Becca's point of view, thiry minutes earlier:
I am sitting at a table at the Kappa Phi Sigma sorority with my best friend Madison and I am writing a paper for my English class while Madison works on an assignment for Calculus class. At least, I am trying to write it. Every time that I try to write, I get mad and make mistakes. Then, I furiously erase my mistakes with the eraser of my trusty yellow pencil which isn't so trusty at the moment. Sometimes I press down on the paper so hard that I break my pencil which I have to fix with my portable pencil sharpener. After the third time that I break my pencil, I snap in half with my bare hands and fling it across the room. That is when two tears run down my face.
"What's wrong?" Madison asks me while rubbing my right arm.
"Writer's block," I lie.
Yes, I know that it is a rather obvious lie. Why am I really upset? Kaitlyn broke up with Portia in the worst way. She accused Portia of cheating when all she was really doing was hugging me because of the breakup of my parents. Friends are allowed to hug each other, right? Don't friends hug each other all the time? If Portia had been kissing me, that that would have been grounds for Kaitlyn to get mad. That witch even tried to slap Portia, and she was too stunned to defend herself. I had to step up and defend her. In a total act of disregard, Kaitlyn finished Portia off by saying that she never wanted to see her again. By the time Kaitlyn left, poor Portia erupted into a sea of tears. I had never even seen someone cry so much at a funeral.
"Tell the truth!" Madison ordered with her arms folded across her chest. "I have never seen someone react that that way because of writer's block."
At first, I can do nothing but put my hands over my forehead which causes Madison to come over and rub my shoulders.
"It's okay to be worried about Portia," Madison tells me. "I'm worried about her too."
"I have never seen anyone be that cruel to someone in my life!" I cry out as another tear comes out of my eye which causes Madison to sit back down and hug me.
"You really care about Portia, don't you?" Madison asked.
"She took the time to understand me even after the rotten way I treated her," I replied.
"Why do you think she did that?" Madison prodded.
"Because she lives to help people!" I explained more loudly than I intended. "You saw how she couldn't turn down James' need for help even though she had just had her heart ripped out! I think that was wonderful."
"How much do you like Portia?" Madison implored while letting me go so she could.
"I... I... don't know," I answered with a sigh . "I need to take a walk."
"There's something you should know first!" Madison exclaimed to stop me.
"What?" I asked as I sat back down.
"I have never broken a promise in my life, but I think that it would better for the two of you if I did just this once," Madison debated with herself.
"Just tell me!" I insisted.
"Remember when you shared your bed with Portia?" Madison questioned.
"Yeah, she woke me up with a nightmare," I replied with a laugh.
"She didn't have a nightmare," Madison revealed. "She had a sex dream about you."
"That's why she was upset?" I demanded.
"She told me that she felt that she cheated on Kaitlyn," Madison told me.
"That's silly!" I objected.
"That's what I told her," Madison agreed.
"So she was in your room!" I exclaimed with my eyes wide open.
"I thought that it would be better for her if I did what she wanted," Madison explained. "She wasn't ready to face you."
"I'm going to take a walk," I decided as I started for the door.
"Be careful if you go see Portia," Madison advised. "She has a crush on you."
I went outside to think. So Portia has a crush on me? How do I feel about that? She is definitely good looking. She is one of the most selfless people I know. When she had to help James with his problem even though it was hurting her just to get out of bed, it touched my heart. Maybe I do like Portia a little, but that poor thing's life doesn't need to get any more complicated than it already is. Maybe after she has had some time to heal...
Do I hear sirens? I hear a couple getting awfully close. Wait a minute! Two police cars have just pulled in front of Portia's dorm. Is Portia in trouble? I run to the next building over and hide behind a corner. I see policemen dragging out Kaitlyn with her hands handcuffed behind her back. I see a bruise on Kaitlyn's chin. I hope Portia did that! I wait with my breath caught in my throat until the police go away and then I run into the dorm to hear Portia friends sitting in the lounge and debating on who should convince Portia to go seek counseling.
"What's going on?" I demand with almost no breath.
"What are you doing here?" Chris wanted to know.
"I saw the sirens, now tell me what's going on!" I insist.
"Kaitlyn attacked Portia and Portia knocked out Kaitlyn in self-defense!" Tyler exclaimed excitedly.
"So she's okay?" I ask as I cheer inwardly.
"Physically yes, but mentally..." Abbie replied with a deep frown.
"I think Becca should be the one to convince Portia to go see a counselor," Zack suggested.
