Emma pondered this for a moment. "Good things to know. I wish I knew this dating stuff better. I'm so easy to fluster. Kelly, what's sex like?"

"It's just so much more and less than you might have imagined, Emmy. When it's good it is transcendent. When it's bad it can be so depressing and a total waste of effort. I think, for me, I like it most with someone I care for."

"Have you done it with girls, Kelly?"

"A few. They were slower and more gentle than boys. Both have their plusses. Boys go hard and fast and sometimes that's what I want. Girls want to seduce you tenderly and drive you to heaven until you can't take anymore. You will have to make up your mind what you want and need. Those are not hard and fast rules. I've had men who drive me slowly into multiple orgasms and girls who fucked me into submission. Have you ever had an orgasm, Emmy?"

"Yeah, a girl taught me how to do myself when I was seven. But I didn't cum until I was 10 and started thinking about people when I did it."

"Who did it for you, Emmy?"

"Well, I am now truly embarrassed. She was a young novice, Sister Angelica, whom I saw bathing. That night I came four times in a row. I couldn't look at or talk to her for weeks afterwards. I know it was silly but what did I know?"

"Emma, what were the worst and best things about living in the convent?"

"Well, the worst was that we had no television or radio so I knew nothing about modern culture. Best was that it was like growing up with a bunch of protective big sisters. I felt so safe there. I remember the single worst and best things happened on the same day. I was 12 and taking my bath as usual. Then the water started to turn red. I thought I was dying and screamed my head off. Sister Maria ran in and saw what was happening. She helped me get cleaned up but I was so frightened I could not stop crying. It fell to the Reverend Mother, Sister Mary Joan, to explain what was going on. Boy, she was blushing! But she did a very good job. She was so kind that night."

The two coeds talked about many things. Kelly found out that Emma played the guitar and oboe as well as she did piano. Emma found out Kelly loved to sing and was good. Kelly wanted to study history, and Emma was torn between music and law. When they went to sleep that night, Emma quietly came, with Kelly as the star. She was sorry in the morning. Kelly would not have cared at all; she had used friends as fantasy material many times. That day Nora worked them as hard as she thought was healthy at the gym. Emma found it was more enjoyable than she had imagined. Emma asked Nora what days she should do each exercise so Nora gave her a workout schedule. Nora had to fight back her attraction to the innocent girl she thought of as her little sister. Kelly had told Nora about the rude boy at the pub, and Nora's ire had shot up. When she heard that girls were hitting on Emma, she put out the word to leave the girl alone or deal with her.

Emma loved her new outfits! They made her look so much better than her old ones. She learned how to turn down boys and girls nicely. Every day she did her scheduled workout, and by the end of the week she did look a little better. Nora told her to start every session with half an hour on a treadmill. At first this was hard. Emma had never done cardio work before, but she did like the feeling and made the needed effort.

The end of November brought Thanksgiving and Emma was alone for four days. She faithfully did her homework assignments for the rest of the year, but she never even thought to skip her workouts. She enjoyed getting stronger and more toned. There was only one dining hall open so she had to walk farther but she did not mind -- she was meeting new people. On Saturday she went to eat as usual and talked to a group of girls there. They asked her to a party. She followed them back to their dorm and then on to the get-together. It was intimidating to her but she stayed for a while. One boy took an interest in her. "No" had no meaning to him -- he just pushed on. He got her in a corner and would not let her out. His hands were all over her body. She pushed at him but he was too big. Emma started to scream but he put a hand over her mouth and continued to fondle her boobs. She was hitting him as hard as she could but he just laughed and pinched her nipples very hard. Emma bit his hand as hard as she could. "Fucking bitch!" he yelled out and slapped her hard enough to knock her out.

Emma awoke to the sight of a huge guy standing over the bloody body of the guy who had hit her. The girls who had invited her to the party were trying to clean her up. Her nose was bleeding. They were all so sorry that the guy had gotten so out of hand and hurt the tiny girl. The campus police arrived and hauled the assailant off, to the jeers of the girls at the party. Emma just wanted to go to her bed. The police got her name and room number and drove her home, escorting her to her door.

