Chapter 4

"Ah!"

Brittany shrieked. The corner of the book hit her forehead squarely, instantly leaving a large red mark.

Everyone in the library stood up in shock.

"You hit me?" Brittany clutched her forehead, her face a mask of disbelief.

Her friend, Courtney, reacted too, screaming as she lunged at me:

"You psycho! How dare you hit Brittany? I'll tear you apart!"

I sidestepped, and she missed, crashing into a bookshelf. Books went "thud, clatter" everywhere.

The scene descended into chaos.

Ms. Albright and several campus security officers rushed over, forcibly pulling us apart.

"Everyone, stop right there! What on earth is going on?! This is a library, not your personal arena!"

We were taken to the university's campus security office.

Brittany sat in a chair, crying theatrically, as if she had suffered the greatest injustice.

"Officers, look what she did to me!"

"My head is throbbing, I need to go to the hospital. I'm definitely concussed!"

She pointed at the red mark on her forehead, wailing to Officer Miller.

"She's just jealous! Jealous of my youth, jealous that I'm a better student! She can't get into grad school herself, so she wants to ruin everyone else! People like her should be expelled!"

Courtney chimed in, adding fuel to the fire: "Exactly! We all saw it, she threw the first punch! Brittany just wanted her to stop hogging the spot, and she went absolutely crazy!"

Officer Miller, a grizzled, near-retirement security officer, listened to their twisted accusations, his brow furrowed into a deep 'V'.

He turned to me, his tone stern. "Alright, what really happened, young lady? Did you hit her first?"

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady.

"She stole my spot first, splashed coffee on me, and ripped my book."

"I asked her to leave, she refused, so I..."

"I did not!" Brittany instantly cut me off, her voice an octave higher.

"You're lying! The coffee was an accident! You ripped your own book and are trying to blame me!"

"You're a total liar and a psycho!"

Officer Miller rubbed his temples, annoyed by the bickering, and rapped his knuckles on the desk.

"Alright, that's enough, both of you!"

He looked at me, speaking in a long-suffering tone. "Look, Chloe, no matter the reason, hitting someone is wrong."

"You're a bright student, aren't you? Why be so impulsive?"

A cold dread settled in my heart.

It was the same old story.

This kind of spineless mediation, where they just sweep things under the rug and side with the troublemaker, without bothering to find out what really happened.

"Officer, there are cameras in the library," I repeated, clinging to my last hope.

Officer Miller sighed. "I already checked. Your spot is a blind spot, nothing was caught."

My heart sank.

How could that be such a coincidence? First the cameras in my neighborhood, now even the library cameras?

Brittany's eyes flickered with a hint of triumph when she heard that.

She cried even harder. "Officer, my head really hurts, I need to go to the hospital..."

"If this injury affects my grad school applications, she has to take full responsibility!"

Officer Miller was clearly fed up with her tears. He waved his hand. "Alright, go to the campus clinic for now."

"As for you, Chloe, what's your name and department? You'll need to come with us to file a report. The university will handle this seriously."

I gave him my name and department: Chloe, PhD candidate, Life Sciences Department.

When I said "PhD candidate," Brittany and Courtney's expressions noticeably stiffened.

Officer Miller also paused, pushing up his glasses and looking at me again.

"You're... a PhD student?"

"Yes."

His attitude seemed to shift subtly, but ultimately he maintained his official tone.

"Still, hitting someone requires disciplinary action. Please come with us."

I was led to another office to give a detailed account of what happened.

Brittany, meanwhile, was dramatically "fainting" her way to the campus clinic, supported by Courtney.