"Because she has a crush on me," I guessed.
"You know?" Chris wondered with an eyebrow raised.
"Madison spilled the beans," I explained while putting my front foot on the bottom stair.
"Be careful with Portia!" Abbie begged.
"You got it," I answered while marching up the stairs to end the conversation.
I start knocking on Portia's door. At first, it seems Portia is ignoring me, but I am not going to give up. I knock louder. I am about to start yelling when Portia finally opens the door. I have never seen her look so bad. Her hair is so messy that it almost makes her look like a hag. There are tears sticking to her face. Her eyes are almost completely red. I just bet that her teddy bear on the floor is completely soaked. I know that I have my work cut out for me so I give Portia the best greeting that I could think up.
"Hi, killer!" I greet with my best smile which causes Portia's mouth to hang open when she sees me.
"Cat got your tongue?" I teased which caused Portia to shut her mouth.
"If I had known that you were capable of throwing such a punch, I would have been nicer to you a lot sooner," I joked.
"It wouldn't have meant anything then," Portia pointed out.
"Don't step on Ernie!" I cautioned which caused Portia to pick up her toy .
"I'm glad that you're here," Portia spoke while wiping tears from her face with her free hand which drove a knife into my heart. "I'm a little surprised though."
"I was going for a walk when I saw the police cars pulling in front of your house," I explained as we both sat on my bed. "I was afraid that you might be in trouble so I had to stop by to see if I could help."
"I really appreciate that," Portia declared to me as I handed her a box of tissues.
"Blow!" I advised.
"I'm scared," Portia confided to me after blowing my nose.
"About what?" I wanted to know.
"I am worried that I could wind up like you used to be if things keep up like this," Portia whined. "There was a second today when I was wondering which one of my friends would betray me next."
"You aren't the type of person to do that," I explained to lessen Portia's fear. "Besides, your friends here won't let that happen to you. Madison and I won't let that happen either."
"I understand," Portia answered while nodding my head.
"Everyone is worried about you, myself included," I pointed out.
"I realize that," Portia sighed.
"There are a few things that I would like you to for me," I ordered.
"What?" Portia asked.
"Before you go to bed tonight, I would like you to take a hot bath," I advised. "Those help me when I am upset."
"Sure," Portia agreed.
"You should probably call your parents and tell them what has been going on," I urged which caused Portia to sigh deeply. "They will only want to help!"
"Anything else?" Portia questioned.
"If you only take one of my suggestions, I want you to follow this one," I went on.
"What?" Portia prodded.
"See a counselor," I sternly ordered which caused Portia's eyes to pop open a little. "Look at yourself! Your hair is a mess! Your face is streaked with tears! Your eyes are all red! I am afraid that you are getting ready to crack! I am very worried about you!"
"Okay," Portia agreed since she knew that there was no way that I was going to give up.
"When I got here, your suite mates were trying to decide on who should try to get you to a counselor," I blurted out. "They delegated that responsibility to me when I showed up because they thought that I would have the most chance of convincing you."
"Why is that?" Portia wondered.
"They told me that you have a crush on me," I revealed which caused my friend's eyes to bulge out in terror.
"I don't want you to be embarrassed," I spoke softly while patting Portia's head. "I don't want you worry that I am going to stop being your friend in disgust. Actually, I am flattered that you would think of me in that way."
"Really," Portia squeaked while letting out the briefest of a smile because I saw light at the end of the tunnel.
"I have dated both men and women because I am not sure what I want at the moment," I explained. "Let's do this. After you have had some time to heal, I will take you on a 'friend' date. If we start to like other after a few of those, then we can try a real date."
"I accept those terms," Portia agreed. "Thank you."
"Your welcome," I replied while patting Portia's back. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Yes, I love having you as a friend!" Portia exclaimed while hugging me.
"Well, now it's time for the patients to take care of the doctor," I pointed out which put a confused look on Portia's face.
"Huh?" Portia croaked out.
"From the way your friends downstairs talk about you, I can tell you that they think of you as the doctor of the house," I informed Portia. "You are the one that everyone goes to for advice. Who takes care of the doctor when she needs help?"
"That is a good question," Portia replied.
"I'd better be getting back now," I declared while looking at my watch. "You have my phone number if you want to talk more."
"I'll see you to the door," Portia insisted while leaving Ernie on her bed.
"Suit yourself," I gave in.
As we were walking down the stairs, I could definitely tell that Portia was checking me out. I could also see wishful looks on the faces of all of Portia's friends as if they were fulling for us to get together.