At that time, I defended myself in the group chat, [I am innocent. I am upright and behaving properly. It is shameful for you to spread rumors about me like this!]
Some classmates spoke up for me.
[Estelle, you can't spread rumors about Siena just because your boyfriend thinks she's pretty. You are also a girl. How can you say such things?]
Libby added, [Estelle and I are the closest roommates to Siena. Can you guess why we know so many things about her?]
During that time, many classmates of mine kept their distance from me.
No one even wanted to team up with me for group assignments.
They thought there was something wrong with my character. They were afraid that others would misunderstand their character as well if they were close to me.
The evidence was solid.
...
I said to the counselor, "Miss Hawk, I can't stand such a life of being slandered anymore. I don't have any friends at school. It is all thanks to them."
The counselor glanced through the evidence on my cell phone quickly and asked me, "So, you decided to resort to violence against them, right?"
Hearing her question, I was caught off guard.
There were reasons behind this incident. Judging from her words, I shouldn't have hit them.
I had reported to the counselor many times about Estelle and Libby spreading rumors about me, but she ignored me and turned a blind eye to it.
I fought back because I couldn't bear them anymore, but now it seemed like it was all my fault.
Per the counselor, I was fully responsible for this incident.
Per her, the college paid the most attention to student's safety issues. She asked me to take Estelle and Libby to the hospital for examination, saying I would pay for all the medical expenses.
I wasn't convinced. I would never admit that it was my fault.
The counselor tried to convince me both emotionally and rationally.
"If you are willing to take responsibility, I won't record this incident on your file. No matter how young and impulsive you are, you should think about your future."
I took Estelle and Libby to the hospital.
Libby made an outrageous request, asking for a full-body examination, from head to toe.
The cost of a complete set of examinations was nearly ten thousand dollars per person.
I said, "It's impossible."
Estelle couldn't speak, so Libby spoke on her behalf.
"You saw it just now. The counselor is protecting us."
"If we make a scene in front of her again, you may even be expelled."