Students had packed the hallway three deep, then three deeper still.
Seeing it, Hilary shrank back into the corner of the couch, trembling all over.
"Stop filming me... please, I'm begging you, stop..."
He wept like a broken flower in the rain, and the crowd of girls only ached for him more.
"Don't be scared! We've got your back!"
"The school has to expel her!"
The scene had spun completely out of control.
Caroline wiped the sweat off her forehead and put on a show of anguished concern.
"Everyone, please, calm down! The school will handle this seriously. There will be no leniency!"
She turned to me and dropped her voice.
"See that? This is what your 911 call got you. The whole campus knows now. There's no holding back the backlash. Your daughter is finished."
Davina leaned against the wall, ashen.
Then she suddenly screamed out toward the crowd.
"This has nothing to do with me! I gave up on that daughter a long time ago! Her father's the one who insisted on shielding her!"
Jeanette stood behind me, fists clenched, her body shaking faintly.
"Dad..."
I took her cold hand in mine.
"Don't lower your head."
"Let them film. The clearer, the better."
A middle-aged man in a sharp suit shoved his way through the crowd.
It was the vice president of Kingsport University, Vice President Whitney.
He took one look at the chaos in the office, and his brows knotted tight.
"What is all this shouting? This is a disgrace! Everybody out!"
Whitney stepped inside, glanced at Hilary, then at Jeanette.
"Caroline, what's going on here?"
Caroline hurried over and gave him the story, laying it on thick.
When she finished, Whitney turned to me, his face dark.
"Sir, a school is a place for teaching and raising students. It is not a marketplace for the two of you to make a scene."
His tone left no room for argument.
"The nature of this incident is extremely serious. To calm the students' anger and protect the school's reputation, Miss Dickerson will be suspended immediately for reflection and will submit to a full investigation. For the duration, all of her honors eligibility is revoked."
He looked at Jeanette.
"You. Bow and apologize to Mr. Abbott right now, then go home and think about what you've done."
Davina looked like a prisoner granted a pardon.
"Thank you, sir! Thank you for your generosity!"
She whipped around and barked at Jeanette. "Apologize! Now!"
I looked at Whitney and didn't move.
"Vice President Whitney. Suspension? An apology?"
"So this is how you run an education? No verification, no evidence, and whoever cries the loudest wins?"
Whitney's expression darkened.
"Mr. Fox, the cameras on the third floor of the science building have been broken for a month. That's a lapse by facilities. But the injuries on Mr. Abbott are real! Are we supposed to protect an attacker and break the heart of the victim?"
"The cameras are broken, is that it?"
I nodded.
"Fine."
At that exact moment, a piercing siren rose up from the street below.
Red and blue lights flashed alternately outside the window.
The officers were here.
Two uniformed officers strode into the office.
The one in front swept his eyes around the room.
"Who made the call?"
I raised my hand.
"I did."
The officer took in the standoff filling the room.
"What's the situation? The call reported harassment, molestation, and extortion?"
Hilary stumbled off the couch, half falling, and dropped to his knees in front of the officer.
"Officer, please, save me... she's been harassing me..."
He pointed at Jeanette, showing off the scratches on his skin and his rumpled clothes.
"I'm just a poor kid from the country. I've got no money, no connections... their family's rich, and they want to drive me to my death..."