Emma was too afraid and ashamed to leave the room on Sunday. She had a deep purple and black bruise on her face. For some reason, she blamed herself for what had happened. Later in the morning a police woman, Stella Ortiz, came by to ask her what had happened. Upon hearing Emma blame herself, the woman tried to convince her that was not true. Officer Ortiz called the campus health line to get a counselor for Emma. She needed help as quickly as possible.

Emma was hungry but would not go to get food. She waited for Kelly to return. There was a knock on the door. A fearful Emma asked who it was. It was Nora so Emma opened the door, seeing a fire in Nora's eyes that frightened her greatly.

"What the fuck happened to you?!"

Was Nora that angry with her? Emma very quietly told Nora about the party and the boy's attacking her, peppering the explanation with mea culpas. Nora was quickly losing her temper. Emma assumed it was what she did and tried to assuage Nora.

"Emma, I am so pissed off about what happened to you. YOU DID NOTHING WRONG. You must stop blaming yourself! You did nothing to lead him on!" Nora grabbed her and held her as Emma let her emotions take her over. The one thing keeping that punk alive is the fact that he's in jail, Nora thought. When Eva heard Nora yelling, she ran in and saw Emma's face. She knew what had happened. It had happened to most of them all at some point.

Emma asked them if they would walk her to the dining room. They asked if she had eaten that day. She replied that she was too afraid to leave her room. They agreed to walk with her. Emma was so thankful for her friends. She needed support now more than ever. As they were leaving, they ran into Kelly, who almost exploded with anger. After she did manage to calm down, the three all felt pangs of guilt over what happened to their friend. One of them should have taken her home with her.

One of the girls in the dorm told Kelly that her roommate was screaming all night last night. This made her feel horrible. Emma made her way down to the shower and tried to clean her spirit as well as her body. She still felt dirty and guilty. She took a long time to attempt her cleansing and finally gave up. She thought back to the sisters and knew what she had to do. When she returned to the room she asked Kelly if she could borrow her cell phone. "Anytime, Emmy."

Emma called the convent and hoped someone would answer. "Sisters of Grace. How may I help you?" Emma recognized Sister Angelica's voice.

"Sister Angelica, this is Emma. Is it possible for me to speak to the Reverend Mother?"

"How good to hear your voice, child! Give me a second to find her." Emma knew that Sunday was very busy at the convent so she waited patiently.

A more mature voice came on the line. "My dear Emma, how may I help you?" Emma tearfully told the kind woman about what happened and how guilty she felt. "Now, Emma, you have no guilt. I'm afraid, however, that we all here do. We gave you no skills to deal with life and you were clueless. We will pray for you tonight at dinner. Is there someone with you?" Emma told her that her roommate was there. Then Sister Mary Joan wanted to speak to Kelly.

"Hello. This is Kelly O'Malley." The sister asked Kelly to take Emma to a church to talk to a priest and Kelly said she would take her to the chapel on campus. Sister Mary Joan blessed Kelly for her help with Emma and asked her to watch over her.

"Nice lady, Emmy. She's very worried and wants you to talk to a priest."

"I don't mind. But what can he do that you can't, Kelly?"

"I don't know. I stopped going to mass when I left home, but he can absolve you if you still blame yourself." Kelly called the pastoral help line to get Emma an appointment. When she was asked why she told the secretary what had happened to Emma. The woman asked her to wait a second. When she came back on she wanted the dorm building's name and the room number. Kelly gave it to her and was told that Father James was on his way over. Kelly told Emma what was happening. They both changed into more formal dress and Kelly went to warn the floor that a priest was coming to visit.

Kelly got to her room door just as Father James started to knock. He was about 50, with a slim build, handsome face, and grey at his temples. She showed him in and started to leave.

"Are you Emma's roommate?"

"Yes, Father."

