After having lunch at Woody's Cafe, I'm off to my Introduction to Philosophy class, which is located in the Wright-Rieman Laboratories just like my Greek Civilization class. It takes me just five minutes to walk from the quaint little restaurant all the way to the huge building on Busch Campus. I've got a firm grip on my backpack straps, and I keep up a steady and calm gait while I make my way inside the building and into the room where my class is held. My iPhone is tucked into the front pocket of my ripped Arizona jeans. Snacks are also stashed away in my backpack for me to munch on. I take my usual seat at the front of the class. I can't help but be amused by the fact that once again, I've come to class early. I decide to just kill time until everybody else has arrived.

Soon enough, the rest of the student body arrives, with all the individual students splitting up to take their seats. I decide to put away the iPhone for now and wait for Professor Faulken to arrive. It doesn't take much time for Professor Faulken to come in and sit down on top of her desk. Her long jet black hair is swept up into three buns strategically placed at the back of her head, and she's wearing round colored shades with pink lenses as opposed to her typical black Raybans. She wears a strapless leopard-print maxi dress that reaches all the way down to her feet and hides them, a dark denim jacket, and platinum jewelry (including diamond-shaped hoop earrings). She's also wearing espresso-colored mineral-based eyeshadow, burgundy liquid eyeliner that seems to give off a sheen under the right lighting, and Mented Cosmetics Semi-Matte Lipstick in Peach Please. I don't know what it is, but she somehow makes her entire look just... work.

"Good afternoon, class," Professor Faulken begins. "I hope you were all able to complete your assignments over Thanksgiving recess. If you have them, please take them out of your backpacks or whatever you take to school and place them on your desks."

We all do as she says. Well, almost all of us do, anyway. This one chick, Cathy Mallon, just doesn't seem to do anything every time I'm in class. Hell, I'm not even sure she does any work outside of class or has a bag to carry around her stuff in or has textbooks of her own. I can't help but feel sorry for her.

"I also hope you've already turned in your papers on Canvas," Professor Faulken continues. "Because we will be discussing them next week and how they will help you with your finals. Today, we will be having a lecture like usual. Be sure to write down as much as you can while I'm talking, so I hope you've got a notebook or something to write your notes down in."

Just about everyone (including myself) takes out something to write down their notes. Professor Faulken starts going into a lecture about ethics. I make sure to pay very close attention to the words presented on the PowerPoint slides, and I make sure to write them down to the best of my ability. It doesn't matter how long they're up. I just write. I don't want to miss a single damn thing. As if in the blink of an eye, class is over. Everybody around me starts to pack up and leave. I'm the only one who stays behind. I need to talk with Professor Faulken about Quilene and Jonah. I get up out of my desk and approach hers.

"What is it, Miss Harvey-Dahl?" Professor Faulken asks me. "Is there anything you need to help with finals?"

"No, I think I'm good on that front," I quickly reply. "It's just... um, I have this friend who's got a roommate with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, and this roommate's been in a long-distance relationship with her twin brother for at least two months..." Pause. "...and you've already figured out that I'm the friend, haven't you?"

"That's correct."

"Yeah, I figured. Anyway, I really don't know what I'm supposed to do now. Quilene and I are already telling Jonah that she's saving herself for marriage. I'm just worried that if Jonah finds out about her condition that he might not want anything to do with her anymore. I can't say I know what it's like to keep to yourself because your insides are different from your outsides, but believe me, Quilene's been so afraid to be romantic with anyone and be herself in that regard."

Professor Faulken just lets out a long, drawn-out sigh. "Miss Harvey-Dahl, I'm just going to say this now. If Jonah decides to break up with Quilene because her genitals don't look like 'normal' genitals, that's not on Quilene. That's on him. It'd be especially ridiculous if he were to act like that because intersex people deserve to be happy and loved just like everyone else."

"So then, what can we do? Quilene and I don't want to lie to him like this forever."

"Then you'll have to tell him the truth. If he really loves her, he won't care about her being intersex. He deserves to know."

I'm in shock. I don't know what to say. I want to object to this, but everything she's said so far is right. I'd be a fool not to try to take this advice to heart.

I just nod slowly. "Alright, I'll have to talk with Quilene about this. I don't know if she'll want to follow through on it, but I trust you."

I head back to my apartment, a firm grip on my backpack straps despite my uneasiness. I have to stay calm. I just need to talk with Quilene about the advice Professor Faulken gave me, and then I'll have to wait and see if she'll go for it. After all, it has to do with her relationship with Jonah. I don't know if she'll want to do it. I'm gonna have to tell her.

Once inside, I set my backpack down on the couch, but I don't immediately see her around. I wonder where she could be. It takes me about two seconds to realize that there's crying coming from her bedroom. I slowly and hesitantly approach her door and gently knock.

"W-Who's there?" I can hear Quilene sniffling.

"It's me, Hope," I reply. "I couldn't help but notice you were crying? May I come in?"

"I-I guess?"

"Okay."

I make an effort to quietly open the door and sit down on her desk chair. Quilene's cries sound like a whale calling out for its mate, and liquid mascara mixed with tears traverse down the right side of her face in an uneven line. I don't know what's happened to get her to start crying. I'm afraid to ask.

I ask anyway. "Everything alright?"

"No," Quilene replies, her voice quivering like hell from all the crying.

"What happened?"

"M-Maya called me... a-about Professor Hohenheim."

I get this worrisome feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Why was Aunt Maya calling about Professor Hohenheim?"

"He's dead."

I softly gasp and cover my mouth. "Dead? When did he die?"

"He... he died while you were in Professor Faulken's class."

I don't believe it. He's gone? He can't be. Quilene was telling me last night how jovial he was while she was attending his online class. Oh God... how can he be gone? How can he not be here when we're five weeks away from a new year? What am I going to do now?