Zora

Chapter Seven

Each girl stood in front of one of the mirrors in the bathroom as Zora used the bathroom. They fixed their hair and touched up their makeup. Though it was weird to use the bathroom with a group of girls who she didn't know well, Zora couldn't help but feel safer in the group. She almost wondered if it was why girls tended to travel to the bathroom in pairs, to feel a sense of protection where one is deemed most vulnerable. And with so much controversy surrounding transgender people using the bathroom, she needed as much protection as she could get.

"So, Zora, what did your friends think of you moving away from Georgia?" Kendall questioned. "Were they sad to see you go?"

"Oh, I never had any friends. Once everyone found out I was transgender, they didn't want to be my friend. But it wasn't as though I had any before I came out," she replied nonchalantly as she exited the stall. Though it hurt to think about the prejudices surrounding her, she refused to show her pain. If she was going to move on, then she had to stand tall.

She had to forget.

"Wait, you're trans?" Cassidy exclaimed in shock.

"Does that make a difference?" Zora nervously asked as she washed her hands.

"No, I'm just surprised. You're so feminine. Though I guess you do have a slightly bulkier build."

"Does that matter?" Kendall snapped, propping her hand on her hips. "Whether you are more feminine or masculine seeming doesn't make someone any less of a man or a woman. Zora is a woman, and that's all that matters. She could have a beard and the voice of Morgan Freeman and still be a woman. It's all about how she feels inside, alright?"

Staring at her reflection with a small smile, Zora whispered, "Thank you," as she moved a piece of hair behind her ear.

Moving Zora by the chin to stare into her eyes, Denise stated, "You are a beautiful woman. Don't forget that."

"A woman with a penis," a snobbish voice snarled. A posh, dyed blonde woman walked into the bathroom. With her white dress and light pink cardigan with matching flats, she viewed herself as the epitome of femininity. Anything that went against her definition of womanhood was deemed a disgrace. And as she walked up to Zora, her arms crossed over her chest, all she could view was a confused, perverted boy in front of her. "I don't feel comfortable with you in here to watch me as I use the bathroom."

"Excuse me-" Kendall snapped, ready to charge after her. But Zora held up her hand, silencing her friend before she would do something she would regret.

This sort of bullying was common for her. Every day in Georgia she dealt with the ignorance, but with three girls standing behind her, ready to defend her, she felt brave. The words she always wished she would have been able to say to her bullies slipped past her lips with grace.

"I may have a penis, but that doesn't mean I use the women's room so I can look through a tiny slit in the stall and maybe catch a glimpse of you peeing. I didn't change my name, ask to be called different pronouns, wear women's clothes, and change my whole just so I could hear you use the bathroom," she calmly spoke.

"If you're so uncomfortable with her being here, why did you even approach her before she could leave?" Kendall snarled.

The girl hmphed as she stomped her foot. "Because I watch the news, and I know that tranny's like yourself tend to walk into the women's bathroom to rape a girl. All politicians talk about how if they were in high school, they would follow the transgender craze and follow girls into their bathroom too, so they make rules to keep us safe."

"Don't you find it a bit creepy that politicians are admitting they would want to rape a girl during their high school years?" Zora questioned. The girl glared at Zora, but it didn't faze her. "They are our leaders, and they don't seem to hold any respect towards us. As women, shouldn't we be worried about how these men in power are condoning such violent acts? I'm terrified for my life being in here now because I am afraid that I will get beat up or raped myself."

"Are you calling me a rapist?" the girl exclaimed.

Zora quickly shook her head. "Not in the slightest. I'm sure you're a sweet girl, and I understand that change can be scary, especially when people feeds our minds with nonsense to be scared over. But I've been hurt before, so I would never put someone through I went through. The world is changing, so it's time for our minds to do so as well. Don't you think?"

As Zora exited the bathroom, all four girls were left staring at her in awe. "Oh, hell yeah, I like her," Kendall exclaimed as she ran out after Zora, Denise and Cassidy following behind.

Spencer and Terrance turned away from each other as Zora sat back down at the lunch table. Despite the stares she received from her peers, they didn't bother her. She was on a powerful high from finally getting the words she always wanted to say off her chest. She had never been prouder of herself in her life.

"Hey, where are the girls?" Terrance questioned.

"Oh, my gosh," Kendall laughed giddily as she sat down next to the blue haired girl. "Zora was freaking awesome in the bathroom. This snob accused her of being a rapist because she was trans, and she dropped a whole lotta truth on her, and the girl is still left flabbergasted right now. She had no idea what hit her."

"Someone harassed you?" Spencer quickly asked, both him and Terrance ready to kick someone's ass.

She shrugged. "She was talking about senators who said they would follow the transgender craze to sneak into the girl's bathroom if they were kids, which is stupid. Why would I go through all the trouble of having people call me a new name with new pronouns and change my whole life style just to be able to walk into a bathroom where I could potentially see a girl using the toilet through the super slim opening on the stall doors? It's pointless and stupid, just like our senators."

"Hey, I'm proud of you," Terrance stated, and Zora smiled at him.

Taking her hand in his own, Spencer held on tightly as he stared into her eyes. "If someone ever bothers you like that again, you let me know so I can kick their ass for you, alright?"

"I don't want you to get in trouble."

"It would be well worth it."

As the two gazed into each other's eyes, almost everyone at the table smiled at the two. Even Terrance was smirking a little. A blush covered both their cheeks as they slowly pulled away, but not without the both of them feeling as though they were on cloud nine.