"Please stay in case she needs support."

Kelly sat down next to Emma and held her hand to steady both their nerves. The man was very understanding and assured Emma she was in no way complicit. This lifted spirits in the room. Father James asked for Sister Mary Joan's phone number and said he wanted to assure her that Emma had spoken to him. When he prepared to leave, Emma gave him a sincere hug and thanked him for coming to help her. Later Kelly received a call thanking her for her quickness in getting Emma help. Sister Mary Joan blessed her again.

That night Kelly was startled out of sleep by Emma's screams. She sat up and turned on her lamp. Emma was also sitting rigid except for her shivering and her eyes were as wide open as they could be. Kelly lifted her bed clothes in invitation for Emma to join her, which Emma gratefully did. She held on to Kell so tightly it hurt her. They both slept through the night. Emma woke with her right hand cupping Kelly's breast. She was so confused and felt it necessary to apologize. Kelly told her that the dreams were normal and she was welcome to join her anytime she was having them.

While Emma was getting ready in the morning she looked at her face. One side was so bruised she almost did not want to go to classes. Nora came and helped to cover the worst so she was not so obvious. Helen Jacobs took one look at Emma and called off class. She had heard there had been an assault on Saturday but had no idea it was Emma. She took Emma over to the student infirmary to get her checked out. Emma had not been taken there by the Campus Police. Helen raised hell with them later about this. After Emma was seen, she had a conference with a mental health worker. She talked about having seen Father James and said she was feeling better. Helen walked her back to her dorm room just in case she was still afraid. Helen had been raped on campus 10 years before and remembered how long after she was fearful of walking alone.

Emma thought about going to work out but the doctor had told her to wait two more days. She was getting herself back together. Nora came in as angry as a scalded cat. "That motherfucker's father's some high powered lawyer and got him released! He didn't even get expelled! I fucking can't believe this place!"

Emma hung her head and started crying, all her fear rushing back. What should I do now? She wanted to run but had nowhere to go. There was a knock at the door. Emma jumped straight up. Nora hoped it was Edward. This could be over quickly. Emma asked, "Who is it?" The answer came. "Stella Ortiz." Emma took a deep breath and opened the door. "Come in, Officer." Stella looked Nora over but said nothing. Nora had a reputation with her office that might come in handy for Emma.

"Emma, I am here to tell you Edward Johnson was released on bond. He is under a court order to stay at least 200 yards from you. His father got the judge to place the same order on you, God only knows for what reason."

"Stella, it was done to show that I am a danger to Edward in case he beats me up again. Is it OK that I called you Stella?" Emma had already started to read law books just in case.

"Yes, I've been called a lot worse. I can't believe they are planning for that. Are they both insane?!" Emma just shrugged her shoulders and frowned. She knew she was totally out-matched and in danger.

"What am I supposed to do now? I've got nowhere to go, Stella."

"I will try to watch out for you, as will all the other officers, but we are not allowed to put a tail on Edward. It could be seen as harassment."

Nora could see the abject terror on Emma's face and wanted to offer her hope. Just not in front of the policewoman. Stella got up. She also saw what was on the student's face but had no idea of what to do for her. She told them both to be careful and safe. She knew Nora's ability to handle herself -- she would just kill Edward with her hands and feet. But little Emma was defenseless. This kind of situation made her sick. Stella let herself out. Nora told Emma she would watch out for her, as would some of the LGBT people. Emma thanked her and gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"I talked to Jimmy Alonzo. He's a shot putter on the team. He's the one who beat that brat down at that party. He and several others offered to help guard you if you want them to." Nora's hormones were surging. She knew Emma was not playing at anything but she needed to get off soon.

The next day everything happened normally. Nora walked her to her classes except when she was at practice. There was a big guy who would take Nora's place at those times. No one saw that Edward was watching her but he was. He saw no way to finish what he had started but knew his time would come. He would be the prime suspect so it had to look like the bitch attacked him and his dad would get him off. Paul Johnson had told his son to forget the girl and stay off campus as much as possible. He told Edward he would have to change schools after the semester was over. He was so tired of his boy getting in trouble.

Edward found that it was easy to get into the girl's dorm after hours so he started to sneak in to watch the routine. He found that Emma liked to do her nightly wash up later than most girls -- that was his ticket. He could wait for a Saturday when a lot of the other girls would be off somewhere else. He knew it would be difficult to explain his being in the girl's restroom so he had to get it over quick and get out. He was going to enjoy this! He always enjoyed beating girls up -- he usually had an orgasm, and several more later when he remembered.

Normally, Nora would be at a dance club on Saturdays but they'd had a track meet during the day and were riding a bus back. It was alright. She had gotten laid by one of the sprinters on another team and the need was not there to go out. She would enjoy an early night. As she walked into her hallway she saw a guy duck into the washroom. This was not going to be a good night for him. She heard Emma screech out and knew who that guy was. Now he was dead in Nora's heart. She pushed the door open quietly and saw Emma on the floor, her face bleeding. That prick had hit her again!! Nora had fire in her eyes. "Hey, dead boy! You better say your prayers! Not that any deity gives a shit about you!" He sneered at Nora -- she wasn't big enough to frighten him. He would just kill her, too. His fatal mistake was to rush at Nora. She threw him head first into a tiled wall. His face felt like it had exploded. Nora then kicked in his ribs, puncturing his lung and heart. He was dying slowly, in excruciating pain. Nora went to Emma. She was not in good shape. The guy had tried to kill her with one blow. It wasn't placed well, so Emma would probably be OK. Nora watched Edward drown in his own blood before she lifted Emma in her arms. There would be no question about what had happened. She called 911 to report the incident and to get an ambulance for Emma, whom she laid on her own bed. She mopped up Emma's blood and decided she had to call Kelly and Eva. They rushed home, just beating the cops and EMS.

The police took one look at the dead body and knew the kid had had no chance against Nora. Kelly rode with Emma to the hospital. She was so disappointed in herself for letting Emma get hurt again.

The doctors were worried about Emma's lack of consciousness. She was not responding well. When they cleaned up her wound, they found an impression of a class ring on her head where she had been struck. Later the police matched it to a ring worn by Edward. The DA cleared Nora of any wrongdoing.

Stella Ortiz came to see Emma and found Nora there as well. Emma was awake now but her head hurt tremendously. Stella motioned to Nora and took her outside.

"Nora, you did a hell of a job on that kid! He didn't have a chance, did he?"

"I didn't go into the restroom with any intent other than to protect Emma, Officer. He charged at me so I put him down like the sick dog he was. Did he still have his erection when the police showed up?"

"His what? He was that turned on by killing Emma and you. Fucking scum. His father should be put in jail for getting him released."

Stella offered her hand to Nora. She didn't like her but had an increased respect for her now. Nora took the proffered hand and shook it with a smile on her face. A woman was rushing down the hall. She had had a visit from Kelly O'Malley, who had explained Emma's absence from her class. Helen Jacobs pushed past the two women in the hall and into Emma's room. She was so worried that Emma would be scarred by this.

"Hello, Ms. Jacobs. What are you doing here?"

"Your roommate came by and told me why you missed class. I just about wet myself with worry. Is there anyone I can call for you?"

"Do you know Father James? I think I might like to talk to him."

"I know him well! I'll get him to visit you. Do you have family I can call?"

"No. Only the sisters at the convent -- I think Kelly called them. A sister from a local order came to see me and said Sister Mary Joan wanted me checked up on. I have all my assignments done for the rest of the year. I'll have Kelly bring them to you. They don't know yet how long I'll be here."

They talked for a while longer until another visitor showed up, a girl who said her name was Eva. Helen walked out in the hall, dialed Father James's cell phone, and told him of Emma's request. He was at the hospital so he came right up. He was quite worried about the girl and her response to this new attack. When he walked in, he found three young women with Emma.